Photographer gets into trouble for flying drone in Beijing
Photographer Trey Ratcliff was detained in Beijing recently and his drone confiscated. But not before he shot some amazing aerial footage of the city.
The writer of travel photography blog StuckInCustoms.com knew from the start he may get into trouble, but he went ahead anyway.
The New Zealander wrote on his blog on Thursday: "So, I went into this not knowing what was legal and what was not legal. Okay, I had a sinking feeling that flying a quadcopter over the Forbidden City might be more black than grey.
"But my intentions were pure and artistic, so I figured that gave me some sort of leeway."
He was detained after shooting for about five days, but managed to talk his way out of it.
He wrote that the officer let him off with a friendly warning: "Okay, here you go, but please don’t fly it inside the first or second ring of the city." (The city is divided into multiple rings)
But officers apparently showed up at his hotel the next day and confiscated his drone. Thankfully, they returned it when he left Beijing.
Here are some amazing photos that he shot in Beijing.
Photos: Trey Ratcliff | Source: StuckInCustoms.com
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now