The Lone Droner

The weather on the two afternoons we were in PD was great. And the tides were high before sunset when we went to the beach. That made for some nice strong waves and great condition to hit the sea. The boys certainly enjoyed it.

The warm sun contrasted well with the cool sea water - sunscreen needed of course. Once you got in, you felt like staying in all day since to was really nice and refreshing in the water. The great breeze also was an added bonus.

But somebody had to fly the drone. Despite the heavy breeze, the drone held its position well and flying was not a problem at all.

I managed to get some great 4K footage and the customary photographs as well. Unfortunately there were clouds on the horizon, hence I was not able to get the red sunset as the sun kiss the horizon. I was happy enough however.

I brought the drone out on both afternoons and managed to fill up my memory card. Good thing I brought the charger along, otherwise I would be out of juice by the end of the first afternoon.

Now came the part of doing editing on those huge 4K files ..... That could wait I supposed ....

Sasana Kijang

Passing by Jalan Kuching everytime I travelled from Gombak to home, I noticed a modern-looking building right up the hill around Kenny Hill.

After reading about it, I found out that it was called Sasana Kijang, a museum owned and operated by Bank Negara. It showcases old money and information about economics, something which I may visit in the future. It was also then that I realised that one of my friends worked there full time as an artist.

But the modern architecture was what attracted me, and since I had some spare time in the morning, I decided to take my drone there.

It was rather tricky to get a good angle to photograph the building as the was nestled in between trees. The only way to get a decent photo would be to fly high and photograph it obliquely at an angle. I got a few decent snaps but in the end concentrated more on the city skyline. The lights were against me as I was in the West of the city. Harsh light was coming towards the drones and the contrast was too great. Best to come back here in late afternoon when the lights would be behind me.

What did I learn this time around? It was tricky to capture a building in small space, plus it was important to plan on the time of the day to go out to photograph ....

Monumen Alaf Baru

This entry was originally written in June 2015

The name could literally be translated to "The Millenium Monument", and built to mark the turn of the century. It was located at Presint 2, just 500m from Masjid Besi and across the river from Ayer@8. It had a lush green surrounding and the breeze from the lake made at a popular attraction.

I had the chance to fly my drone near it and capture a number of snaps. It looked like there was a new attraction near the monument in the form of a tethered hot air balloon ride, called the Skyrides Festivals Park. Not really to ride in one for the time being. Maybe I would do so if I had a foreign visitor with me.

It was quite fun flying there since there were plenty of landmark to see. I also flew across the lake towards Ayer@8 and also inland towards a race track for those into motor sports. That morning, there was a mini bike event taking place. I took the time to hover around the event trying not to catch too much attention.

There was also a cafe there by the lake for breakfast, but I had to rush back to the hospital to do my ward round. So, maybe next time.

What did I learn this time around? Flying at 9 am gave the best lighting for landmarks - although the shimmer won't be as brilliant as a sunset flight I took at Titiwangsa. It might also be fun to see if there are events going on at the sight when you plan to drone. You never knew that there may be things to photographs. But obviously, best to ask permission first .... Although most of the time, nobody would bother.

More Exploration

This entry was originally written in May 2016

It was Sunday morning and after gaining confidence from the flight at Marina Putrajaya the evening before, I decided to return to Putrajaya, but this time around, I picked a more conventional spot. It was Dataran Putra, right in front of the Prime Minister's Department and the famous Masjid Putra.

I arrived there quite early, when the sun was still low and hidden behind the hills and low clouds. I took the time to plan my route. I realised that to get some good light for the Masjid, I had to approach from the opposite site, far too close to the Prime Minister's Office.

So, I decided to take the high route and flew high to get a clear connection to the drone while taking the footage. It worked out great in the end and when the sun finally came out, the light was brilliant.

Apart from the Masjid, the actual Dataran Putra - basically a roundabout - was also a vista. I also flew across the lake to look at Istana Darul Ehsan as well as Jambatan Seri Wawasan.

The Istana was a gift from the Federal Government to the Sultan of Selangor for giving away the land - Putrajaya - to the Federal Government to build this administrative centre. It was clear from the aerial view how well the whole township was planned. There were still plenty of space and there were areas which were still not fully developed. The public transport over there was still a problem with the initially-proposed tram system not coming into fruition.

What did I learn from this outing? Basically how to plan for the routes for great light when flying the drones. Angle was everything as you were at the mercy of available light when you take photos of such buildings.

Sunset Droning

A few days had passed after my last flight. I decided to be a bit more adventurous. I took the drone out of town, enjoying a 30 minutes drive to Putrajaya.

I could not leave early since I had a meeting in town until almost 6, I had to rush across time to get to Putrajaya. Luckily the traffic was light and I had 30 minutes to spare before sunset.

The gorgeous Harriot-Watt University campusAt the opposite side of the lakeHeading back to the marina from the lakeI had a few choices when it came to the spot to take off from. For that afternoon, I decided to do it at Marina Putrajaya in the hope of catching the sunset.

I got what I wanted and managed to drone around exploring the marina, the nearby Lakeside Pullman Putrajaya as well as a smaller marina nearby which was hosting the floats for the upcoming Pesta Flora Putrajaya.

The Pullman Putrajaya located right next door to the marinaLooking down onto Marina PutrajayaYou can find me there somewhere ....And the sunset was great, despite the cloud cover at the horizon. I decided to use the 1080p resolution this time around rather than 4K since I was still getting familiarise with the drone. I concentrated more on aerial photography this time around after discovering how good the camera was. I felt confident to increase the range of the flight from then on ....