Drones are often in the news for being nuisances or potentially dangerous to aircraft, but they've also brought quality aerial cameras into the hands of thousands, including rescuers. Recent research by DJI indicates that drones saved the lives of at least 65 people last year, and they have dramatic footage of some of the rescues.

Flying a drone through a tight forest is not something even an experienced pilot would willingly do. The Skydio R1 makes it shockingly simple, and you don't even need to be a drone pilot.

As I’m sure you’ve heard or seen if you’re at all active on Social Media, there’s a new craze sweeping across America and several other countries. For many it reaches as far back as elementary school, and for some it’s new territory. You guessed it, Pokemon Go has arrived and it’s apparently changing some people’s lives as well as the way people are interacting with each other.

From the "this is why we have rules" department comes news that a drone pilot has been been convicted of reckless endangerment in a 2015 crash that knocked a Seattle woman unconscious.

I've been shooting real estate for about two years now. Today, I am shooting for my company, Simply Visual Productions, and another company, Jump Visual, which has been around for many years, and because of them, I have learned so much about working in this field. I have shot hundreds of homes and met many new people and worked with them to create photos that sell a home or space. I think it is funny that I do this because when someone thinks photography, I feel like real estate photography is the last thing they would think of. Aside from the photography aspect, I see aerial and video becoming more and more popular, which is one reason I have such an interest in it.

It has been over three years since any update to DJI's Phantom series, and given how quickly the line used to see updates and how the Mavic models have progressed, it would not be unreasonable to assume the Phantom series has been put out to pasture. That might not be the case, however, as DJI's latest event invite seems to point at a new model.

Terrorist attempt, paparazzi, intrusive droner, or unaware tourist? Whoever conducted a drone flight near the summer residence of French President Macron lost their drone, as the secret service managed to jam the aircraft before it crashed into the sea.

The smart controller merges a CrystalSky monitor with a regular controller to offer an all-in-one package. This solution is effective and comes with interesting features.

I love my Mavic. Having flown with drones for a couple of years I have to admit that little machine made photography even more fun. It also improved my photography, my vision, my ability to pre-visualize scenes and it increased the production value of my videos tremendously.

I'll be the first to say it, smoke bombs are usually too Tumblr for my taste. Generally you see them with a moody girl looking off into the distance in some backyard forest. I never got the point of those images. But I found myself mesmerized by "Chromaticity"; the smoke bombs were alive, more like wayward spirits hovering above the big blue. I was so entranced it took me half of the video to realize they were attached to drones, and the drones were nowhere to be seen.

For the longest time, I had mixed feelings about drones. Once I finally picked one up, I found myself wishing I had done it sooner.

Today, DJI announced the Mavic Mini, a 249-gram drone priced at a stunning $399. This makes the Mavic Mini one of the most affordable drones on the market, but what does this drone have to offer?

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.

If you’re the parent of small children in this global pandemic, stop right now and order a drone. It will keep you (photographically) sane during what is most definitely a trying time. It certainly has helped me.

The DJI Mini 2 is here, and it brings with it a bevy of useful improvements and new features, all in the same impressively light and small package that can easily be dropped in your bag on the go. This excellent video review takes a look at the new drone and the kind of footage you can get from it in real-world usage.

For about a year now I have been shooting with my DJI Phantom 3 and it has really been an eye opener for me. I have shot people, cars, landscapes, real estate, and so much more. Learning how to fly and shoot from an aerial perspective was probably the harder part of things, which is why I needed a place I could go to fly freely. Luckily, I went to school at Monmouth University in Long Branch, New Jersey which is only about a mile away from the beach.

My entire senior year of college, I would take my drone out in the morning, day or even dusk just...

If you're a landscape photographer, a drone can offer all sorts of new perspectives and creative opportunities. This great video talks about using one, getting good shots, and working around their limitations.

I love my Phantom 4 Pro. Part of the fun is the intrigue of exploring perspectives I haven't seen before. That's why this underwater drone looks particularly interesting.

The use of drones over sensitive areas is certainly a point of contention here on Fstoppers. I think we can all agree that airports are a no go. Even if the risk is small, the damage could be catastrophic. What about irreparable heritage sites?

The holidays are a time where many photographers take a few weeks off to either be with family or relocate for vacation. Most of us who are not videographers shy away from the idea of recording the time simply because we fear it will look amateur. A few tips will help make your vacation and time with family more impressive than you thought it could be.

Drones are being gently integrated in to all areas, with photography being just one successful use. Amazon were one of the first to publicly discuss using them for delivering, but Russia launched its first postal drone today to a small public gathering; it did not go well.

Today's airspace is more and more crowded with drones that, for the most part, all do the same thing. This lack of product diversity is the reason Lily, with its unique combination of features including landing and taking off in water or on your hand, awed thousands when its promo video launched. Its incredibly good pre-order deal undoubtedly helped spread it further at a low price of $499. The best part: this wasn't a crowd-funding campaign. Lily had financing. This was happening. Until it wasn't.

During my latest trip to the Faroe Islands I noticed how many tourists were flying drones. Drones are very popular, and rules for flying become more strict by the hour. I wonder why people like to fly a drone; is it just to fly, or to make films? I use it for landscape photography.

From the majestic remote landscape of the Lofoten Islands comes this impressive aerial video created by Theo Gove-Humphries. Having just purchased a brand new DJI Phantom 4, he didn’t waste any time putting it to good use in a week-long outdoor excursion across the Islands in June 2016. There were several challenges that were faced in the filming of this project, and after you enjoy the video, Gove-Humphries shares with Fstoppers what he learned through it all.

As I continue to dwell about upgrading my drone and having more creative freedom and quality with the Zenmuse X5 and choice of lenses, I am stuck thinking about all the content that I could be out creating with these amazing tools.

I’ve had a change of heart about how I feel about the law and operating a drone. A few months ago, I would have done a basic risk assessment and then flown, even if it was illegal. These days, I will only fly if I can operate entirely within the law. In this article, I’ll explain why.

I've been an avid landscape photographer for many years, and I've been a drone flyer for almost 4 years. I liked the idea of getting landscape shots from angles I simply couldn't get to from the ground. Living in Arizona, there's a lot of opportunities to get some lovely images from the air.

The media has done a great job of scaring the public of personal drones. Everyone believes that these flying toys are either spying on them while they shower or falling from the sky onto children's heads. Certainly remote control drones, like anything, have some level of danger, but things seem to be getting out of hand.

Just recently after moving back home for the summer, I decided to begin a new aerial series. Up here in Bergen County, New Jersey, there is not much to shoot, or at least that is something I tell myself. One day after skimming Google Maps for spots to fly, I came upon a few islands on a lake, each with their own individual house. Intrigued by what I saw, I knew that I had to find a way to capture these homes in a way that makes them more interesting to me. So right here, my series began and I will explain why I think it is important to keep every photo consistent.

Drones have become a powerful and versatile tool for landscape photographers, giving them the ability to reach perspectives and create images that simply were not possible just a few years ago. If you are a landscape photographer and interested in adding one to your arsenal, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will give you five simple tips for better drone landscape images.