The community boasts many student-run Instagram accounts, but one in particular is gaining popularity among students. That is “The Haverford Drone”: a photography account run by two Third Formers. The account is filled with aerial shots featuring the school and other nearby locations.
“It’s an Instagram account run by myself and [Third Former] Jayden Thomas where we fly drones to capture photos and videos,” Third Former Raymond Kresge said.
It all started in early March, when Kresge and Thomas were bored in study hall. They decided to start an Instagram account to photograph the area around them. It then evolved into drones, starting across the street at Haverford College. The novice pilots began there because of the college’s large treeless fields, which were beneficial for practice.
Eventually they gained permission to film athletic events at school.
“The sports filming was when the drone idea truly took off,” Kresge said.
So far they’ve filmed for a few sports, including lacrosse and baseball. In addition to school sports, they are planning on branching out and working with larger operations.
“We plan to collaborate with real estate businesses to film drone footage for them,” Thomas said.
Kresge made their on-campus goal clear, “We want to livestream nearly every home game, especially the ones for hard-to-see sports, such as cross country and track.”
“During and after the games, the aerial viewpoint helps the coaches reflect and learn from the game, providing another viewpoint than the ones on the ground,” Thomas added.
While the Third Formers post sports footage to appeal to viewers, they love all types of aerial photography—including things like nature.
“In this world, there’s so many pictures and so many different views that people can take on their phones and with professional cameras, but to give an aerial view is a whole different perspective.”
Raymond Kresge ’27
More recently, the duo traveled to Belmont Plateau, a popular location for cross-country races, to capture views of Philadelphia’s skyline behind the Schuylkill River.
Thomas and Kresge hope that “The Haverford Drone” will continue to help and entertain the Haverford community, and perhaps grow on a larger scale.
“Our goal is just to make it really popular here at Haverford and to do work for Haverford,” Kresge said. “Then, maybe in a few years, we can really branch out and make it a full-fledged business.”
They hope that a passion for drones within Haverford never dies. They want to “make it a kind of everlasting club,” as Thomas said.
They would also like to turn their drone recording and commentary into an activity credit similar to Game Day Crew, allowing them to further develop their passion for drones.
The sky’s the limit for Kresge and Thomas as they continue to hone their craft.
“In this world, there’s so many pictures and so many different views that people can take on their phones and with professional cameras,” Kresge said, “but to give an aerial view is a whole different perspective.”
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