23rd September - LandMap Survey Photography Shoot.

When we were contacted to do a shoot with a surveyor who was expanding into drone surveying, we knew it was something we had to be part of. The idea of flying drones and photographing drones was too good to pass up, so I was genuinely excited to meet Ben and capture his work.

Ben reached out because he wanted fresh, authentic images for his website — something more personal and professional than the stock imagery he’d been using. He wanted to showcase his equipment, his brand, and his personality. So, we packed up the car and headed to Derby, where Ben welcomed us to his beautiful home. We were greeted by three hilariously passive-aggressive (but incredibly cute) rescue dogs before diving straight into the shoot. Ben had everything set up and ready to go — a true professional.

After covering all his surveying gear (and trust me, he has a lot), we packed up again and drove to a nearby airfield for the drone segment. Ben brought out his DJI Matrice M300 RTK — a beast of a machine with a 10k camera mounted on the front — while I flew what now feels like a toy in comparison, my DJI Mini Pro 3. Until you’ve seen the Matrice in action, you can’t quite grasp the power, the sound, or the presence of it. It’s intimidating yet graceful — it scares the neighbours, but you can’t help wanting one!

We got to work capturing his incredible drone in flight, using my drone as the camera drone. Drones photographing drones — you couldn’t make it up! After that, we snapped a few shots of Ben’s branded vehicle before heading off to our next shoot.

In total, we delivered over 400 images for Ben to use across his website, social media, and branding materials — giving him content to keep things fresh for months to come.

But what I really took away from this shoot is just how much small businesses can grow and thrive when the right opportunities and connections come together. I can’t wait to work with Ben again — he’s a consummate professional, a genuinely great guy, and someone you just enjoy being around.

A huge thank you to Laura Curtis for the introduction — it’s a small world when good people connect!