I've been keeping an eye on the weather as of late as my sleeping pattern starts to come back together again. Bits of rain and some strong winds here and there. During this time I have been browsing through Google Maps in search of some fun areas to roam through and also fly the drone around in hopes of getting some good photographs and videos. One particular space nearby stood out to me: three high rise apartment buildings that are unlike anything else I have seen in Tbilisi so far. These buildings were my main subject, and actually remain so for the time being. I wanted to get some cool aerial shots of them, a bit higher up and with more distance, as well as some panning shots of them in 4k. As I arrived in the area, I roamed through old Soviet era apartment buildings. The sound of water dripping from it could be heard. Stray cats would lay on the walls in silence. Overlooking a graveyard that takes up an enormous amount of land. Old Soviet factories also were found in the area; another thing that caught my attention though I could not find a way to them, nor would it have been particularly safe to do so. I walked around a little, and looked for the best space to take off from, looking to be sure I wouldn't be bothering any locals, as I tend to ensure.
Dark clouds began to arrive. Low in altitude, winds picking up. I would look at the crowd to capture any idea as to whether it was finally starting to rain, and gave it a good ten minutes of waiting until I realised I'd be better off taking the risk already and flying to get the shots I wanted. But another thing struck: flight warnings.
Now, in this space is another subject I had some curiosity over. This was a large sports stadium, though to much annoyance the stadium has flight restrictions all around it, and DJI Fly was very quick to remind me and even ask if I wanted to unlock the space. It stated that if I fly in the area and enter the restricted zone, there was a chance that my drone would just stop and hover. The wording was rather vague, and I didn't like what this implied: my drone would hit an invisible barrier to which the zone appears, and would hover. Would that mean all I can do in that instance is land? Would it mean that I can't fly out of that zone? I had a few questions that I had no answers to, and so I kept incredibly close to the drone despite setting it up and taking it off near the buildings, not even close to the stadium nearby at this point. I didn't get any of the shots I wanted, though I refused to leave with nothing and snapped a few of the area. I will return another time and try it from another angle, ensuring I am away from that restriction. But the worst was at play alongside this: that weather that kept lingering and threatening to worse. Lower and darker clouds would appear, the wind kept picking up.
I did not want my drone high up in the air with large and sudden gusts of wind throwing it around. To get the shots I wanted I'd have to fly the drone a bit away from myself, and that would require monitoring the battery to ensure I could not only get my shots, but fly it back to me in time. I didn't like the idea of it getting caught over some trees, battery life suddenly disappearing on a flight back to me. And the worst possibility was that the rain would suddenly start, heavy and with no warning. My drone would not survive that. The weather forecast didn't really state rain or wind, though I have noticed forecasts in this part of the world are seldom accurate.
I tried finding other locations to shoot from in the area. I saw rats running through the streets. Roads that led nowhere coated in trash. The fear of stray dogs was strong, to which I saw one running through a river below, a nomadic adventure far out of the city that it seemingly embarked on. I walked up an empty road to which an entire city was being developed just to its side. I figured it'd be a great thing to capture. The sounds of the Earth being battered were intense, but what was more strange was experiencing the sheer force that actually gave the ground some vibrations. I figured the most dangerous thing in the area would be the strays, and that there'd be nobody in the area; though a man did appear from around the bend. Seeing me with my drone and then pulling out his phone. I was already a bit on edge with the fact that I wanted to remain hidden from view, and I felt it was best to pack things up and leave the area. While I don't think he was calling anyone over my presence in the space, I didn't want to find out. The entirety of my attempts to shoot something was wasted, still with that threat of the weather turning. I had a general bit of anxiety already in these areas with how easy it can be to end up bothering people, I've mentioned before I tend to avoid having the drone in areas where I can be seen, so entering an isolated space and immediately being seen just threw me off. But I still found a location I'd definitely like to capture at some point on a more clear day.
Even with the poor weather, it seems the photographs weren't that interesting in colour. I didn't like the flatness of everything. Nothing had any punch to it. It was that type of gloom in which the soul feels removed within a space. Though I did enjoy discovering a few new areas that I want to explore sometime. One of which being a Soviet building hidden within the woods, all overgrown and ignored.
So even if the photography was a bit boring today, and I returned home with no videos at all, I do enjoy the moments of scouting and discovery that comes with the drone. The few moments I did fly it, it gave me new ideas of where to go and what to capture next. Perhaps requiring a little more bravery on a more clear day. Today didn't quite work out as I'd hoped, but it was still nice to finally get outside a bit after a week of a rather broken sleep schedule. It definitely has me motivated to try again.
