Port Dover man captures beauty of rural Southern Ont. by drone

After twelve hour shifts as a steel worker in Hamilton, Scott Jones retires the drills for his drone.

“I don't get a lot of spare time to myself so I was kind of looking to get into something that I knew I had a big passion for,” he told CTV News.

It's a pastime that never gets old for Jones.

“I just ended up buying a cheap drone from Walmart one day and just kind of fell in love with the whole thought of flying a drone.”

A white house stands starkly out against a dark, gloomy backdrop. (Submitted: Scott Jones)

From Port Dover, Jones was born and raised a country man and has always admired the area surrounding him.

“I get a lot of amazing sunsets and sunrises out there on the water and the boats - those are usually my favorite types of places to photograph,” he said.

It was in 2022 when he decided to pick up a camera and get into photography - something he was always meaning to try. Very quickly, it turned into his favourite pastime.

“My favourite areas really are kind of like rural areas, old barns.”

A red tractor sits in a field as the sun sets behind it. (Submitted: Scott Jones)

It was during his commutes to and from work where he felt inspired to photograph areas and structures that were more often out of sight.

“I like to take different ways home or different ways into work, and I try to find anything really that catches my eye that I think would look great for photography,” he explained.

After taking a government exam to become a certified drone pilot, Jones started capturing what he calls “hidden rural beauties.” Jones decided it was time for an upgrade, opting for a more expensive drone, one that helps him produce the high quality images that he shoots today.

“Anywhere that you normally wouldn't see from ground level and that you wouldn't normally see when you're driving on a road [that] a lot of people would miss seeing because it's way further back.”

A red and white ship is surrounded by ice in the depths of winter. (Submitted: Scott Jones)

His images have garnered attention from the online community and beyond.

“It all started off with people contacting me and asked me if I’d be willing to take photos on their properties. They want to get an updated photo of what their property looks like now [and] hand it years down to their family.”

“A lot of older people have contacted me and said, “you know, when I get home, I can't get out as much” and they just love seeing all the nature shots because they don’t get out anymore and they can’t do it anymore. So they say they really enjoy seeing the images.”

Jones recently published a website to showcase his work.

“You can find beauty in anything,” he said. “It's just the way you look at it, right? I’m hoping to get better and better and better and hopefully inspire some people to get into it themselves.”

Yellow light peeks through the wreckage of a building. (Submitted: Scott Jones)