Back when he was finishing high school, LangfordB次元官网网址檚 Dusty Morris got a job as a dishwasher at the Loghouse Pub on Millstream Road. Over a period of eight years, he worked his way up to first cook. These days, heB次元官网网址檚 up at JackB次元官网网址檚 Place on Bear Mountain.
In between those kitchen gigs, however, Morris took a few side paths.
He did some masonry for a while after his time at the Loghouse, B次元官网网址漛ut that was really, really hard,B次元官网网址� he says with a laugh. So he took off to Port Alberni to help a friend rebuild a house, he says, B次元官网网址渁nd to find myself B次元官网网址� reassess what I was doing with my life.B次元官网网址�
It was during this reassessment that he had an idea to try and combine two of his long-time passions B次元官网网址� photography and aviation B次元官网网址� into a new career path.
B次元官网网址淢y dream job, when I was a kid, was to be a photographer for National Geographic,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淎nd IB次元官网网址檝e always been an (remote control) guy. I started with cars when I was a kid, but it developed into a love of anything you could control remotely.B次元官网网址�
Once he found aircraft, there was no turning back. B次元官网网址淎nd then I started mounting little video cameras to them B次元官网网址� just with tape,B次元官网网址� he says. While the image quality was terrible in the early days, there was something that fascinated him with the angles of the world he could capture remotely from up in the sky.
Once he found a love for RC helicopters and smoothed out the images he was capturing due to the additional stability, he knew it was what he needed to be doing.
He made a business plan over the course of about eight months, took out a loan from his parents, contacted in Saskatoon about purchasing an X6 model unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for about $27,000 and opened up .
The X6 is actually a small unmanned aircraft system, which is a different category as far as Transport Canada regulations go, but itB次元官网网址檚 not a term most recognize B次元官网网址� yet.
Before he could start booking customers, however, he needed to take a few more steps. One was spending two weeks training on UAVs in Saskatoon with Draganfly. After all, when youB次元官网网址檙e paying that kind of money for a gizmo, you donB次元官网网址檛 exactly want to just wing it.
B次元官网网址淔lying a $27,000 drone is a bit different than flying a $300 RC chopper that you donB次元官网网址檛 mind crashing into a building, right? Anybody can just pop up a drone they bought for $700 with a camera on it, but thereB次元官网网址檚 another whole level,B次元官网网址� he says. Wind currents, legal repercussions, insurance and liability issues need to be considered when moving into the commercial sector.
Morris says the X6 is actually easier than flying anything RC heB次元官网网址檚 ever flown, B次元官网网址渂ecause itB次元官网网址檚 got so many failsafes B次元官网网址� itB次元官网网址檚 super stable.B次元官网网址� After he became used to flying the UAV B次元官网网址� well over 1,000 hours later B次元官网网址� he started hiring himself out pro bono to build a resume.
B次元官网网址淚 call what I do intimate low-altitude photography,B次元官网网址� he says, in that his shots are similar to what one might get from a helicopter, but taken from much closer to his subjects and with a wider variety of photos. The possibilities are endless, he says, and more ways for the technology to be used are being found seemingly every day.
B次元官网网址淭here are so many interesting things that people are doing with them nowadays,B次元官网网址� Morris says. Everyone from whale researchers to real estate agents, environmental conservationists to golf course marketers and actions sports enthusiasts use of this style of photography.
Among the videos Morris has filmed are a light show that a DJ wanted to show to prospective clients, auto races at Western Speedway, and recently, Juan de Fuca soccer players having fun during their year-end wrap-up.
HeB次元官网网址檚 looking to get into the housing market, but not in the way one might think at first.
B次元官网网址淚 can really get a dynamic range of unique angles that you canB次元官网网址檛 get without this kind of equipment,B次元官网网址� he says, which is why he feels it will appeal to realtors listing properties for sale, developers marketing subdivisions or people looking to add another dimension to their sales plan when listing a home or business.
The drone offers a very efficient way of doing aerial photography and videography, Morris says.
B次元官网网址淚 can launch it right out of the back of my truck. IB次元官网网址檓 extremely mobile, fast and reliable.B次元官网网址�
Most aerial photography in the past has been done by helicopters, he says, and those doing it would have to wait for enough orders to make it worth renting that chopper. Morris says he can go from an onsite shoot to processed photos in an hour, in most cases.
To find out more about Morris or what he does with Vantage Point, visit or contact him directly at dusty@vantagepointaerialphotography.ca or 250-580-3904.
