Skyhook Photography

Introduction

Skyhook Photography provides drone photography / aerial photography in and around Walla Walla, Washington, with an emphasis on residential construction progression and reporting.

Skyhook Photography is owned and operated by Gary Stebbins. Gary has his FAA Part 107 Certificate for drone operations, which is required for any commercial flying.

Gary has been flying drones since 2017, and has been an avid photographer for most of his life. His interests have always included making use of new technologies, ideas, and tools.

The use of drones in photography has added a whole new dimension to what can be done. Drones can give a birds-eye view that is quite different from a land-based photo. Software can take multiple photos and make a 360° panorama, or a 2D or 3D model. This can provide a whole new perspective to, for instance, a building construction project. Multiple photos taken from the same location over time can show a sequence of changes. Even videos can be taken, repeating the same flight path, to show changes over time.

 

Why Use Drones?

Drones provide a unique view, showing objects that cannot be seen from the ground. Drones can be positioned in the same location time after time to take a photograph from the same angle, or video from the same camera path, to easily show changes over time.

Who Could Benefit?

Who would benefit from having access to photographic data during construction?

  • Stakeholders – view the current status of the project, whether the stakeholder is located local or remote to the project
  • Project Managers – monitor progress of the project, and keep records that can be referred back to of status at any time
  • Home Purchasers – construction progress of individual homes can be shown through still images and videos taken from the same locations over time so that a purchaser may see the progression of their home; this can be particularly convenient for purchasers who do not live close to the project

What Can Be Shown?

  • Progress monitoring – Gather data and imaging to share with stakeholders. Monitor projects to ensure timelines are being met and goals are accomplished. Projects can be flown weekly, monthly or on an as needed basis to capture aerial video and images that show the current construction status.

  • Modeling – Orthomosaic and 3D photogrammetric models provide an in-depth view of a construction site. Orthomosaic images combine multiple, detailed images, to create a view similar to a satellite view, though much more current with more detail. 3D models are also generated from multiple images, and are then processed into a model that can be viewed from different angles. Note: These models are not survey quality, and do not take the place of a survey.

  • Time-lapse – Images are taken from a fixed location on a weekly, monthly or customized schedule. These images may be shown side-by-side to show changes from one date to the next, or may be used to create a video showing progress over time.

  • 360° Panorama – Interactive 360° photographs can be created to show the view in any direction from the location the photograph was taken.