59937994-dcbfbf565cf540159a201115f02fca9e8637894d

Drones - The Future of Recording
In-Situ Mosaics?
I must confess I have never used a drone before so I am
not fully versed in what they are capable of but, they do
look to be a very useful piece of equipment.
One great advantage can see is the ability to easily take
photos directly overhead that show the whole floor. This
not only allows the whole pattern to be seen but also the
proportions in the geometry. This is very important in
working out the patterns as the proportion will dictate how
a pattern enlarges or constricts as it goes out from the
centre.
The only way up till fairly recently to get photos likes
these has been to either build a scaffold that bridges over
the whole floor or, as I have seen, get a very big stepladder
and have a few people on the bottom to counterbalance,
while the photographer leans out as far as possible off the
top! As you can imagine it's either very expensive or very
dangerous!
A small drone with the right camera makes this a lot easier
but there are things you need to know to make the best use
of them. There is also the question of permission to use
them at a site. This would have to be agreed in advance
and, for safety reasons, I am sure it would only be practical
to do this when there are no members of the public on site.