The drone photographer from Bangkok

Now, a photo journalist from Thailand is using drones to capture photographs in situations where human involvement is not possible or may be dangerous. Sithikorn Wongwudtianun, photo producer, The Bangkok Post, Thailand, during his presentation, ‘Drone journalism: How will the media use drones in the future? What are the legal, financial and ethical frameworks?’ during the closing session of the Wan-Ifra India 2014 conference, held in New Delhi on 17-18 September, 2014, gave an example.

During the birthday of the King of Thailand, recently, one particular street in Bangkok was so crowded that it was almost impossible to get a clear view of the crowd from the ground. But Wongwudtianun could easily get a bird’s eye view of the congregation with the help a camera mounted on a simple drone, which was then navigated via a console using GPS technology.
 

This may sound too much technical and also highly cost-effective. However, Wongwudtianun explained that it is not so. The drone he was using, the model Phantom 2, comes at less than USD 1000 and it is very easy to assemble and operate, within a defined distance, of course.

Here comes the ethical question of using a drone for journalistic purposes. Wongwudtianun said this is a tricky question indeed and so far, this is no definite answers. In some countries there are laws about the use of drones, but the technology has not been used sufficiently for the purpose of journalism. Ultimately, Wongwudtianun said its use and abuse depends on the user.

He, however, went on to exhort the benefits of using a drone, especially in a situation where it may be dangerous for a human photographer to venture into, like a fire or a flood.