Recent Aerial Articles

Recent NYPD Helicopter/DJI Phantom Close Encounter Not What It Seems as Audio of Radio Recording Surfaces

Yesterday, Fstoppers writer John White shared news of an apparent close call between two irresponsible pilots' DJI Phantom drones and an NYPD helicopter. Naturally, this sparked a conversation about the safety of such drones in the hands of the public. But as with many hyped new stories, all was not as it seemed. Recently surfaced radio recordings catch the pilots in a rather calm mood as they seem to question the presence of the drones amongst themselves and take it upon themselves to chase down the Phantom to the remote pilots.

Two Drones Nearly Collide With NYPD Chopper

It's always a small handful of people that begin the process of ruining it for everyone else. On Monday, two drones nearly crashed into a New York Police Department's chopper while it was going over the George Washington Bridge. Luckily, the pilots changed course to avoid the collision.

What It's Like to Photograph F16s... From Another F16

It's hard to imagine someone not describing what Sergeant Larry Reid Jr. does as a dream job. Once you see what he does, the images he captures and the joy on his face as he explains his process, part of you (no matter who you are) kind of wishes you were him. With two cameras strapped around his neck firing shots off while his pilot banks at seven G's, Sergeant Reid is living the dream.

In the Spirit of July 4th, Watch a DJI Phantom Fly Through Fireworks

Ah July 4th. For us in the United States, this national holiday calls for hot dogs, beer and most importantly fireworks. YouTuber Jos Stinglingh may have published this video of a DJI Phantom 2 and a GoPro a couple months ago in West Palm Beach, Florida, but there are few dates more apt to view it than today.

DJI Phantom 2 Now Features Autonomous Flight

DJI has been a major player in the quadcopter arena for quite some time. While there are MANY other brands out there, DJI has set out to make flying easy, especially for those with no experience. Now it will be even easier to start flying thanks to the addition of Autonomous flight. They call it Ground Station.

6,227 Images And 4 Hours Of Work Produced This Insanely Detailed 3D Model of a Castle

Have you ever considered creating an accurate and detailed 3D model from 2D photos? Probably not, it's incredibly difficult. Now, if you try to do it on a truly massive scale and have a huge castle as your subject, it makes it almost impossible to do by hand. The guys at Pix4D took it as a challenge to their software and not only modeled the outside, but also the inside of the castle, all in one interactive 3D model. To prove that it can be done by anyone, they decided to use only consumer cameras (GoPro, DSLR and a Mirrorless).

Stunning Timelapse Displays the Many Sides and Colors of Los Angeles

Those that know me know that Los Angeles is one of my favourite cities in the world. The city just feels like home for a number of reasons and this timelapse from Chris Pritchard absolutely embodies everything I love about it. The ever changing conditions and light, the mixture of urban and landscape and the way the city just feels alive.

YouTube Deleted My Viral Video & There is Nothing I Can Do About It

A few weeks ago I released a video featuring my friend and fellow photographer Blair Bunting in the backseat of an F16. The video blew up on Reddit (#1 in r/Videos making it to the top 5 of the front page), was featured on Gizmodo, Jalopnik, Daily Mail, Telegraph, CNN, ABC World News with Dianne Sawyer, hundreds of other blogs and even was officially recognized by YouTube. But for reasons still unexplained to me, it has been removed from YouTube and there is nothing I can do about it.

Achieving The Unachievable - Capturing a Group of 34 From 60 Feet Above

During an initial meeting with local publication NFocus Magazine, the Editor-In-Chief asked for a unique aesthetic on Louisville's theater and arts community and wanted a massive group shot, but not your traditional group shot. I threw out the idea to shoot actors and their "characters" from directly overhead on a theater floor, as if they were action figures laid out and organized. Two seconds after I uttered the idea, I realized I had no clue how I would pull it all off.

Then and Now: Bird's Eye View of Disneyland from 1955 and 2014

Today, Southland shared a rare look at the growth of DisneyLand in Anaheim, California from construction site in 1955 to the bustling theme park it is today, in 2014. In the two GIF animations of the park's evolutions (below) you see orange groves turn into the parking lots, carefully landscaped jungles, and the themed buildings that make up "the happiest place on earth".

FAA Wants to Issue $10,000 Fine for Drone Video Recording of Tornado Damage

Videos like this help bring awareness of disaster situations which in turn brings aid and funding for recovery efforts. It can be argued that videos like this are pivotally important in the modern age for any area of the United States to get the help they need. But the FAA, still miffed about drones in general, is considering fining the videographer $10,000 for taking the footage.

Watch Blair Bunting's Ride with the USAF Thunderbirds from Inside the Cockpit

"Here come the G's." Words that might not mean anything to you sitting at your computer, but if you're strapped into the back seat of an F-16, it means remember your breathing training and don't pass out. Blair Bunting, recent addition to the Nikon Ambassadors list, took to the skies with the United Air Force Thunderbirds in part to see if he could sustain 9 G's.

The Five Tips to Creating Amazing Landscape Photos

In an instant, one can feel as though they are in another world. As a landscape photographer you have the power to transport someone in the blink of an eye and send them on a journey into your photography to see the incredible world we live in. Creating amazing landscapes goes far beyond just snapping photos using the HDR setting on an iPhone. Landscape photography can seem daunting, but after reading these secrets to landscape photography, there will be no excuse to why you can’t take mesmerizing landscapes yourself!

Travel Through Doha In 220 Seconds With This Timelapse

It's not the first time I'm sharing Michael Shainblums work and it won't be the last time. Timelapses are one of the most time consuming forms of photography and only a dedicated person with patience can produce quality results as often as Michael.

Top 48 Photographers To Follow On 500px

Even the best photographers need inspiration. 500px is a beautiful playground for some of the best photographers in the industry, and also one of the most powerful tools for motivation. There’s no sifting through rubbish to find quality work in your feed, which is often a problem with various social media platforms, like Facebook. Here's a list of photographers and their mind-blowing work in 4 different genres you MUST be following.

Lighting A Lighthouse With A Strobe Attached To A Drone

As a photographer, I'm always looking to capture something in a unique way. This is the craziest landscape photoshoot I have ever done. By taping a tiny Nikon Flash to my DJI Phantom II Drone, I was able to fly my remote helicopter up the side of a lighthouse and light the entire thing with flash. Creating this photograph was one of the trickest shoots I've ever done, and this is how I made it happen.

Superman Flies Through Los Angeles With A Gopro

What happens when you combine a GoPro Hero +3, a DJI Phantom II, an actor dressed as Superman, and some clever video editing? How about one awesome simulation of what it must be like to be Superman as he flies through Los Angeles. If you were upset with our recent Phantom 2 Gopro height test last week, you are definitely not going to want to watch this video. Be sure to check out Sam and Niko's behind the scenes video

Why We Pulled The DJI Phantom Post

A couple days ago we took a DJI Phantom 2 and flew it straight up into the air over Charleston, SC to test its "range". The video, although interesting, was not fully thought out and we decided to pull the video.

Judgement Makes Commercial Drones Completely Legal Again

Known as Trappy on message boards and Facebooks groups, and the "aeriel anarchist" among drone hobbyist, Raphael Pirker the 29-year-old swede will be making headlines today after a federal judge has dismissed the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) case against Pirker. In 2011 the FAA smacked Pirker with a $10,000 fine after he flew his Styrofoam drone around the University of Virginia while filming an ad for the university's medical school. This became a test case for the FAA's authority to prohibit people from flying a drone for commercial purposes.

The Freedom Tower: A View From The Top Of The World

Months of planning, 567 images stitched into a single panorama and a 14.6 gigabyte image results in a breathtaking view of New York City from the top of the Freedom Tower. Deemed as one the tallest skyscrapers in the US, the new Freedom Tower is about one year out from completion.

Fstoppers Original: Testing Camera Gear In The Bahamas

Last week Lee, Mike, Lauren, and I headed down to the Bahamas to work out all of the details on the Fstoppers Photography Workshop taking place at the Atlantis Resort from May 28 - June 1st. B&H gave us a ton of gear for our trip and asked us to "test" all of it in as many different ways as possible. I believe we succeeded.

This Pelican Took One Of The Most Beautiful Bird's-eye View Videos Of All Time

Here at Fstoppers we featured many animal-related GoPro videos in the past [here are a few as a reminder: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5], and all are unique and interesting. Some are visually stunning. But this video taken by a pelican takes home the award for the most beautiful video ever taken by an animal.

What Does This Video Mean For The Future of Photojournalism?

Over the last two days, Kiev, Ukraine has seen its worst violence since the Soviet era, with the death toll now at 75. Fighting between police and protesters escalated when protesters used Molotov cocktails and lit several fires in the city square. This video - shot on a drone - shows the epic devastation from above, and I believe this may mark a very significant turning point in photojournalism. Has the public's desire for the theatrical become too large a part of journalism?

Some of the Best Photos of the Night Sky, and How to Make Your Own

The night sky is an astounding phenomenon that fascinates almost every individual. Stars have been around for thousands of years and yet, humankind is still mesmerized by their beauty. Despite the distance, we have such a strong connection and love for these great unknown entities. Capturing the magnificence of the night sky is highly rewarding and can be an exciting process as well.

Capturing Wingsuit Flyers And Directing A Video Shoot At 10,000 Feet

Working at high altitude is always a challenge, but trying to follow fast moving objects that are actually people defying death is a whole other level of intensity. In this behind the scenes video for a Verizon Fios ad, Director Rob Cohen has wingsuit flyers recorded jumping off of a cliff, but then has to get creative to shoot the not-so-real landing. See how they did it and check out the final ad inside.

Finally - The PoV Video From The 127,000ft Space Freefall Is Released

A little over a year ago Felix Baumgartner made history with his record breaking “space jump”, the world’s highest skydive from 127,852ft above ground. The jump was incredible but what many of us couldn’t understand is why there seemed to be no POV footage from Felix's perspective. Yesterday, GoPro released an edit of what many of us have been waiting more than a year for. The video, shown here in it's entirety, is stunning.

A Beautiful Aerial View Of The Serengeti Taken With A Remote-Controlled Drone

Will Burrard-Lucas is a professional wildlife photographer who took aerial footage of life in the Serengeti. His BettleCopter drone took to the skies and captured a variety of life that was beautifully captured. From the primal feeding instincts of a hyena to the group of hippos lazily spending their afternoon submerged in water, this video is worth a watch.

Think Different. See Different. Stand Out.

What type of photography do you do? Portraits? Still life? Macro? Aerial? Fine art? Fashion? Commercial? Advertising and editorial photographer Joseph Ford does many of these – sometimes simultaneously. His latest project of beautiful diptychs proves unequivocally that your creativity and innovation are what will set you apart and win you top tier commercial clients. Read his exclusive interview to find out how his latest project came about, and what you can learn and apply for you and your business.

Powerful Video Filters: Warp Stabilizer

As filmmakers, we often find ourselves in less-than-perfect circumstances; we may be losing sunlight at the end of a shoot or trying to capture a fleeting moment before it disappears. Often times you’ll find that you've captured great moments with an undesirable camera shake. I've found myself in this situation countless times and I want to share something that has changed the way I deal with shaky footage.

Stunning POV GoPro Video Emerges of Eagle In-Flight

Strapping a GoPro to a moving object has become 'the thing' over the years. More recently, we've begun to see spectacular aerial footage of GoPro's mounted to small remote control drones, such as this video shot over New York City earlier this year. But every once in a while someone puts a GoPro on something that just makes sit up and you just go "WOW!" If you've ever dreamt of flying or soaring free like a bird through the mountains, this is the video you've been waiting for.

Why I Spent My Money To Rent a Helicopter on 9/11

Exactly one week ago we marked the 12th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks which resulted in the deaths of nearly 3,000 people. As they do every anniversary, The Municipal Art Society of New York created two vertical columns of light ("Tribute In Light") right next to the World Trade Center in remembrance of the Twin Towers using 88 powerful searchlights pointing up to the sky. Every year I photograph the Tribute In Light from a different spot, and this year, for the second time, I decided to photograph it from above. From a helicopter. Here is how and why I did it.

Photographer Rappels Off Skyscrapers to Get the Shot

'Whatever it takes to get the shot.' Carlos Ayesta's "whatever" involves rappelling from skyscrapers to get his unusual perspectives of Paris. In this beautifully shot BTS video by Guillaume Bression, we see Ayesta rappelling from various buildings and peeking into peoples living and workspaces.

Holga Cameras... in Space!

Photographic educator Dirk Fletcher decided his summer Modern Alternative Photographic Practices class would try and test the Holga camera and boldly send one where no Holga had gone before — space. To get a shot of the earth’s stratosphere, Fletcher and his students created a four Holga box unit to float by balloon into the lower stratosphere and capture an aerial of earth.

National Geographic Photographer on Assignment with Only His Cellphone

The Nokia Lumia 1020 was met with a lot of skepticism, and sparked yet another battle in the megapixel war. But for a cell phone, it's hard to deny that the photos look pretty darn good. Now when you think of National Geographic you think of incredible photographs of rarely seen places and people.

Behind The Scenes With Wolfe Air And Their Incredible Flying Camera Platforms

Last week I posted a gorgeous video from Wolfe Air - their promo reel for aviation cinematography, and explained a bit of the process behind it. This week, I've found and put together a few videos which detail how they equip their planes and helicopters with some of the most advanced camera technologies available, and it's pretty mindblowing. In these videos, Wolfe Air loads up a Learjet with

A Beautiful Look Into The Rarely-Seen World Of Aviation Cinematography

Wolfe Air is a company that specializes in creating air to air footage for airlines, big-budget movie productions, the military, and private commercial clients, and they recently released their updated reel, which is absolutely mindblowing. Not many people think about what might go into these shots, so as the Fstoppers designated aviation photography dork, I've decided to write up a reader's digest version of how they're made.

Watch Amazing 5K Aerial Footage Shot with Custom Stabilizing Gimbal

Shooting aerial video for commercial purposes might be iffy in the United States, but the team at Helicam, based in Finland and Estonia, make some truly epic video using a quadcopter, a RED and a custom stabilizing gimbal. The featured video is a reel showcasing shots from the system, but we also have BTS footage of the team using the copter and a video showing the custom rig being constructed.

This Trailer For a Movie Shot with Advanced 4K Aerial Gyro Rocks

Earlier this year we showed you an amazing and advanced 4K aerial gyro system that lifestyle brand Teton Gravity Research (TGR) acquired. The Gyro-Stabilized Systems (GSS) C520 system is considered most advanced five-axis gyro-stabilized camera platform in the world. This week they released a trailer for their production "Way of Life" featuring the platform, and it looks fantastic.

Why Quadcopters and Weddings Sometimes Don't Mix

In the past year, we've seen some pretty amazing advancements in camera/drone technology. Quadcopters like the DJI Phantom are incredibly affordable and seem very easy for anyone to master. When shooting a commercial earlier this year, I had a similar mentality. "Why don't I buy a cheap quadcopter and strap a GoPro to it. How hard can it be?"

As it turns out, even small drones can be used with disastrous results.

Beautiful Video of New York Shot Via Phantom Drone

Despite the information floating around regarding the legality of drones, when you see some beautiful aerial footage taken with them, you can't help but gape in awe. In this video uploaded by Nicolas Doldinger you can watch a GoPro take to the skies. In their own words: "DJI Phantom + Zenmuse H3-SD Gimbal + Gopro Hero 3 = NYC LOVE."

30 Images Of Real Cities That Look Like Miniatures

Shallow depth of field is something we can enjoy when shooting portraits, insects, products and other small and/or close subjects. But when shooting wide shots of landscapes and cities, it's technically pretty much impossible to achieve this effect with our normal day to day lenses (assuming most of you don't carry tilt-shift lenses or tilt adapters). Of course some parts of the image will be out of focus, but the general effect wont be as noticeable as when shooting close subjects with open apertures. This is when Photoshop comes into play.

NASA Releases Distant Photos of Earth

NASA's Cassini spacecraft has relayed back images of the Earth and moon from 900 million miles away. The images, taken in a series of photos on July 19th as Saturn was backlit by the sun, portray the blue planet as a diminutive blip in a vast dark solar system.

Ridiculous Aerial Photography And Drone Laws Got You Down? Check Out Air Cam!

As most people know, over the last few months and years, a number of laws have been passed that make operating a legitimate drone and aerial photography business a nightmare. Being a huge aviation geek and photographer myself, my jaw about hit the floor when I saw this, and I knew I had to share it with Fstoppers. For those who are serious about aerial photography, this might be a solution that you never thought of.

The Cheapest And Easiest Way To Get Into Aerial Photography

A few months ago I got a random email that said "Would you like to review our new remote controlled drone that can carry a GoPro?" I love all types of electronics so I said I would be happy to. I assumed I would be receiving a remote controlled toy in the mail but I was very wrong. The DJI Phantom absolutely blew me away. Even after I destroyed it.

Awesome Mini Worlds Photographs From Planet Earth

Ever wondered how cool could it be to photograph different planets from close by and show how each one of them is different and unique? Well, unless you're an astronaut or a robot named 'Curiosity', you'll have to wait with that dream. But until then, why not making your own planets, all based on planet earth? Check out these awesome examples of mini-worlds (or "mini-planets", "Stereographic panoramas") found on Flickr.

How Camp 4 Collective Creates Cinematic Aerial Video With The Cineflex

Camp 4 Collective is an adventure film production group with clients like RedBull, The North Face, and National Geographic, so they are often found at the edge of the world, camera equipment in tow. Recently, some of the Camp 4 team traveled to Alaska to shoot some aerial footage. In this video, Anson Fogel explains the Cineflex helicopter camera system, and in the full post he and Tim Kemple answer my questions about its controls, production costs, and what it's like to play in helicopters.

15 Photos Showing The Largest Political Event In History

Only 2 years passed since the 2011 Egyptian revolution where president Mubarak was replaced by president Morsi, and this week the people of Egypt decided to make another change and oust the elected president in what is now known as the largest political event in history of mankind. Over 14 million people flooded the streets of Egypt this week to protest against President Morsi, and Tahrir Square came to life once again.

Behind The Scenes As Philip Lee Harvey Travels To Venezuela

In this short behind the scenes video, photographer Philip Lee Harvey takes to the sky, as well as the earth, for shooting images of Angel Falls in Venezuela. This expedition hits home with Philip, as he looks to follow the same path that an aviator named Jimmie Angel took when he became the first american to discover the area in 1933. With this backstory towing the line, Philip's shoot becomes that much more interesting of an adventure.