Aerial drone photography across the UK
Drone Assisted connects businesses with commercially insured drone pilots for professional aerial photography across the UK.
Depending on the assignment and pilot capability available, work can range from high resolution aerial photography through to video and repeat site imagery.
Tell us what you need photographed, where the location is and how the imagery will be used. We will confirm suitable pilot availability and the appropriate brief.
Commercial focus
Property, construction, land, estates and business sites rather than consumer or hobby photography.
Brief led deliverables
Imagery, viewpoints, editing and file formats are agreed according to the customer brief and the capability required.
Video where required
Aerial video may also be available where required and where a suitable pilot and aircraft capability is available.
Insured pilots
Pilots are checked for identity, commercial insurance and CAA registration, with job specific qualifications checked where required.
Airspace handled
The pilot carries out airspace checks and holds any authorisation required for the flight, and will flag where a location adds restrictions.
Growing UK network
Photography capability varies by location, so availability is confirmed for each individual assignment.
How it works
- Step 01
Send the brief
Location, site type, purpose of the imagery, required viewpoints and any video or editing requirement.
- Step 02
Capability assessed
We assess what the assignment needs and look for a pilot with suitable equipment and experience in that area.
- Step 03
Availability confirmed
Where a suitable pilot is available, the scope, deliverables and expected timescale are confirmed with you.
- Step 04
Capture and delivery
The site is photographed to the agreed brief and the agreed outputs are supplied. Weather may affect scheduling.
Commercial aerial drone photography
This page covers commercial aerial photography rather than consumer, hobby or event photography for private occasions. Potential uses include:
- Commercial property
- Residential developments
- Construction
- Business premises
- Corporate estates
- Development land
- Hotels and leisure property
- Marketing
- Site overview imagery
- Business communications
Property and development photography
Potential uses can include commercial properties, residential developments, development land, estates, hotels, site context imagery, exterior aerial imagery and marketing material.
Pilots on the network have different photography backgrounds and equipment, and not every pilot works as a specialist architectural or property photographer. Where a customer has specific creative, technical or editing requirements, these should form part of the brief before the assignment so suitable capability can be assessed.
Construction and development imagery
Potential applications include site progress imagery, development overviews, completed project photography, before and after imagery, stakeholder updates, marketing material and repeat site visits.
Where repeat viewpoint imagery is required, repeat capture requirements should be agreed in advance so an appropriate methodology can be established. Exact viewpoint matching between visits is not assumed on every assignment.
What can be delivered?
Deliverables are agreed according to the customer brief and the capability required. Potential deliverables may include:
- High resolution aerial photographs
- Site overview imagery
- Detailed aerial photography
- Aerial video where required
- Original image files where agreed
- Edited imagery where agreed
- Web ready image versions
- Marketing imagery
- Repeat site imagery
Video, editing, original files, colour work, cropped social versions and multiple file formats are not automatically included. The exact deliverables, editing requirements and file formats are agreed before the assignment.
Photography, inspection or survey?
Aerial photography focuses primarily on creating visual imagery. Customers requiring measurements, georeferenced mapping, condition inspection, thermal analysis, survey data or technical evidence may require a different type of drone assignment.
- Drone surveying for site, land and measurement focused capture.
- Drone inspection services for condition evidence of buildings, roofs and assets.
- Drone mapping for orthomosaics, three dimensional models and other spatial outputs.
Aerial video
Video capture may also be available where required and where a suitable pilot and aircraft capability is available. Aerial video is treated as a separate requirement within the brief rather than something automatically included with a photography assignment, because aircraft, camera capability and post production experience vary across the network.
How will the imagery be used?
The intended use of photography should be included in the assignment brief. Potential uses may include:
- Website
- Marketing
- Advertising
- Reports
- Internal communications
- Social media
- Press
- Property marketing
Any required usage rights, licensing arrangements or ownership requirements should be agreed as part of the assignment.
What affects an aerial photography assignment?
- Location
- Site size
- Required imagery
- Photography versus video
- Editing requirements
- Airspace
- Site restrictions
- Weather
- Aircraft capability
- Number of visits
- Required usage
- Delivery requirements
Pricing and timescales are confirmed according to the brief.
Weather and rescheduling
Aerial photography may be affected by wind, rain, visibility, lighting, cloud and site conditions. Light quality in particular can make a visible difference to the result on property and marketing work.
Where conditions are unsuitable for safe operation or the required visual result, an assignment may need to be rescheduled.
Tell us about the photography brief
- Location
- Type of property or site
- Purpose of the imagery
- Photography or video requirement
- Required viewpoints
- Number and type of outputs
- Intended usage
- Editing requirement
- Deadline
- Site access information
If you do not have a detailed photography specification, tell us what you are trying to achieve and we can assess suitable pilot capability.
How Drone Assisted assesses photography enquiries
Drone Assisted is building a UK wide network of independent pilots with different aircraft, equipment and specialist capabilities. Each enquiry is assessed against location, required service, required output, pilot experience, aircraft and equipment capability, relevant operating requirements and availability.
Specialist capabilities are therefore confirmed for each individual assignment.
Frequently asked questions
What can commercial aerial drone photography be used for?
Potential uses include commercial property, residential developments, construction sites, business premises, corporate estates, development land, hotels and leisure property, marketing material, site overview imagery and business communications.
Is aerial video included?
Video capture may also be available where required and where a suitable pilot and aircraft capability is available. It is not automatically included in a photography assignment, so it should be stated in the brief.
Do you edit the images?
Editing requirements are agreed as part of the brief. Some assignments are delivered as captured imagery, while others include agreed editing. Any specific creative, technical or editing requirement should be raised before the assignment.
Who owns the imagery?
Any required usage rights, licensing arrangements or ownership requirements should be agreed as part of the assignment, and are governed by the contractual position for that job rather than a blanket policy.
What happens if the weather is unsuitable?
Aerial photography can be affected by wind, rain, visibility, lighting, cloud and site conditions. Where conditions are unsuitable for safe operation or for the required visual result, an assignment may need to be rescheduled.
How much does aerial drone photography cost?
Pricing and timescales are confirmed according to the brief. Location, site size, required imagery, video or editing requirements, access and the number of visits all affect an assignment.
Ready to get started?
Drone Assisted is building a growing UK pilot network and confirms availability for each assignment. Identity, commercial insurance and job specific qualifications are checked where required.
Check photography availability