Maya: watch tower and woodland.
Maya was kind and flexible by responding positively on my last-minute request. I picked her up at the nearby village and we went to the Engelermeer area. This is a recreational area with sand beaches and... a watch tower.
The unique feature of a watch tower is that it is the highest point in an area, and from ground level you cannot see what happens on the top level. Nude modelling requires some privacy, and on top of a watch tower it's somehow secluded. And clearly visible from a drone.
Some people walked their dog in this area, but nobody seemed to mention Maya The watch tower from above does not look like a watch tower, it is just a square. On the photo the shadow of the tower reveals it's form. After the watch tower shoot we strolled into nearby woods.
We found an overgrown path with small bridges that seemed to be forgotten. Maya modelled and the drone combined the top view of autumn trees with her, resulting in colourful photo's. Flying the drone up in the few meters between tall trees was challenging.
A last few shots were made in a different area, where we met a fellow drone pilot. His confidence in flying revealed some experience, but he told us he was mainly into testing out the technical capabilities of his drone. We discussed if interference would occur if we would fly our drones in the same area. I wondered what he thought of us.
Maya has a Facebook profile where you can send her your compliments :)
Lessons learned: autumn trees from above are beautiful. Flying up and down in a confined space with tree branches is hair-raising and triggers the drone object avoidens system. Fellow drone pilots are eager to talk about technicalities. Perhaps me too.
To Do: See a cold autumn day not a burden but a opportunity and create more material while the trees are still colourful.