I have been taking aerial photographs since the last millennium and in all these years this is one of my favourite photographs. Its the Angel of the North in Gateshead , Tyne and Wear. It is one of the most iconic pieces of public art in England and was built in 1998 to a design by Sir Antony Gormley. At 54m high and 20m wide the sculpture dominates the surrounding area and from the air we can see it from miles away. I had been planning to shoot it for quite some time and as soon as I found myself in the area I made a beeline for it. We were in luck with no clouds over the site site and no other aircraft getting in the way. The photo looks like a typical drone photo, however it was actually shot from a Cessna 172 Light aircraft from more than 1000 feet in the air using a very long 300mm lens. Its a bit tricky to to get it lined up exactly square on while flying at 100mph but with a bit of practice it can be done. I was pleased with the photo as soon as I had taken it but it was only when I got home and saw it on my computer screen that I noticed what really makes it special. At the foot of the sculpture is a lady in white with arms outstretched in the same pose as the sculpture.

We are really lucky in Britain that we are allowed to take aerial photographs like this without hindrance. It's enshrined in section 62 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 which allows complete freedom to photograph buildings and sculptures situated in a public place. Other countries have no such luck and recently the High Court in Germany ruled that freedom of panorama does not apply to aerial photographs. Over the years I have taken many photos such as this in Germany, and as a result of the Court ruling spent the summer deleting much of my life's work. This inspired me to publish a collection of my British aerial photographs of works of art in a Royal Photographic Society Magazine so at least my German viewers can see the sort of thing they are now missing.

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