Interesting and good question, Hawke. I honestly assumed that this was his wife floating in the water....privacy hadn’t even crossed my mind.
All, fully aware of privacy concerns. Most of those shots were done very early in the morning(6:00am) when there was nobody on the beach. The last thing I would want to do is make someone feel uncomfortable, specifically, those who choose to go topless.
FWIW...The “lady” in the water pic is my wife. No way would I ever randomly photograph someone. Not that it makes it right, but, even at the low altitude that water pic was taken you can barely tell, if at all, what my wife looks like. That shot may have been taken no more than 50 feet above the water. I’ve been approached by folks in the past who have concerns that I am filming or photographing them. I understand their concerns. A couple of points, I tend to fly in safe, open public spaces, not over someone’s backyard pool. Most people are completely of unaware of how the technology works so I try to use these scenarios as an opportunity to educate. Once people understand they tend to feel less violated. Usually I show them the video feed on my phone and ask them to tell me if they can identify themselves. Again, I respect people’s privacy, which is why I fly in public spaces.
I have been a drone user for several years and understand the concerns that people have when it comes to flying. Hawke, clearly you’ve had issues with your neighbor who I’m assuming is hovering over your pool causing you to feel violated in some way. That is not how I fly my drone.
I tend to follow the guidelines we have here in the states (which in many cases are observed abroad). Under 400ft AGL(I fly way under that), don’t fly over crowds, keep line of sight, don’t fly at night, use Kittyhawk to gain FAA approvals when needed, etc. etc. In fact, the next step for me is to take the Part 107 license test.
My point in all of this that I am a responsible and respectful drone operator. Not all drone pilots are like Hawke’s neighbor. And if you feel uncomfortable around someone flying don’t assume they are doing something wrong. Ask them what they are filming/photographing. I love when people ask me about the tech or what I’m capturing. Hey, you never know, maybe some of you will have a drone to fly in the future.
Adam