In Your Shoes - Dale Summerton

Catching Up from My Holiday

I know today will be busy because I’ve just got back from 2 weeks holiday. It’s great to get away but it does mean that I’ll have to work a seven-day week this week to catch up. I spend the morning answering emails and voicemail messages and other paperwork. Then I do a couple of editing tasks. This is a big part of my job as the photography / video I do always needs to be edited afterwards, before I pass it on to a client.

After lunch I had an interesting meeting with a prospective client. He is an Architect and he’s thinking about using my drone services to make a 3D model of a building he is designing an extension for. After that it was back to the office for more catching up.

Thinking about Health and Safety

I do a lot of work for Insurance Companies. Drone photography is very useful when it comes to inspecting buildings at height. Especially if they are too dangerous for a person to climb. This job was in Peterhead and was to inspect the roof of a tenement building.

After that I drove on to Aberdeen Harbour to meet the Harbour Master. I am due to do some filming at the Harbour soon and I needed to carry out a Health and Safety induction. Health and Safety is important when you’re dealing with drones and I always carry out a check of the area and confirm the skies will be clear at the level I am filming.

I arrived back at the office at 6pm and edited the roof footage for the Insurance Company as they are anxious to have it back as quickly as possible.

A Trip Over the Grampians and Thoughts of Retirement Ha! Ha!

One of the things I love about my job is that I get to travel around some picturesque areas of Scotland on a regular basis. Today was one of these days because I am going to Tarland, in Aberdeen by way of the Cairn O’ Mount in the Grampian Mountains.

When I get there, I meet the Interior Designer of Balhousie Care Group at Alastrean Care Home. It was severely damaged by fire two years ago and has undergone a complete refurbishment.

The Interior Designer wanted me to film an aerial view, a video walkthrough and a 360-degree panoramic for promotional and marketing services. It gives prospective customers a birds-eye view of the area and the location together with a comprehensive view inside the building and it’s another arm to my drone services. Finished the day back at the office.

A crooked Spire and a Victorian Beauty

Today I’m off to Auchterarder to film a Church spire that has been damaged in the recent storms. It is too dangerous for a Steeplejack to climb up to it because it is leaning dangerously to one side. Drone photography allows the insurance company to get a good clear view of the damage without putting anyone’s life at risk.

After that I drove to Kirriemuir to meet an Estate Agent. The company had a luxury property for sale and they wanted to use my photography services to market it. I did a walkthrough video, a 360-degree panoramic and took some drone shots to highlight the garden and the location. It was a gorgeous Victorian property with a large garden and, so it took me a while to get the job done. I eventually arrived home at 7pm.

Off to the Isle of Skye

I was up early this morning as I have a lot to do in the office before heading out to the Isle of Skye, which is a five-hour drive. I needed to get the editing done from the photography I had taken over the past few days and do some admin work. I received a call from a person who wanted to buy some stock footage of the V & A Museum in Dundee. I’m getting more and more calls about stock footage and have sold some of my work to places as far away as Australia and the Philippines.

Once I’d finished it was time to set off for the Isle of Skye. I will be driving through the Cairngorms National Park, so although it’s a long journey, it’s a pleasant one. When I arrived, I met the representative for the marketing company who are handling a TV advert for a high-profile client. My job is to get drone footage of some lorries driving past the Eileen Donan Castle and across the Skye Bridge. Luckily the weather was good, so there were no delays, and everything went well. Tomorrow I’m off to film a wedding at Crear, so there’s no time to drive back home. Unfortunately, though I couldn’t find any available accommodation, so I ended up having to sleep in my van. I was tired though after a hard day’s work, so it didn’t take me long to fall fast asleep.

A Romantic Wedding

Crear is near Kilberry and it’s a beautiful location that’s used for weddings. I’m here to do some filming for an American couple who have eloped to Scotland with a few family and friends for an intimate, romantic beach wedding.

I am very careful at weddings that the drone doesn’t interfere too much, and I stick to ground videography during the wedding service. However, afterwards the bride and groom and their guests have great fun on the beach while I am using the drone and I manage to get some great shots.

At the end of the day I drive home, tired but happy, through the Loch Lomond National Park.

Work with a Fish and Chips Treat

Normally today is a day I can get some rest, but going away for 2 weeks means I am still catching up. Today I drive to Anstruther in Fife to do some filming for Fife Property Estate Agents. They have a house for sale next to the Harbour and they know that my drone photography will really showcase both the house and its fantastic location.

Once I’m done, I treat myself to some Fish and Chips from the award-winning Ansruther Fish Bar, which is a favourite with celebrities and even some royalty.