Into the Mountains

A Journey Through North Wales

Every great shot begins with exploration. Finding the perfect location is only half the challenge and it doesn’t guarantee success and it rarely comes easy. The art of aerial photography lies in the delicate balance between timing, weather, and perseverance. This is the story of one of my expeditions: a journey into the Welsh mountains to capture the raw beauty of deep time, tectonic power frozen in stone, seen from the sky.

Planning the Expedition

In late March 2025, I began planning an expedition to North Wales in the United Kingdom. My goal was to explore the region’s dramatic mountain landscapes and capture a new series of limited edition fine art prints from the air. These aren’t just scenic views, they are windows into Earth’s ancient forces, made visible from the skies.

As a qualified drone pilot in the UK, I understand the importance of respecting both the regulations of flight and the unpredictability of nature. Flying in mountain ranges comes with extra complexity: unpredictable airspace, sudden weather changes and high elevation all play a part. North Wales is also home to active RAF training zones, so I monitored flight activity right up to the day of each planned takeoff to ensure safety and compliance.

Timing the Sky

The second challenge was timing. The best light only lasts a short window each day and the ever-changing British weather is a constant wildcard. Flying safely and capturing quality images requires ideal conditions, clear skies, minimal wind and the right angle of sunlight. I needed to be ready to move the moment a weather window opened.

Weeks of preparation, airspace checks and weather monitoring, led to a last-minute decision: I packed the car and headed for the mountains as soon as a high-pressure system promised a few days of calm skies and golden light. These are the moments where patience and persistence pay off.

Getting the Gear Up There

I rely on the DJI Inspire 3 with the Zenmuse X9-8K Air gimbal camera, a truly remarkable drone capable of capturing cinematic detail and depth. But it’s not exactly built for backpacking. The drone, lenses, batteries, filters and remote controller all come in a large flight case that’s impractical for hiking through rugged terrain.

To make it work I’ve developed a system to repackage the essentials into a hiking-ready backpack, including emergency supplies like a fire extinguisher, first aid kit, food and water. It’s a heavy load, and getting it up steep, uneven trails is never easy. But the effort is worth it when you see the world from 400 feet above ancient rock.

Capturing Awe

One of the standout images from the trip is a shot I call "Tectonic." Taken during golden hour, it reveals the jagged, folded peaks of the Welsh mountains’ formations shaped by millions of years of tectonic activity. From the air, the scale and drama of these geological forces come into sharp relief.

There’s something humbling about seeing the Earth from above, understanding the deep time etched into every ridge and valley. These are more than photographs, they're a visual tribute to the power of nature and the history beneath our feet.

Conclusion 

The Welsh mountains are truly spectacular, ancient, dramatic and humbling in their scale. I encourage anyone who can to visit and take in their natural beauty firsthand. Standing among these peaks offers a rare connection to the Earth’s deep history and capturing that from the air is a privilege I don’t take lightly.

I plan to return in the future to photograph these ranges in different conditions, perhaps even in winter when snow blankets Snowdonia in a quiet ethereal white. That would be an incredible sight to capture and a new expedition worth telling in its own right.

— Adam