A different viewpoint
by Tony Karp
Hidden views -- Discoveries from my drone
 - State Prison Camp Number 26. Long since abandoned. - Tony Karp, design, art, photography, techno-impressionist, techno-impressionism, aerial photography , drone , drones , dji , mavic pro , art from the air
State Prison Camp Number 26. Long since abandoned.
We live in a rural area, with just a few main roads. As a result, there are square miles of things I've never seen, but are well within my Mavic Pro's range. One of the things I've been doing is flying around over areas I've never seen and then exploring the resulting videos, looking for what the Muse calls "Hidden views."

Who would have imagined an abandoned prison camp, only about a mile from my house? I had to search to find it on Google Earth. The result is below. One of my neighbors, who has lived here more than forty years, told me there was once a prison farm there, but that he had never seen it. A few Internet searches later, and I confirmed that this was, indeed, the place.
 - State Prison Camp Number 26. As seen on Google Earth. - Tony Karp, design, art, photography, techno-impressionist, techno-impressionism, aerial photography , drone , drones , dji , mavic pro , art from the air
State Prison Camp Number 26. As seen on Google Earth.

The Google Earth picture was shot from a satellite, while the Mavic's picture was shot from 400 feet. Also, I shot during the winter, while the Google image looks like it was shot later in the year, judging from the tree growth.

 - This looks like some sort of a secret garden. Someone carefully mows the area around the trees. - Tony Karp, design, art, photography, techno-impressionist, techno-impressionism, aerial photography , drone , drones , dji , mavic pro , art from the air
This looks like some sort of a secret garden. Someone carefully mows the area around the trees.
 - Whoops! I almost ran into this 300 foot tall cell tower. - Tony Karp, design, art, photography, techno-impressionist, techno-impressionism, aerial photography , drone , drones , dji , mavic pro , art from the air
Whoops! I almost ran into this 300 foot tall cell tower.
Every once in a while, you come across a real surprise, like this 300 foot tall cell tower. I didn't see it while I was flying, but found it later when reviewing the video. I checked online and this is the tallest structure within about a 25 mile radius. Luckily, I was flying at about 400 feet, which is my normal minimum altitude.

This brings up an interesting point. The FAA, who regulates my Mavic Pro, is worried that drones like mine will run around, colliding with other aircraft, something that has yet to happen. The real world dangers lie in things like this tower. Instead of calling (and annoying) nearby airports, drone pilots should be studying maps and online databases that show the locations of the real hazards that they're likely to encounter.

 - Hidden views -- Discoveries from my drone - Tony Karp, design, art, photography, techno-impressionist, techno-impressionism, aerial photography , drone , drones , dji , mavic pro , art from the air
The setting sun catches the highlights in these trees, creating an interesting pattern. From the air, you can see all sorts of patterns that aren't visible from the ground.

 - Hidden views -- Discoveries from my drone - Tony Karp, design, art, photography, techno-impressionist, techno-impressionism, aerial photography , drone , drones , dji , mavic pro , art from the air
This hidden lake is less than a half mile from my house. It's on a heavily-wooded piece of land that encompasses over 200 acres. I'll never see it in person, but I can see it from the sky. This was shot in the winter. Notice that the trees around the lake are bare.

 - This is the same lake, but at different time of day, with different lighting. - Tony Karp, design, art, photography, techno-impressionist, techno-impressionism, aerial photography , drone , drones , dji , mavic pro , art from the air
This is the same lake, but at different time of day, with different lighting.

 - Hidden views -- Discoveries from my drone - Tony Karp, design, art, photography, techno-impressionist, techno-impressionism, aerial photography , drone , drones , dji , mavic pro , art from the air
Here we are again, and now it's summer. The trees have all filled in and the growth is so dense you can hardly see the lake. So the lesson I learned from this is that the seasons can greatly alter the look of the landscape, with winter showing more and summer showing less.

I will have to visit these hidden places at different times of the day, to see what the different lighting reveals. And I will visit these places in different seasons as well. I can also choose a low height and make a detailed panorama of the site, or I can fly high and see how it blends into the surroundings.

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