TREVOR Kearton is used to getting a bird's-eye view of life.

He might be sitting at ground level in Queen Elizabeth Gardens, in Salisbury, but the digital camera mounted on a 25-metre telescopic pole above his vehicle gives him a different perspective on the view of the cathedral across the river.

It's his ability to capture this high-level vision on camera that is proving an asset to businesses in the area, which is exactly why he has called his company Different Perspectives.

Trevor, who lives in Boscombe, specialises in low-level aerial photography, but laughs at any suggestion of aeroplane acrobatics, although he admits that was the vision he had when he first heard the term.

"I had no idea what it was and thought it was someone flying upside down in the cockpit of a bi-plane," he says.

As it is, Trevor's feet never leave the ground, but the business has been taking off since he set it up in July 2004.

He trained as an engineer and worked in a specialised field for Toshiba UK Design Centre, but when he was made redundant in 2003, finding another post in what was essentially a niche market would have meant moving, probably overseas.

A keen snapper, he got interested in the idea of setting up his own business and utilising the skills he had. Then he saw this business for sale.

"It gives you a different perspective on things estate agents find it invaluable because it lets you see the depth of the whole property.

"It brings you something extra a third dimension."

It also gets round the ground-level problem of obstacles like cars, fences, trees and even other buildings obscuring the view.

Trevor has the means to rise above such obstructions. At the business end of the telescopic mast mounted on the back of his Land Rover is an eight mega-pixel digital camera and small notepad computer housed in a 360-degree pan and 90-degree tilt unit.

Trevor explains: "I control everything from another laptop computer. The two computers are linked by wireless network and the software allows me to control all aspects of the camera's movement."

Getting the right location is critical because it takes around half an hour to set up and another half an hour to dismount, so misjudgements would waste unnecessary time, but Trevor says he has developed a good eye for finding the right spot.

He would expect to get between ten and 15 shots from different angles from one location.

The customer then chooses the best to be turned into a mounted print.

Architects, surveyors, local councils, tourism boards, venues like the Grasmere Hotel, in Salisbury, and stately homes such as Highclere Castle use the service extensively for publicity and brochures.

But people too, he says, like to have an unusual view of their property.

Different Perspectives can be contacted on 01980 610680/07863 206209 or log onto their website through the link below. A single location shoot plus mounted photograph would cost in the region of £200.