Published March 4, 2026 in Gear
Let's get into drone photography!
Landing here? This was posted in the Burren Stories & Articles, a section of The Burren Light & Land Irish landscape photography project.
Drone photography in the Burren
Drone technology has evolved considerably and for quite a while now. I remember seeing drones flying around Mullaghmore and Poulnabrone whilst the RTE documentary 'A Heart of Stone' was being filmed a few years back, thinking these were quite the impressive drones! Most of these fit at the back of a large van and had embarked digital reflex cameras with a ultra wide angle prime lens at the time, On top of being large, they were heavy and expensive. I was not prepared to invest in this technology yet. I could not justify it and decided I would wait for the right opportunity. Over time, drones became smaller with integrated camera and sensors, but still it wasn't the right time yet, still too expensive. Buying and keeping up with the latest and greatest in technology is not something I obsess about, so I waited.
Then at the end of last year came a new little drone from DJI with 4K capability, obstacles detection and a 12MP camera censor. With raving reviews, I thought it would be the best start with drone photography, time to get involved. And so with my little drone and its remote control, I went out to brave a wild new world.
Still, a world full of stones and crevasses! Any drop and impact would probably have disastrous consequences! With this in mind, the drone was ready to fly.
On higher grounds
A very first shot which comforted my decision! Once you acknowledge that this is a very light, flimsy flying camera which should really, really not collide or get wet, you're on to something promising and, hopefully, lasting over time. As Kilmacduagh was beaming in the last golden light of the day off it went, flying into the sunset.
Very quickly, the main advantage of shooting from higher viewpoints become obvious: scale. Scale is what most beginners struggle with when starting landscape photography. How to go beyond the two dimensional aspect of an image or a print and give that landscape some depth?
Thankfully, a little altitude does it for you! Good foreground and leading lines are still worth looking for, but not as much as before as distant elements reveal themselves even on level ground. A drone can fly really high, however the extra wide lens means any altitude makes subjects really small, losing the advantage of scale. Use wisely!
Hard to reach places
You would think that this ruin of a castle, just on the road side there as you get into Boston, co Clare, would be easy to access. It's far from being the case! There is that stone wall and all the growth and slippery slime getting in the way. I would also advise against it, it seems quite hazardous to get anywhere close and in fairness, this tower is not very inviting. Best to stay away.
And so I did, for years, being content with using the tower as a background object in my photography from nearby Lough Bunny.
Until today! Another great advantage of a drone if being able to make decent photographs of hard to reach places and buildings, and this is a perfect example of what a little drone can achieve.
Early assessment
I enjoy using the drone so far and see the potential but it will not take over my photography. There are many great things that can be done with a drone, it's refreshing to see from above! However the quality of imagery is nowhere near that of my 'still' camera. I understand I have a fairly entry level drone but I just doubt those 'button' cameras will ever replace professional quality lenses in front to back and corner sharpness, lack of distortion and depth of field. Although I have never been a big fan of 'focus stacking' (I don't think I need it), I can see a lot of fellow photographer will miss this with drone photography as it's near impossible to get the same shot twice.
Manufacturers have compensated for the shortcomings of 'button' ultra wide lenses performance by boosting noise reduction in low light. Oh, they are good! Just not that good yet. Noise reduction turn details to mush when overdone! I have yet to tune the drone to reduce noise reduction but this is a taste of things to come as AI embarks on more and more things we use.
And so, with this in mind, I will only propose A4 prints of drone shots for now. These are really good enough! Any larger print will have to wait.
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