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John McBurney

Aerial Drone Photography at Fairfield Park, Bedfordshire

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Fairfield Park in Bedfordshire is a beautiful village with a rich history and a vibrant community. It is home to some stunning landmarks, including St. Luke’s Chapel, Fairfield Hall, and the Blue Lagoon. The town is also undergoing a transformation, with new developments like the Bessemer Fields estate constructed by Abbeymill Homes.

One of the best ways to capture the beauty of Fairfield and its landmarks is through aerial drone photography. Drones provide a unique perspective that is impossible to achieve from the ground. They allow you to capture sweeping vistas of the town, and get up-close shots of individual buildings and landmarks.
St. Luke’s Chapel is one of the most picturesque landmarks in Fairfield, with its distinctive white brick facade and Gothic architecture. A drone can capture stunning aerial shots of the chapel, showing its beauty in the context of the surrounding town.
Fairfield Hall is another iconic building in the town, with a rich history dating back to the 18th century. A drone can capture the grandeur of the building and its stunning grounds, with their manicured lawns and beautiful gardens.
Charlotte Avenue is a picturesque street lined with beautiful homes and an abundance of maturing trees. A drone can capture the curvature of the architecture the from above, showing the street’s beauty and serenity.
The Blue Lagoon is a hidden gem in Fairfield, with crystal-clear waters and stunning natural scenery. A drone can capture the beauty of the lagoon from above, showing its turquoise waters and lush green surroundings.
Shaftesbury Drive is another beautiful street in Fairfield, with stunning homes and tree-lined streets. A drone can capture the beauty of the street from above, showing its tree canopy and beautiful architecture.

Fairfield Rooftops – a view from the southwest corner of Fairfield looking up Brunel Walk with Fairfield Hall in the distance.

Fairfield Community Hall – A charity run by volunteers hosting clubs, classes, meetings, and parties.

Fairfield Gardens – a recently completed development by Crest Nicholson.

Fairfield Meadows – Situated on the borders of Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, Fairfield Meadows is an exclusive new development offering a mix of 2, 3 and 4 bedroom highly desirable homes. Located close to Stotfold, with both Letchworth Garden City and Hitchin within easy reach. Constructed by Campbell Buchanan George.

The Green lagoon is regarded as a mixed course fishery, suitable for all standards of anglers.

John McBurney – one of LivingLife’s editors and photographers standing at the edge of the Blue Lagoon captured by drone.

Aerial Drone Photography at St. Peter’s Church, Arlesey, Bedfordshire

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Photographing churches in the Bedfordshire using a drone can be a challenging and rewarding experience. On one hand, the unique architecture and history of these buildings make for stunning aerial shots. On the other hand, there are a number of difficulties and considerations that must be taken into account.

Safety is the primary concern when using a drone to photograph churches. Many churches are located in densely populated areas, and there is always the risk of injury or damage to property if the drone were to malfunction or be flown improperly. Additionally, many churches are listed buildings, and therefore have protected status. As such, it is important to obtain permission from the relevant authorities before flying a drone in these areas.

Weather is another important consideration when photographing churches with a drone. Strong winds can make flying a drone difficult, and heavy rain or snow can damage the equipment. It is also important to ensure that the drone is equipped with the necessary sensors and technology to fly safely in low-light or poor visibility conditions.

In addition to safety and weather considerations, it is also important to conduct a risk assessment before flying a drone near a church. This should include an assessment of the potential risks to people and property, as well as an assessment of the drone’s capabilities and limitations. This will help to ensure that the drone is operated safely and that any risks are minimised.

Despite the difficulties and considerations, the benefits of photographing churches in the UK using a drone are undeniable. The unique perspectives and angles that can be achieved with a drone provide a fresh take on these iconic buildings, and can be used for a variety of purposes, such as architectural documentation, tourism promotion, or even art. Additionally, the use of a drone can also be a cost-effective solution for capturing high-quality images of these buildings, which can be difficult and expensive to access using traditional methods.

In conclusion, while photographing churches in the UK using a drone can be challenging, the benefits and rewards are well worth it. However, it is important to consider safety, risk assessment, and weather considerations, and always obtain permission before flying in these areas. With the right preparation and equipment, the results can be truly breathtaking.

The aerial drone photographs included in this post show St. Peter’s Church in Arlesey, Bedfordshire. The photos were also showcased in the February 2023 edition of LivingLife Magazine –  a local community magazine distributed to 16,000 homes and businesses across Central Bedfordshire. LivingLife Magazine is the perfect publication to advertise your business in the following areas: Shefford, Campton, Chicksands, Henlow, Henlow Camp, Clifton, Lower Stondon, Arlesey, Stotfold and Fairfield. The magazine also offers an outstanding Leaflet Delivery Service helping local businesses reach new customers.

 

Aerial Drone Photography at St. Mary’s Church, Stotfold

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Our plans for 2018

Complete Property Photography recently had a press release published in The Comet newspaper describing our plans to photograph historic churches in the local area during 2018. This all came about after we visited the St. Mary Magdalene Church in Caldecote and captured some beautiful aerial photographs. It was such an enjoyable experience that we decided to make this our new hobby.

As qualified commercial drone operators covering Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire we are keen to put our photography equipment to good use, but it doesn’t always have to be work, work, work!  It is also important to have some fun. So, after some planning, we decided that the church we wanted to photograph next would be St. Mary’s Church in Stotfold. Well, it is in our home town after all. We liaised with the church rector, the Reverend Bill Britt and received approval to use the drone for aerial photography.  We are very happy to present to you some of the photographs that we were able to capture. We hope you enjoy them as it was an exciting experience and we had an interesting time taking them.

Window of opportunity

During the winter months there is far less scope to get out and take photographs with a drone. Typically, there is strong wind and rain, which means we cannot fly the drone for safety reasons. Also, at this time of year, there is lots of cloud and from a photographic perspective things can be a little dull. As a result, you simply have to wait for the window of opportunity to arrive.  It’s a case of waiting for the sun to come out and for the wind to go away, and then, quick as you like, get the drone up in the air and hopefully capture some beautiful shots.

The St. Mary’s Church photo shoot was split into two. The first shoot was conducted mid November last year. At the time we were working on a film project in Stotfold. We were making a location film; a short film to showcase Stotfold and highlight the positive things the town has to offer. Location films are great; an effective marketing tool for estate agents but also a fantastic way to celebrate all things good about a town.  For that project we needed to capture aerial video footage of St. Mary’s Church. St. Mary’s is probably the most historic building in the town and as such was always going to be one of the main shots in the film. Once filming was complete we had only one remaining fully charged battery for the drone. This would provide around 12 minutes flight time and we knew that this would not be enough time to comprehensively photograph the church building and grounds, also, it was the middle of the day, and you can’t get a sunset shot at midday. So, we returned, some three months later at the end of February for the 2nd shoot.

Beautiful sunset shots

Within that time the seasons had changed dramatically and the evidence is clear to see. The 1st batch of photographs, from mid November, clearly show the autumn colours still present in the trees and foliage. Compare this to the more recent photos we captured and you will see the contrast. The 2nd photoshoot was done on a bitterly cold day, in fact it was the very same day that the recent cold snap began, the infamous ‘beast from the east’. In many respects we were quite fortunate as the the following day there was lots of snow and for the next 7 days there was no potential for drone flight.

We are particularly happy with the sunset shots. Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire are beautiful counties. A large amount of that beauty emanates from the towns and villages dotted across the countryside, and where you get towns and villages, you also get churches; centuries old, steeped in history, and of course perfect for aerial photography.

We are currently planning our next aerial drone church shoot, so watch this space.

 

Complete Property Photography plan to photograph churches with a drone

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Towards the end of last year Complete Property Photography were fortunate to get the opportunity to photograph an historic and ancient church in the deserted village of Caldecote. The St. Mary Magdalene Church dates back to the 13th century but was made redundant in 1974, however, in 1982 it was vested by the Friends of Friendless Churches charity. In 2007 local residents in Caldecote, a tiny village near Newnham formed a group called the ‘Caldecote Church Friends.’ Their purpose was to raise funds for the maintenance and restoration of their beautiful medieval church.

Grazyna Tutak, one of the group’s volunteers and their press and publicity officer said,  ‘Complete Property Photography contacted us and said that they were interested in photographing our grade II* historic church. They informed us that they were commercial drone operators and suggested that aerial photography would allow us to capture amazing photographs of our church. We jumped at the chance. At the time we were in the process of updating our website for the church and we were thrilled that we were allowed to use the photos on our website.’

John, from Complete Property photography said, ‘I have walked and ran past the church on many occasions during my journeys cross country to the village of Ashwell. I have always been fascinated by it’s remoteness and it’s history and couldn’t wait to photograph this beautiful building with our drone.’

It turns out that we enjoyed the experience so much that we decided that our hobby for the next 12 months would be to photograph historic churches in the local area.  Our mainstay of photography work involves internal and external property shoots of residential homes, however, it is refreshing to photograph something different, especially when the subject is steeped in history.

As winter draws to an end and spring is on it’s way, the countryside will begin to come alive and from a photography perspective we are keen to get out there and start snapping. Initially, we plan to photograph the churches which are closest, starting off in our home town of Stotfold and then spreading out to the villages of Astwick, Henlow and Arlesey. By the end of the year we hope to have photographed lots of churches throughout Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire.

The next church that Complete Property Photography plan to photograph is St. Mary’s Church in Stotfold. Reverend Bill Britt, the church rector said ‘Restoration work at our church throughout 2017 was recently completed, it would be wonderful to capture our beautiful church looking it’s very best’