Aerial Photography


Visual roof inspection in Niagara

Being a fully licensed pilot allows for some great aerial photography opportunities that would never otherwise be available. I make property portraits for homeowners. Being a photographer I can translate drone images into full size prints which look great mounted above the hearth in a living room. I also shoot real estate video and photography, so realtors, get in touch.

But on this occasion, this wasn’t work. I was flying for my own personal use.

Roof Repairs

A little background. I bought this house almost ten years ago. It’s not a new house, so needs some upkeep which I have put off longer than I should. Part of that upkeep? We needed a new roof.

The previous owners had patched and overlaid layers on top to avoid the expense of a new roof, to the point that when it came to our turn the only option was to remove it and start again. Three layers of shingle on top of the original Cedar boards. This meant nothing to me when I was told, though it sounded expensive. Which it turned out, it was. Twenty-year old me would have been up a ladder and tearing those old shingles off myself to save a few bucks, but I’m not the mountain goat I once was. The labour cost to remove all those layers and remove the debris was a large part of the cost. It took a full team of roofers and a skip, which left almost completely full. There was a lot of debris to take away and dispose of.

I work from home, so during breaks I went out and (with their knowledge and permission of course) sent her up to film as the work unfolded. Watching roofers work from over there shoulder is an interesting perspective that most never see. I can tell you from up close, those guys worked hard. And fast.

And loud. Inside, it sounded like the roof was being hammered on by the world’s angriest family of squirrels. What would likely have taken twenty year old me a week, they finished in two days. Stripped to the wood, and reshingled, and cleared up. They even went around the garden with industrial magnets to catch any nails or metal debris that might have fallen into the grass – a nice touch.

They came back for the skip on day 3. The roof is restored and looks looks beautiful. Just in time for the Winter weather.

Future Proof Roof

Living just North of Lake Erie we do get some howling winds, which as the video shows wreaks havoc on a roof over time. Since our roof has been replaced I sleep better, certain that those shingles will stay where they were put, and that we won’t find the car buried under any loose tiles that got blasted off during the night, which was becoming common. I no longer worry about leaks. The work comes with a 25-year labour warranty. Any issues, they come back and fix, no cost. The shingles themselves are rated for 50, which should be good for a while.

Which is good and all, but I now have the small matter of a roof to pay for. So I am using this home video of mine as an opportunity to advertise the fully licensed commercial drone pilot based in the Niagara region that does visual roof inspections, property portraits, aerial photography, and real estate photography. Might as well see some return on investment, right?

Video is in 4K for those with the bandwidth. I like 4K, it does look sharp.


Prints and products for all images by request.
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A roof being reshingled over two days.

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