VIDEO: Sky view of Seattle’s construction cranes lit up
Dec 27, 2016, 6:54 AM
Nathan Alexander took the opportunity to document Seattle’s cranes while they are lit up during the holiday season.
Related: Seattle struggles to staff construction jobs during development boom
“There is a lot of construction currently happening,” Alexander said. “I know at one point this year, Seattle had the most cranes (set up) than any other city.”
“Once all the cranes were decorated with Christmas lights, and therefore more noticeable, it occurred to me how beautiful and temporary they were,” he said. “So I wanted to document not only the number of cranes but how beautiful the machine is, lit up with Christmas lights against the backdrop of the city.”
The video was filmed over December 14-16, between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m. Alexander had to wait until the city had decent, clear weather to film the structures on his DJI Phantom 4 drone.
“Essentially, from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. those three nights we were driving, scouting, and filming,” Alexander said.
Alexander is an experienced pilot. He discourages people from attempting similar drone projects “willy nilly.” He stresses that his flight experience informs his drone piloting. While filming the cranes, he stayed well under regulated airspace, and there was no flying over people or infrastructure.
“I want folks inspired by this video to be responsible and ethical and plan their flights,” Alexander said. “These aren’t just toys. There are real consequences involved if you’re not paying attention.”
Seattle construction cranes boom
Seattle is in the midst of a construction boom that has come along with a local surge in the tech industry. The city is experiencing the highest level of construction since 2005. Seattle development hit a low point in 2010, but by 2015 development activity multiplied by four.
And with this boom has come a rise in construction cranes across the city. As Alexander noted, Seattle had more of the towering structures set up in town during 2016 than any other city in America.
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