Landscape Videography
The title for this page may seem slightly odd to some, but let me explain.
If you’ve been reading my blog, then you will know that I recently invested in a DJI Drone for the purpose of capturing still images of places, that from a wheelchair at times can be impossible. But with a drone, its designed more around 4K video, which my camera, the Sony A99II can do, but I don’t use my camera for that kind of work.
But using a drone for a couple of months, I’m seeing the potential for showing off some of the amazing places that I find with my drone, which I capture stills and video. So I’ve decided to add a page to my website called ‘Landscape Videography’, so I can share the video side of the work I’ve been doing.
I must warn you, my editing skills and still in the learning mode and some of the videos might seem, basic or over done with the music added, but its like photography, you keep on learning.
Feature 1
Sunrise at Purton Graveyard on the river Severn in Gloucestershire. These boats have sat here for years and a drone gives a birds eye view of this historical place.
Feature 2
Valley Of The Rocks just outside the town of Lynton at sunrise. This was a visit back in 2019 after lockdown and met up with two friends Paul and Oli. It was a fresh beautiful morning with the fresh air and so much time in isolation away from people. we still could not hug or shake hands but we spent quality time together that made this a special time out that year.
Feature 3
Sunrise at Lavernock Cliffs Nr Barry Island. This place is a bit off the beaten track, but a great place to capture the sunset and look along the cliffs towards Barry Island. This was a great morning with the sunrise right on cue and the tied just being out enough to show the shore line that stretches on into the distance and a great place to visit if you're in the area.
Feature 4
Another visit to this amazing landscape between the Welsh and English boarder in Wales. my last visit was during the winter and very foggy and I wasn’t able to see the splendour there is to viewed. I got there just before sunrise and the sun came over the hill and showed the magnificent view looking towards England through the valley.
Feature 5
This is sunset along the the River Severn Nr Bristol and a unique point between the old and new bridges along the Severn. The sky was amazing and great for some video and images.
Feature 6
Another video of Chew Valley Lake and sunrise, This was taken in August 2019 on a beautiful crisp morning, this place always has something to offer.
Feature 7
The beach of Kilve lies about halfway between Minehead and Bridgwater in the heart of the Quantocks. The shoreline is mostly rocky with plenty of rockpools to explore towards low tide. One of the best features of Kilve beach is the large grassy area behind the beach which is ideal for picnics.
Like neighbouring Lilstock there is mcuh of geological interest at Kilve. The cliffs here are formed from oil-rich shale and layers of yellow, brown blue lias in which fossils can be found.
Feature 9
Birnbeck Pier is a pier situated on the Bristol Channel in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, England, opened in 1867, approximately 18 miles south-west of Bristol. It is the only pier in the country which links the mainland to an island, linking to Birnbeck Island,
Feature 11
Frenchay Common Parish Church, sitting in the North of Bristol. A beautiful spot and sometime ago Frenchay Hospital sat across the road, but being redeveloped sadly.
The foundations of the church were completed in 1834 by Henry Rumley. The work on the vestry started in 1887 and was completed by the local architect William Larkins Bernard. It has been designated by English Heritage as a grade II listed building. The large church has a low battlemented tower with a slender spire which overlooks the common. The churchyard contains the war graves of six service personnel of World War I and three of World War II.
Feature 8
Blaise Castle on a Easter weekend is full of people, walking their dogs, with their children and having picnics etc. Having the place to yourself means getting up extremely early and waiting for the sun to rise.
I’ve tried to tell the story of the amazing park and its famous castle that nestles in the grounds of the estate, that fly’s the St Georges flag, without the crowds of people or animals. one would say I got lucky, my answer would yes I did, and glad I can share it with you.
Feature 10
Hengrove Park, is in the South of Bristol, England. At one time, the park was actually an airport and called Bristol Airport and part of the runway is still there and used for events like carboot sales and the odd event. On the outskirts of the park is a community hospital and college.
The sun rises from the east and over looks the area, where I have lived for over 18 years in this area of Bristol, a city landscape higher than the centre of Bristol.
Feature 12
Chew Magna Lake sits just outside the city of Bristol, and is one of the popular attractions to city folk to escape to for hour or so. I’ve photographed this spot many times over the years, as each season brings a new image, a new feeling to capturing a place thats tranquil in the early hours of the morning or evening.
Feature 13
Just outside a little village called Nant Trefil, lays an old quarry thats been closed down for a number of years. But it's been used for filming of television programs like Dr Who and blockbuster films. It’s a long gravel road that runs for about 3 miles and full of potholes, so you cant drive more than 15 mph, but once you enter the quarry, it all becomes eerie with high black cliffs and green coloured ponds.
Feature 15
Autumn is a great time of year as the sun is in that changing period of becoming brighter, as it works towards winter time. The mornings become colder and so the mist and fog begins to form, specially over water and places like Chew Magna Lake, just outside Bristol. You have to watch the weather forecast and see if its going to be a bright day and the temperature is going to be low enough to form the mist or fog, and have a little bit of luck that its not too dense and ends up like pea soup. I got it right and had a great morning with the drone and then with the camera, as the fishing boats came out of the fog towards me.
Feature 17
Winter is starting to make its way to the UK and I decided to do a trek to the Hay Bluff area of Wales that the Welsh and English boarder sits on top on the mountains.
I decided to take nearly everything with me, two drones and my camera equipment plus a large flask of coffee and cheese and pickle sandwiches.
The area is amazing and surreal with the fog coming in quicker than would like as I was only able to the drone up twice. The second was just when I was about to give up and the sky cleared of fog and rain. Places like this you have to be patient and wait, hence the coffee and sadwiches.
Feature 19
Chew Valley Lake Nr Bristol is a favourite spot for me, but I’ve not filmed from this side of the lake before. Sunrise is all about timing and finding that evening with cloud cover to make the film more interesting and for images as well. This was taken late 2019 and was some would call reasonable time in the pandemic as it calmed down for now. The video gives me a feeling of what we have to make the most of it in the beauty we have and need to cherish if we are to get through this.
Feature 14
There are two points of interest on the Pontsticill Reservoir, each giving a different perspective, but for me one is more accessible than the other, as the one is used by canoes and other boating activities. But the other point where this image was taken, has a high wall, that makes it impossible for me to see over from being sat in my chair, but has more of an interest point to the reservoir. This is where the use of a drone allows me to see over the wall and gives me a better perspective of whats possible.
Feature 16
2019 has started off for me with a visit to Glastonbury. Even though living in Bristol for over 35 years, and Glastonbury only about 45 minutes away, I’ve never had reason to visit a place that’s so well known in theses parts.
English weather is very unpredictable at this time of year, one minute its mild, and the next if sub-zero. The use of apps, allow me to follow weather conditions pretty good theses days and allows me to plan my trips a couple of days in advance.
Glastonbury Tor looks quite large in images I’ve seen online, but actually when you see it for real, it’s not that tall. But the surrounding land is very flat for miles and maybe why the Tor can bee seen from far away.
Doing videography is something new to me and it takes planning to work out where you're going to setup you drone and do aerial film that shows the sunrise, surrounding landscape and the Tor in all its glory.
I’ve also included a short video of a circle I came across using Google Earth app. I don’t know much about it or if it’s actually an old one, but I went back to Glastonbury two days later to film this. What you see in the field is a couple of t-pees that I’m not sure if are currently in use at present or not.
Editing film is not the same as images, and something I’m learning as I go, and finding music and having the film scenes run along side it, isn’t easy, but I’m getting there.
Feature 18
Blaise Castle is a folly built in 1766 near Henbury in Bristol, England. The castle sits within the Blaise Castle Estate, which also includes Blaise Castle House, a Grade II* listed 18th-century mansion house. The folly castle is also Grade II* listed and ancillary buildings including the orangery and dairy also have listings. Along with Blaise Hamlet, a group of nine small cottages around a green built in 1811 for retired employees, and various subsidiary buildings, the parkland is listed Grade II* on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England.