Aerial photography as the name implies, is a form of photography taken from an aircraft or other flying objects. This type of photography is aimed at taking the pictures of these landmarks or events from an elevated landmark without any form of interruption.
Before the introduction of drone photography, aerial photography was carried out from balloons, blimps and dirigibles, fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, kites, parachutes, pigeons, rockets, stand-alone telescoping, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), and vehicle-mounted poles.
Although the introduction of drones in aerial photography is still in its early stages of acceptance, it has been proven beyond any form of reasonable doubt that its budding worth lies with its potentials to capture great photographs and videos which can be edited later on to give a clean and top-notch image or video.
Despite the fact that these drones can capture great images at elevated heights does not guarantee a successful and hitch free production most especially if you are a newbie. In this article, we shall address the various ways a beginner can get the most out of their Aerial photography with drones.
1. Understand your drone:
To perfectly utilize any form of machine for any work requires special attention to its capabilities and specifications. If you own a photographic drone and you are interested in utilizing it for aerial photography, then there is a great need to understand how each part of the gadget works. You can obtain information by reading the user’s manual or asking questions from the professionals. Understand the function of every part of the drone before setting out for your very first experiment.
2. Get the right Accessories
Your drone may not come with all the accessories needed for a smooth aerial photography session; therefore, there may be need to purchase some accessories to improve your efficiency. Before purchasing any drone for aerial photography, make sure it has all you need for a wonderful session. Go for a drone with an on-board camera or a rotating mount which is capable of GoPro, a small DSLR. Take note of the video feed and make sure the controller is compatible with your Smartphone to enable see what exactly your drone is seeing and set up the shots.
3. Understand your legal boundaries
There are restrictions to where and how you may use your drones for aerial photography. Although these legal boundaries surrounding the use of drones for photography may differs from one state to the other, adequate care needs to be taken in order not to violate them. Data gathered from the Federal Aviation Administration published in 2015 reveals that it will soon require registration for any UAV weighing 0.55lbs to 55lbs. Under this rule, new drone owners are required to register their device before flying them for the first time.
4. Take note of the settings
Remember, it is your drone, and it works with your settings. Your ability to adjust the tinker with different camera settings depends on the kind of drones the pilot chooses. While some may prefer a drone with a built-in camera mount, others may settle or come with on-board cameras that let the users adjust settings ranging from the white balance and frame rate to the exposure and resolution.
5. Learn some post-production skills
As far as aerial photography with drones is concerned, post-production is one of the best attributes which fixes every issue omitted while on the field. These skills include but are not limited to splicing frames or color correction.
Conclusion:
Read our article on Best drones for Aerial Photography for a detailed list of drones to select from. Kindly contact us if you have any question on the subject matter, we will love to hear from you.