We all know that drones are capable of shooting some incredible footage from above, but this British photographer put a new twist on aerial photography. One of the greatest technological features on a well-equipped drone is that ability to hover above a single location without budging. Knowing this, photographer Jamie Brightmore is building a brand new niche of drone cinematography called satlapse. It’s essentially time-lapse photography, but from above. And it’s awesome.

Time Flies

For the past 8 months or so, Brightmore has been tinkering with his DJI Phantom 2, GoPro Hero 4 and an H3-3D gimbal to put a new spin on an old photography technique. Basically, Brightmore flies his Phantom up to about 350 or 400 feet, sets the autopilot and snaps a series of individual photos in short intervals over a set period of time. In other words, true time-lapse photography. The results speak for themselves:

According to Brightmore’s personal website, here’s what you need to get started yourself:

A reliable, stable multi-rotor aircraft

Exacting weather conditions

A time-lapse camera, capable of very short intervals

A location with action conducive to shorter time span captures

UAS pilot­ing experience

Extensive post-production (the drone, after all, isn't completely still, so some post-production aligning is needed)

Bucket loads of patience

If you’ve got a little patience and a creative eye, you might want to try your hand at “satlapse” footage. Who knows? Maybe in a few years we’ll be adding “satlapse” to our dictionaries.

Photo credit: Screengrab from Vimeo/Jaybee