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An increasingly popular use of drone aerial photographs is to combine them with computer-generated models of proposed developments — buildings which don’t even exist but can be rendered so realistically that it becomes hard to tell where the aerial photograph stops and the computer-generated model starts. This type of imagery is especially helpful during the planning phase of new developments and for estate agents, allowing them to market as-yet-unfinished properties using highly realistic imagery of the completed projects.

We have many years of experience working with property developers and 3D Visualisation Studios to do just this, and computer simulation software has become so advanced that it’s almost impossible to tell where reality ends and the computer models start. Want to know more? Read on …

We were recently consulted about what it takes to start and run a successful drone aerial photography business by the money advice website ‘Money Magpie’. The following article was written by our Director, David Hogg, as a guide for someone who likes the idea of using drones to make money, but doesn’t know where to start, and it covers topics from equipment selection to business strategy, to our own experience of the explosion of demand (and supply) of drone-related services. There’s also some history about the formation of Horizon Imaging and how it all began back in 2007 when David built his first drone from scratch!

So grab a coffee, and enjoy the article!

This is just a quick note to wish all our followers, sharers, likers, commenters, networkers, collaborators and customers a very happy and restful Christmas, and a peaceful start to the New Year — not long to go now!

The Malls Shopping Centre in Basingstoke have been struggling for years with the inflated roof structure above their main courtyard developing mysterious holes, triggering the roof’s automated deflation alarms. After some investigation they discovered the culprit(s) — the local seagulls! For some reason they continuously peck at the clear outer membrane until they’ve punctured it … and then they abandon their ‘creation’ and start afresh elsewhere! Numerous attempts have been made to scare the birds away using automated bird deterrents, but so far none of them have proved effective. As such, a quicker and more cost-effective solution was required for locating and identifying the severity of the holes.

Earlier in the year we were presented with one of our most challenging projects to date — capturing a 300 megapixel architectural photograph from 5 metres above the Grand Staircase inside the UK Foreign and Commonwealth office! Never a company to turn down such a challenge, we eagerly accepted the project.

The ceiling above one side of the Grand Staircase was in need of renovation and the only way to achieve this was to completely scaffold the area from floor to ceiling. However, as the Grand Staircase is one of the most beautiful and photographed areas of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) — and one that is often used as a backdrop for photographs of official visits — the FCO understandably wanted to keep the unsightly scaffolding hidden as much as possible.

Over the past 18 months we have been working with leading interior design and fit-out firm, FIVE Interiors, to help them document some of their latest projects for their website and other promotional material.

These have ranged from two finely crafted estate agents in north London and Hertfordshire, a stunning modern office re-design for an investment firm in Central London, and the redevelopment of a multi-floor office block in a listed building in the heart of Nottingham town centre.

There aren’t many other sites which look quite as spectacular from above as golf courses. From showing off the design and layout of the course, to the proximity to the countryside or local cities, to the challenges provided by individual holes — drone aerial photography and filming is revolutionising the way golf courses are being marketed.

You invest heavily in the maintenance and upkeep of your course so it looks its best — make sure your marketing imagery is doing the course justice by investing in professional aerial photography.

Earlier in the summer (yes, it seems a long time ago now doesn’t it!), we were commissioned by The Dower House Nursing Home in Winchester, Hampshire, to produce a new promotional video as part of a marketing refresh for their website.

The video was to include aerial footage of their site to show off its beautiful green setting in the Hampshire countryside, as well ground-level footage taken in and around their care home.

It’s not often we share posts that are purely of an aesthetically pleasing nature, but here at Horizon Imaging we still enjoy taking aerial photos for the fun of it!


Last week our Director, David Hogg enjoyed a holiday in Mauritius and he took a portable fold-up drone with him – the technologically state-of-the-art DJI Mavic Pro.

Over the last few months we have been working with leading commercial property investment firm CBGA Robson to document some of their newest assets in London and across the South East of the UK.

The properties have ranged from an empty supermarket store in Eastleigh, Hampshire, a block of units in an industrial park in Rochester, Kent, and a modern office block in Staines, London. The common thread linking all of these sites? The use of our fully-portable 50-foot telescopic mast to take elevated photographs of all the premises to help illustrate their scale and location.