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Thom Holmes's avatar

I don’t need a drone. I don’t need a drone. I DON’T NEED A DRONE…

Love this article and that shot of the farmhouse is beautiful! I’ve never heard of Stephen Shore so now I’m excited to geek out!

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Kyle McDougall's avatar

😂 Glad you enjoyed this one, Thom!

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Dustin McGrew's avatar

I love your work, Kyle. Much like Stephen has influenced you, your work has inspired me to expand my horizons and shoot old towns or just anything with that nostalgic vibe to it. I used to only shoot skyline photos of Pittsburgh, PA but now I'm expanding into areas just outside the city and I am having an absolute blast with it. I've been leaving my Sony cameras in the bag and have really, really enjoyed shooting film and on a Fuji X100VI. I've been doing aerial photography for several years and have found the cameras to be good enough for printing, I've even done a few large wall murals and the photos still look great. I'm excited to see what you do with that drone :)

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Kyle McDougall's avatar

Cheers, Dustin! Glad to hear you’re having fun with it all. I’m looking forward to seeing what comes of this drone experiment

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Wesley Verhoeve's avatar

I had my first experience flying a drone (for just a few minutes) yesterday during a video shoot for Process when the owner let me drive it for a sec and wow how fun that is

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Jo Becker's avatar

What excites me most is the fact that Stephen Shore realized the project "Topographies" at the age of over 70. That shows me what creativity and curiosity about the world are capable of. I also notice that many older photographers use aerial photographs to show the fragility of our planet. To mention just a few names: Edward Burtynsky, Hans Strand, Jamey Stillings and many others.

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Kyle McDougall's avatar

That’s a really good point, Jo. I hope that curiosity remains for myself!

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Dan Rook's avatar

Glad you are enjoying the drone Kyle! I love mine just like the way it makes you look at things differently.

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Kyle McDougall's avatar

Thanks, Dan. It’s been a lot of fun! I appreciate the advice when I was looking for one.

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THE FORGE PODCAST's avatar

I love old cars! I wish there were some close-ups of the ones in this photo.

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Rachel Jeffrey's avatar

I love that shot of the farmhouse in Wales! It makes me excited to see more of your work.

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Massimiliano Grivetti's avatar

Thanks Kyle. I bought a drone and, the same as you, I mainly used it for video work. I understand its potential in photography but so far I didn't use it to take pictures because it's a different approach that I haven't fully understood. I hope to get better in this watching your next shots!

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Daniel's avatar

I love this Kyle. It’s particularly difficult with the influencer crowd and the constant cycle of new things coming out that everyone needs. I feel that despite loving your videos and your work, I don’t always get the need to change gear from watching. Except for the X2D and CFV videos haha. I feel the opposite and actually get more inspired to just go and shoot and make photos or do a project. I love it! It just makes me want to be more creative with what I have and that’s what I think is most important.

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Kyle McDougall's avatar

That’s awesome to hear, Dan. I have nothing against gear, it can be fun at times to mess with. But nothing beats just getting out on the road and exploring, regardless of your equipment.

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Felix John Attard's avatar

Digging the newsletter Kyle. Thanks for the inspiration and sharing your thoughts. Means a lot 🙏

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Kyle McDougall's avatar

Thanks, Felix!

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Trapping Photons's avatar

Wow! Thank you for sharing your experience. I really enjoyed the newsletter. I can definitely see your style and Shore’s influence as well. I’ve recently been considering a drone for landscape as well. I’ve got my eye on a DJI mini as well. It would be nice to get some different perspectives of landscape scenes.

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Michael Comte's avatar

That was truly inspiring, Kyle. I often limit myself to photographing with the same equipment when making projects, which stifles my creativity. I’ve also been trying to experiment with different lenses, different cameras and rolls of film to widen the field of possibilities. Stephen Shore is a favorite of mine too. Keep up the great work!

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Kyle McDougall's avatar

Thanks, Michael. I think it’s good to have a locked-in process for creating work, but also to make room for experimenting on the side. You never know what may come of it.

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Bruce A Freeman's avatar

That junkyard shot is killer!

Mr. Shore is a favourite of mine as well, but I didn’t know about this new work. Thanks for the tip off, I will now go look it up!

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Kyle McDougall's avatar

It’s a good one, Bruce. Definitely worth checking out.

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Francesco Latino's avatar

Hey Kyle! Thanks for your writing, I’m very much like you when it comes to drone’s footage, but I love the new perspective you’re proposing. I believe it makes the overall narration more complete, by giving new looks. The first shot in North Wales is awesome. See you soon

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Kyle McDougall's avatar

Thanks, Francesco. It’s been fun to use this drone in a different way than I would have in the past.

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David Flood's avatar

Uncommon places was such a game changer in the landscape photographic world, you can also see the new topographics influence in it. It was one the first books that I experienced when doing my undergrad and I still see his influence in my work today. I wasn't aware of his Topographics book, thanks for highlighting it!

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Jun 25, 2024
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Kyle McDougall's avatar

Cheers, Brandon. Glad you’re enjoying Uncommon Places. It’s such a good book, and one that I return to often!

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