The end of my drone era?

Wednesday 15 October 2025, 11:11 by Nando Harmsen | 2,034 views | 2 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

I have a lovely drone. I have used it to capture great images in Iceland, Norway, France and Germany. Sometimes in the Netherlands. But I hardly ever take the drone with me anymore. Is this the end of my drone era?

In 2018, I bought a second-hand drone. It was just to try it out and see whether it was something for me. And indeed, a year later I made a major upgrade. I was the proud owner of a DJI Mavic Pro 2.

Practising with my first drone. Where it was allowed.
The drone was intended for photography, but in Norway, France and Iceland I also filmed a lot with it. You can find some of that footage on my YouTube channel. I have obtained my certificates and try to follow the rules as well as I can.

Those rules are becoming increasingly strict. By now, I have to travel a long way if I want to fly legally. The number of places is also dwindling, even in countries where it used to be much easier. And I understand that.

A slightly higher viewpoint. That is what I wanted, so I could photograph just over the foreground.
The behaviour of many drone users I encounter while travelling rubs me up the wrong way. To be honest, I no longer even want to be associated with them. I still take the drone out of the bag reluctantly. Over the past year, I have not taken the drone with me at all.

I mainly had the drone for photography. To photograph from a position I could not reach or stand in. Just beyond the bushes, or a metre or two higher. Flying high is not really what I want.

Drone and camera, a marriage that seemed wonderful. The drone has to stay at home very often because it is not welcome.
When I now see drone photos appearing on social media, they do not excite me either. A high viewpoint is sometimes useful, but in general the images do not appeal to me. A mill in a field photographed from a high viewpoint is not that exciting.

Of course, everyone has to decide for themselves, and if you like seeing that kind of image, that is fine. I would rather keep both feet on the ground now and try to photograph the landscape from a normal viewpoint.

It is still occasionally fun, an image from above. But it is so detached and impersonal.
The drone is now in the cupboard. The thing has been through quite a bit, and that has left its marks. I do not think anyone would want to take on such an old drone.

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