St Albans estate agent has an eye in the sky over property

THE worlds of estate agents and Hollywood-style movie-making came together during a recent property photo shoot.

When the St Albans branch of independent estate agent Harrison Murray needed some stunning photography to show off the location of one of its client’s properties, they turned to hi-tech gadgetry more often found in the world of films.

A pair of sophisticated radio-controlled model helicopters carrying state of the art digital cameras whizzed up into the skies above Napsbury Park, London Colney, to capture unique images of the stylish development and its parkland surroundings.

To obtain the photographs, Harrison Murray’s commercial director Nick Salmon called in father and son team, Steve and Stuart Marsh of SKM Photography in Hemel Hempstead.

They were joined for the shoot by Jolyon Bambridge whose near-legendary expertise at remote control helicopter flying has led him to work on blockbuster films including James Bond movies GoldenEye, The World Is Not Enough, and Die Another Day; Lost in Space, and Mission Impossible.

While one operator flies the helicopter by remote control to the required height and position, a second operator dons digital spectacles that link via radio to the viewfinder of the on-board camera and they are able to pan, tilt and roll the camera mounting to line up the very best shots.

Nick Salmon said: “We often use SKM to take photos of our properties from the top of their portable 15-metre mast and these images already cause a real stir among our sellers and buyers.

“However, for this venue we needed to get even higher and so were delighted when SKM told us that they have these amazing helicopter camera platforms that can operate almost anywhere. It’s quicker, infinitely cheaper, and just as effective as hiring a full-size aircraft to obtain the images – and our clients love it!”