Forget selfies - how 'dronies' could be the next big photography trend

From Papal visits to the Oscars, it seems no event is now complete without a “selfie” to document the day. But the ubiquitous trend for the self-portrait photographs, taken on a smartphone at arm’s length, could now be usurped by the “dronie” – or photos taken by a drone.

从教皇出访到奥斯卡颁奖礼现场，似乎每件大事中都少不了“自拍留念”的环节。但伸长手臂用智能手机自拍的流行趋势，或将被“无人机自拍”所取代。

According to French drone manufacturer Parrot, the burgeoning popularity of the remote-controlled miniature aircraft is being fuelled by “narcissism” as people buy drones fitted with cameras in order to film themselves.

法国无人机制造厂商帕罗表示，因为“自拍党”们热衷购买装有摄像头的无人机，所以微型遥控飞机开始广为流行。

Unlike the selfie, which often results in the photograph’s subjects appearing squashed in at an awkward angle, the company claims the trend will result in high-quality footage. Drones of the future will be able to pilot themselves, following the subject around automatically, he said.

该公司表示，自拍照的主角通常看上去就从一个奇怪的角度塞进照片的，但无人机航拍会带来高质量的影像。他声称今后无人机能自动驾驶并自动跟随拍摄主体移动。

“It would be like having a full TV crew with you when you went snowboarding or mountain climbing,” Henri Seydoux, Parrot’s chief executive, told the Financial Times.

帕罗的首席执行官亨利·赛杜告诉《金融时报》记者，“当你去滑雪或者登山时，无人机的航拍过程就像一个电视摄制组在全方位跟拍。”

Parrot says sales of drones jumped by 130 per cent in the third quarter of the year, taking even the company itself by surprise.

帕罗指出，无人机的销售量在今年第三季度跃升了130%，连公司自身都感到意外。

“It turned out that in reality people bought the drones because of narcissism. People want to put pictures on YouTube of them looking strong and talented, and that is why people want the cameras,” Mr Seydoux said.

“事实证明，人们因为自恋而购买无人机。‘自拍党’总想把他们丰神俊朗的照片发布到视频网站（YouTube），这就是他们想要摄像头的原因。”赛杜先生说。

Drones, or “unmanned aerial vehicles”, were once the preserve of technology specialists but have soared in popularity with models on sale for as little as £40 featuring on many must-have gift lists this Christmas.

无人机，又称“无人驾驶飞行器”，它曾是技术专家的专利，但今年圣诞节，各种型号价格低至仅40英镑（约388人民币）的无人机人气不断飙升，更成为今年圣诞节的必备礼物之一。

Their increasing mass-market appeal has however led to fears over privacy and safety. It recently emerged that a drone had come close to colliding with a passenger plane at Heathrow this summer.

然而，无人机行业的兴起也带来了隐私和安全隐患。今年夏天，一架无人机和一架客机在英国希罗斯机场上空险些相撞。

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