Commercial Drone Operators, providing photography (including Thermal) and videography. Fully qualified, insured and with Permission For Commercial Operations from the CAA. (PFCO 5915), now nearly 3 years in business flying commercially, so we must be doing something right!

All our still photography is available, if you don’t see something you like, or have an idea for a photograph/shot, let us know, will see what we can do for you. We tend to provide photographs as digital media, (it keeps the cost down for the client), but if you wish, we can certainly have a print framed for you.

Registered with Scottish Fire and Rescue, to provide aerial/thermal data if required.

In addition to wedding and estate agency work, we can also provide roofing surveys, visual and thermal, insurance assessments, forestry and agriculture surveying etc. Farmer just installed new drainage in his fields? Commision us to capture high res photographs, these will prove invaluable in the future should problems arise. Why spend a fortune, hiring in a scaffolding company to allow a roofing contractor access to look for any issues? This is an exceptionally expensive, potentially dangerous and time consuming process. We can deploy a drone (SUAs) to map the complete roof and, dependent on budget, could provide 4K video all the way through to a complete 3D high resolution model, including thermal data. We recommend, for roof surveys, stay away from video, capture every square inch with high resolution images, there is far more information captured. Also, the drone operator MUST have the drone in eyesight, not screensight (unless he holds an OSC, very rare), at all time. We are authorised for night flights, but still require to have VLOS, Visual Line Of Sight, which will be significantly reduced in low/no light.

We use three drones, each one has its place. The Inspire 2, with X5s camera. this is the drone we use for TV/Extreme Quality Video work, where capturing  top quality video files is important. The X5S camera captures in 5.7K, far above the standard 4K, (which even a modern smart phone can capture now). Next is the Phantom 4 Pro. The camera on this Drone for photography, it is simply staggering! it captures 20mp shots, when captured in RAW format, produces files of 32MB! These files can then be manipulated in Photoshop/Lightroom, to bring out the shadows and enhance the colours.   Finally, we have the Mavic 2 Enterprise Dual. This little, but highly capable drone comes complete with two cameras in one. A standard 12mp camera paired with a med resolution thermal FLIR, a THERMAL camera. We use this to provide roof surveys, where not only are you seeing the physical, but also the thermal condition. For example, if there is a leak around a window flashing, the damp will cause the temperature to drop in that immediate area, this will be picked up by the Thermal Camera.

Safety is and always will be our priority, this is non negotiable. We will not compromise safety, even if this means re-arranging a flight, whether due to weather, other aerial traffic or no fly zones.  A pre flight survey and risk assessment will always be carried out to identify any possible issues, combined with logging the flight with the local Air Traffic Control –  this all helps to eliminate any unwanted and potentially dangerous situations AND is free.

Unlike some other operators, WE DO NOT “Cut and Paste”, from other sites and pass the images and description of what we do as our own. For example, “High Voltage and Wind Turbine Inspections”.  That work doesn’t go outwith the local network operator, (I know as I work for them full time,  the exception is one BIG designated company, to fly the Transmission/renewable Network, (at the moment as a pilot project). So stating to be able to provide as such, is just to tick a box, which isn’t there.

First and foremost, we are photographers. Using a drone is simply a means of getting out camera into the air. Anyone can fly a drone, its really not that hard, BUT composition and setting up the shot, adjusting the light input/shutter speed for video etc, that takes practice, skill, and understanding. Obviously there is far more to being a qualified and certified drone operator than just flying a drone. We need to go through training where we learn about law,  weather, airspace, Airport approaches, contact frequencies, no fly zones etc. After all this, we sit a flight assessment, which is actually planning a commercial job from start to finish and flying it at the end, all being observed.

Some of our clients have been Dacia Cars, Renault, Ridescottishborders, Bierhope Alpacas, Savills, Strutt and Parker, Bell Rural, Farne Salmon, the list really does go on.

All our stills and video are subject to strict Copyright Laws ©, no unauthorised reproduction, downloading or use without our permission.  Please feel free to have a look at our extensive gallery or visit us at www.facebook.com/bordersaerialphotography.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. We provide a no cost site survey and are happy to discuss your requirements, or even just to chat and advise what is possible.

Thanks for popping by and having a look,

kind regards

Mark