We all know how annoying it is to put in a request for that waiver to fly in a specific airspace. The process can take a few days all the way up to a month with the number of requests the FAA receives. LAANC is here to help and here's why.
It's pretty rare to even see a Killer Whale in their natural habitat. A photographer stumbled upon the once in a lifetime experience to not only see the creatures but to capture them up close on camera for us all to admire; his footage is stunning.
Growing up in Syracuse, New York, Tom Drone was only exposed to the beauty of this city at ground level. As time went on and technology advanced, drones became a popular tool for filming things from a new perspective. After years of work in the drone business, Tom returned to his hometown to film it from the sky.
Nano-drones are usually designed as indoor toys but this short video shows how they can be used to create some very unique shots.
The Mavic Air is tiny and films in 4K, but does it deliver? What is the image quality like? Can it handle wind? What about the battery life and range? After a month of intensive use, here is a detailed review of this new drone.
Planning may be one of the most important things when it comes to taking the aerial photos you want. A lot of the stuff I shoot is mapped out thoroughly so I can plan days and times to go shoot what I have in mind.
Everyone loves drones for the obvious reason that they give spectacular views. Irrespective of who is flying, the dos and don'ts remain the same, and it is important that you know them.
Here in NJ we are lucky enough to have four seasons: Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer. Maybe I shouldn't say "lucky" because it would be nice to have warmer weather year-round but the seasons do make for taking great photos. Though it's the first week of spring, we were just slammed with another big snow-storm and hopefully the last.
A Russian drone pilot managed to fly his little 2.3 lbs drone close to the cruising altitude of most airliners. As surprising as it sounds, the technology used for this flight is very common.
Five photographers were killed when their helicopter rented for a photo shoot crashed into the East River in New York City.
Drone imagery has radically changed the way we photograph the Earth. It is now more common to see this vertical view, however the changed perspective is still new, still mesmerizing, and still has the ability to startle. See one website that gives you a daily fix of the world from above, a long way above!
This was my second year in a row going to the New York City Drone Film Festival and I have to say that I have yet to be disappointed. Year after year, they manage to find some of the best videos from a variety of different categories to share with the world. Without further ado, here are the winners from the NYCDFF:
Where you can or cannot fly a drone when it comes to United States public lands is a confusing topic with an answer that has to be pieced together by studying multiple government websites. Navigating the gauntlet of online information can be daunting but I'm here to help.
Many elements have to come together to make a decent short; and I think, in this video by filmmaker Jay Worsley, everything came together perfectly.
Is it better to fly in a helicopter or use a drone when documenting action sports? Greg Beadle takes us through the gear and how he gets his shots, and we look at what the advantages are of being up in the air compared to flying a drone.
The most famous drone festival is coming next month in New York City. But it’s more than a simple film festival.
We've all had times where we are constantly out shooting, coming up with new ideas, and going out to create them. There are also times where we struggle with new ideas and lose our motivation to create. Over the past few months I feel like I've been going through some stages like this but I always try to stay positive and create when I can.
Cruising in an airplane high above Earth you sometimes get to see places that are nearly impossible to reach, or even view, from the ground. Taking photos of those sights is not only fun but it can serve as a memory that you were sort of there in the first place. If you like geography, geology, or history in general it can also be an excellent reference so that you can investigate the area further once you’re back on terra firma.
French photographer Yannick Cerrutti recently released a breath taking hyper-lapse produced over the Alps with his drone. It required two years of work and the capture of 13,000 DNG images to finish this project. His video has been selected for the 2018 New-York City Drone Film Festival.
This video first caught my attention when I saw the absurd number $2.5 million. I asked myself what could make a vlog so expensive and if it was so expensive to make, then how good would it be? From there, I clicked the link and landed on a video that was actually pretty awesome. So here, in this video, you will see what a few million can do to help you film.
DJI has recently released the winning photos from this year’s SkyPixel Photo Contest. The grand prize winner this year was Florian Ledoux for his image “Above the Polar Bear.” With over $90,000 worth of prizes being handed out, Ledoux was one of over 40,000 people who submitted photos into this year’s competition.
As I was browsing Facebook, my attention was caught by a short video made by Arthur Nguyen. The brief video depicts demolition of two university residence buildings but what got me hooked was the way Nguyen recorded and edited it, which made me want to watch it several times in a row. I reached out to the young artist behind this video to find out more about why and how he created it (and on a student's budget!).
In less than a year, DJI released four entry-level drones, from the cheap Tello to the more advanced Mavic Platinum. The mid-range segment is now occupied by the Spark and the newly announced Mavic Air. In some aspects, the latest DJI drone outperforms the pricier models, which can be confusing. Is the Mavic Air better than the Mavic Pro? Which one should you buy and why? The answer: it depends of your needs. Up next, we provide a complete comparison to help you navigate through the main differences of each drone, including their strengths and weaknesses.
The announcement of the unmanned aerial program by New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo states that drones will be used to support law enforcement on disaster response and traffic safety. This aerial program will be used to assist law enforcement and become more cost effective over police helicopters and planes.
Today, Fstoppers was at the DJI Event in NYC where they announced the Mavic Air. After learning about this drone and seeing examples of photo and video it had produced, I knew that I had to get my hands on one of them to try out. As a current owner of a Mavic Pro, there is no doubt that I questioned whether or not I should get one of these drones. So I went and flew them around a bit and got a little taste of what's to come.
Most of us who know drones know that DJI is one of the leaders in the industry. Over the past few years, they have been making some of the best products for both professionals and consumers. With other companies like GoPro, Yuneec, and Autel trying to compete with some of DJI's main products, DJI is here to claim their place as the industry leader yet again.
DJI will announce a new product on Tuesday. Based on the short teaser published a few days ago, we know that this product will be a foldable drone. Everything beyond that is unknown. However, we can analyze DJI's past strategy and actual technological development to estimate the possible specifications and features that this new drone may offer.
Earlier this month we published an image of a stealth bomber, taken from above, shot by a photographer who hung out a plane. And now you have to see the work of Jin-Woo Prensena, who captures 100-megapixel aerial images of Los Angeles and beyond with a Phase One XF medium-format camera, shooting from a helicopter.
A few days ago I had the idea to shoot a new video. This project would involve three cars driving in a formation next to one another, which means location is key. Over the summer, I went to a spot next to a bridge to do some flying and thinking back to then, this would be an ideal spot to do this shoot. Without any planning, this idea would crumble which is why it is important to always scout these locations beforehand.
City life is always fast-paced, and plenty can change in three years. Seattle is no different, as the footage in this four-minute video proves. Check out just how drastically the city has changed.
One photographer managed to capture the moment a stealth bomber flew over the stadium. That might not sound that remarkable, but the difference was: he caught it from above.
Every time I post a story on Instagram of me flying in the snow, I tend to get a couple of people reaching out to me with questions. “You can fly in the snow?” “Does the cold weather affect the drone?” “Is the drone waterproof?” and so on. When I first flew in the snow, I was definitely worried about how the drone would do up there, but after a few flights in it, I now know that I can trust it as long as I take the right steps while flying.
When trying to get creative, we often get discouraged thinking everything has been done, and no matter how hard we try, our work is going to be inspired or a remote copy of someone else’s idea. However, there are still some exceptionally brilliant minds that find ways to innovate and make the impossible possible. Valentin Delluc, a French speed rider, and Dino Raffault managed to create a unique video that will make your eyes light up even if you don’t know what speed riding is.
So you’ve just bought a drone for Christmas, flew it for the first time only to realize that getting those beautiful aerial sequences to look cinematic wasn’t that easy. Don’t worry; it’s actually not so complicated. There are just a couple of things to know and combine to bring your clips to the next level. Be sure to watch this tutorial if you want to make the most out of your next time flying your drone.
Some of you may have woke up early on Christmas morning to rush to the tree and unwrap your shiny new drone. Unfortunately, the unusually cold conditions in parts of the US meant that many of you were grounded. So while you were there holding your new toy in your hands, staring wistfully at the crisp air outside, you may have had to justify the large price tag to yourself or to your partner/parents.
It's not every day that a video interview keeps me interested, undeterred by distractions, the entire time I'm watching it. But this one definitely did, mainly because it involves something that probably 90 percent of little boys, one of which I used to be, often dream of: being an astronaut. And learning about taking photos in space is just icing on the cake.
Amazon is not the only company planning on using drones for shipping. Following the trend, Santa Claus enrolled the professional drone pilots from Team BlackSheep to expedite the massive gift delivery operation. Here is an inside look at the Christmas mission operated directly from Finland.
New York City is the subject of many photographers' photos. No matter the perspective, it’s hard to take a bad picture of the place. But Manhattan-based Humza Deas has been using a drone to take a series of images that show the city from a different view.
The winners of National Geographic’s 2017 Nature Photographer of the Year have been announced. This year, Jayaprakash Joghee Bojan comes away with the grand prize for his wildlife photo, “Face to Face in a River in Borneo.”
With Christmas right around the corner, now is the perfect time to be buying gifts for family, friends, and significant others. As drones continue to become more and more popular, it shouldn’t be a surprise that these will be one of the hottest holiday gifts for anyone who is into photography and videography. With DJI being the leader in the drone industry, there are several drones on the market to choose from, but which one will suit as the best gift?
Think studio lighting can sometimes be stressful? One adventure photographer tried it while freefalling at 125 mph for a skydiving photoshoot, complete with a Profoto flash.
A couple of weeks ago, I bought my first drone: a DJI Mavic Pro. I’d been eyeing one for months, trying to decide if it was worth it and if I could justify its use for my business. I pulled the trigger right after Thanksgiving, have been trying to learn all of the rules about using it, and have been studying for the FAA Part 107 test ever since. And there are a lot of rules. And one of those rules is about to change — again— thanks to a bill President Trump signed yesterday that requires all drone flyers in the U.S., including hobbyists, to register with the FAA.
This year has seen the number of people owning a drone grow like never before. That’s probably due to the units becoming more affordable and more accessible to use. One great example is the DJI Mavic, or more recently the DJI Spark. The latter is advertised as a drone you can take anywhere but still offers an excellent image quality, and that anyone can use. I bought one earlier this year as I wanted to see if the drone trend was something for me or not, and I thought I’d share my opinion on this adorable little thing.
These incredible, apocalyptic-looking photos, taken by Axel Sigurðarson, show the scenes that occurred during the eruptions in Iceland between August 29, 2014 and February 27, 2015.
A few days ago, I took my first ever flight over N.Y.C. and before even getting in the helicopter, I had a bunch of crazy awesome shots in my head that were ready to shoot and share with the world. After doing aerial photography for just over two years with my drone, I believe that I have acquired the eye to shoot from the sky. However, being in the helicopter with the doors off 1,000-2,000 feet above N.Y.C., and shooting with a 70-200mm lens, turned out to be more of a failure to me than I had thought it would as far as photography goes.
As a newcomer to drones and drone photography, it can be a little overwhelming in the beginning. Learning all there is to know about maneuvering your new toy through the air is enough to give you a few grey hairs before you even get it off the ground. Once you’re up there, you better believe there’s some extra tension in your muscles the first few times you fly. Once you finally get the hang of this element, it’s about time to start learning how to make great images or videos from this new perspective you’ve gained. That’s a whole new set of complications for you to deal with. It might seem cool just to have that new viewpoint for a while, but you’ll soon be wanting more. Thomas Heaton addresses that in this video about composing from the sky.
You've probably been there before: stuck in a creative rut. I know I have. It's easy to get into when you're shooting the same subject matter over and over again. Don't believe me? Try shooting ecommerce on white non-stop for a month and you'll see what I mean. But sometimes all you need is a change in perspective to set things right, figuratively and literally.
I'm just starting to look into adding drone photography to my commercial photography services, so I've been trying to learn as much as I can about it when I have the time. Quick videos like this one usually teach me a thing or two, and they don't take long to watch. I'm all about learning something new while eating breakfast, editing photos, or even folding socks.
Do you own a drone? Have you thought about picking one up this holiday season? I can almost guarantee that you have been looking at something by the world leader in drone manufacturing DJI but what if I said you had options? Yuneec exploded on the scene as a real drone competitor with the debut of the Typhoon H with object avoidance which was a game changer for drones at the time. Today, the most popular drones are within the DJI family but Yuneec continues to innovate and build an incredible product easily rivaling that of the now famous Phantom line.
Maybe you are like me and you just settled into a new place and are looking for places nearby that you can shoot. After moving to a new location about an hour away from where I was living at home, I have been trying to keep up with all my shooting. In a way, I feel like it has gotten a lot more difficult because I need to find places to go, people to work with, and all sorts of other things that interest me to keep shooting and creating new content. There are times where I feel like I am stuck and times where I feel like I've found such a cool spot and I am super happy about it, however I think the biggest key to success is actually going out and lfinding places to continue your work.
