Recent Drone Articles

Need an Underwater Drone for Exploring Swamps and Swimming Pools?

Underwater housing can be incredibly expensive, so the next time you need submerged shots for your client, why not shoot using a submersible drone? Check out this short video and find out how it can be a crucial tool when it comes to filming underwater.

How This Photographer Shoots Light Halos Above UK Landmarks

A photographer with a passion for long exposures has shared an insight into how he creates UFO-style light halos within his landscape images. His posts containing his work have garnered hundreds of thousands of likes on the video-sharing site TikTok.

Hilarious Video Parodies The Blackbird by Creating Aerial Version

In case you missed it, recently, The Mill introduced The Blackbird, a remarkable piece of technology that can morph into almost any vehicle you desire in post. Not to be outdone, Blackburrow Creative has made the Millbird, an aerial version of the device, which promises "phenomenally average" results. The demonstration video is phenomenally funny.

Reviewed: Parrot Anafi Drone

Vjeran Pavic from The Verge isn’t entirely happy with what they’ve delivered. Can it compete?

Two Effects Make For One Dizzying Drone Video

Tim Sessler of Brooklyn Aerials and Brandon Bray of Decade have teamed up to create a dizzying drone video. Using extreme rolls and the "Vertigo" effect they have successfully created footage of New York City unlike anything we have seen before. In a video titled "Balance" they hope to explore the feeling of imbalance that is more in tune with the real world rather than the perfectionist and steady footage we usually see. Queesy stomachs beware!

Dutch Police Training Eagles to Tackle Drones Like Prey

Drones are great, but they also pose a huge threat to general safety and national security if in the hands of the wrong people. The Secret Service has even said they don't yet have an effective method of defending against drones, although they recently began testing drone flights in their own backyard to defend against them. While some turn to strictly technological methods of bringing drones to the ground, the Dutch police are evaluating the effectiveness of a new program that trains eagles to grab drones from the sky with their talons.

Helicopter Crash Allegedly Caused by Drone

The FAA is investigating a helicopter crash in Charleston, South Carolina in which the pilot alleges that evasive maneuvers to avoid a drone caused the accident.

Drone Photography Project Reveals New Perspective on Post-Apartheid Inequality

South Africa's racial segregation laws and policies of the apartheid era may have ended 22 years ago, but the lingering effects of the forced separation of whites and blacks is getting another look through a photography project called "Unequal Scenes." It is the brainchild of American Photographer Johnny Miller, who now lives in Cape Town. What started as a post on his Facebook page, has morphed into a national and international dialog.

Three Alternative Drone Shots to Add a New Dimension to Your Aerial Videos

Anyone who has flown a drone for aerial video capture has likely done one of the few shots that are pretty much the standard of any aerial video. In these two videos from Mark Richardson, he is going to explain techniques for three different kinds of shots you may not have thought of before.

Mind-Blowing Dystopian Aerial Video of Hong Kong

After months of public protest that gathered millions of people in the streets, the situation in Hong Kong is still tense. But despite the ongoing troubles, the former British colony in one of the coolest places on Earth and a talented crew captured the unique vibe of the city in a mind-blowing aerial video.

Flying Drones in Cold Weather: Always Better Safe Than Sorry

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.

Five Simple But Effective Drone Video Techniques

Flying a drone often enables the possibility of getting some really unique and arresting shots, but it also takes a fair amount of skill or even a second operator on a dedicated camera controller to pull them off. These five simple shots will give you similarly excellent results with minimal effort.

A Stunning Hyper-lapse Video Filmed With a Drone Over the Alps Mountains

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.

3DR Solo Drone and Solo Gimbal Price Drops

Citing savings due to larger-scale production following an expansion into 22 countries and over 2,000 retail locations, 3D Robotics has dropped the price on its popular and well-designed Solo drone, as well as on the matching Solo gimbal. The Solo drone captured a wide audience with the help of a flashy launch video that introduced the product about a year ago, in addition to its fresh, modern design. Today, you can get the Solo for just $799 and/or add a gimbal to your kit for $199, down from yesterday's price of $999.95 and $399.95, respectively.

Making Heads or Tails of Flying a Drone Over U.S. Public Lands

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.

DJI Releases Presets to Correct Barrel Distortion on the Mavic 2 Pro

The Mavic 2 Pro can record video in 10-bit, but this mode suffers from significant barrel distortion on the edge of the frame. DJI acknowledged the issue and created presets and values to correct this problem in Premiere Pro, Final Cu, and DaVinci Resolve.

How to Re-Build a Micro FPV Drone With HD Cam in 12 Easy Steps

A few months ago I purchased a Tiny Whoop to fly in and around my house in hopes of getting better at flying. Little did I know that months later, this would turn into an addiction where I was more interested in drones than ever before.

Hover Camera Is a Drone You Don't Have to Register With the FAA

This little flying camera packs a punch. Weighing in at less than 250 grams (half a pound), the Hover Camera is a drone that you don't have to register with the FAA. It folds up, so it's super portable, and with the ability to film in 4K and auto-follow, you'll want to keep your eye on this one.

'Vindur' Will Inspire You to Create a Photo or Video You Will Never Forget

As work slows down for me in the off season, I wonder where I can go to create something new. For me, traveling is an awesome thing, and being able to explore our world is really amazing. After watching some of these aerial videos on Vimeo, I am really interested in flying across the country with all my gear and creating the most memorable trip I have ever had. Even though this may not happen soon, there are plenty of places that are within driving distance that I myself can go explore. I am going to make these trips a more common thing not only for the sake of creating new content, but for the sake of seeing more of the beauty in nature.

Droning on Responsibly?

You're walking along the street minding your own business when bam, out of nowhere something hits you hard in the chest, winding you. You fall backward and lose your feet, landing on the sidewalk. You've been hit by something solid, then you feel wet and cold. Looking down you realize that you are saturated and there is ice on the floor, with what must have been a full one-liter take-out cup of coke. As you come back to your senses a truck drives past, with a couple of guys in the front howling with laughter, the remainder of their drive-through now covering you.

Fstoppers Reviews the Mavic 2 Pro and Zoom Drones

The DJI Mavic 2 is probably one of the best portable drones to ever hit the market. Compared to the previous Mavic Pro and the Phantom 4 Pro, this drone is nothing shy of a complicated decision.

Winners of the 2017 NYC Drone Film Festival

I attended the Third Annual NYC Drone Film Festival this year and I have to say I was beyond impressed with some of the work I saw. I expected a lot of cinematic, crazy drone filming type stuff, but I was glad to see that there were a bunch of categories for all kinds of different drone work that was submitted. From all this, I was inspired to keep going out there and creating the work I do and maybe even submitting something myself for next year. Here are the winners of each category, check them out and enjoy some of the work that went into all this filming!

Mike Rowe's Drone Invasion

Drones are becoming more popular, cheaper, smaller, and overall better than the ones released years ago. Many more are being sold each day. With that comes new experiences for many of us. Recently, Mike Rowe took to Facebook with his recent experience, or should I say recent invasion. We all know when it comes to celebrities, privacy is always being pushed to the limits. They usually experience cameras sneaking into their daily and private lives, but this is a particularly intrusive instance.

Video Captured by Micro Drone Shows Massive Protest in Hong Kong

The ongoing protest in Hong Kong attracted more than one million people last week to demand the withdrawal of a highly controversial law that would allow local citizens to be extradited to China. The heated demonstrations were filmed by a local pilot with the help of a micro-drone.

FAA Finally Readying Legal Rules for Drones, Will Require Registration of Every Drone [Updated]

According to NBC News, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is getting close to announcing new rules for recreational drone use, beginning with the requirement to register every drone a person buys. Registration itself, however, is not a large obstacle to drone ownership and operation, as registration will only be able to help the FAA keep track of just how many there are and, hopefully, identify aircraft that break rules or cause collisions. But just how effective will this be? And what other laws will come in the way of recreational drone flight?

The Fun of Mounting a 360 Camera on a Drone

Drones and 360 cameras are some of the most unique photographic devices out there, and so, it is only natural to want to combine them. Unfortunately, there are not any 360-capable drones out there, but that did not stop this photographer from coming up with a DIY solution of his own to put his 360 camera on top of his drone. Check out this fun video that shows the sort of things you can do with the combination.

Medium Format Meets the M600

Recently, Hasselblad released a 20-megapixel, 1-inch sensor on DJI's new Mavic 2 Pro, but in the grand scheme of things, Hasselblad may have a few bigger plans for the future when it comes to cameras that can fly. Having the ability to throw an A6D on a Matrice 600 Pro to capture 100-megapixel raw images has never been so easy.

Incredible Abstract Lava Drone Photography in Iceland

Gudmann and Gyda, both native Icelandic photographers, decided to leave the drone at home on their first few trips to the new volcanic eruption. But this time they headed back with their drone to capture some incredible aerial footage and abstract shots of the lava flow.

Is This the Best Budget Drone Available?

The drone market has matured considerably in recent years, and photographers and filmmakers now have a variety of devices to choose from that fit just about every budget and set of needs. One of the more affordable options is the new DJI Mini 3, which packs a remarkable amount of tech is an extremely portable package. This great video review takes a look at the new drone and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.

Want to Make More Money With Your Drone? Talk to a Realtor

Drones continue to explode in popularity. The small flying cameras have suddenly enabled thousands to get shots that only a few years back would have required a very expensive helicopter rental. If you're one of many photographers who now own one, there's a market you should look into.

Big Wave Surfing Filmed From a Drone

Wedding Photographer and Videographer Aaron Eveland of Makai Creative recently took his drone out to Waimea Bay to film a local surf competition. The waves were huge that day, and Aaron was able to capture some incredible footage.

Keep Creating: You Don't Need a Reason

This entire summer for me has been hectic. Doing photography full time at the age of 23 is certainly awesome, but there is so much stress and hard work that comes along with it. Between work and my personal life, it has been extremely difficult to balance out my time to create my own content, but in no way have I let that slow me down. This summer alone, I have been out to so many places creating new content and I think that this is honestly the most important thing we can do as creatives.

Which DJI Drone Is Right for You?

DJI makes a range of consumer drones at varying price points, sizes, and capabilities, and you can generally find one that fits your needs within their lineup. If you are wondering which one is right for you, this great comparison video takes a look at the Mavic Air 2, the Mavic Mini, and the Mavic 2 Pro to help you decide which one is right for you.

First Thoughts on the Inspire 2 and X5S

I just picked up my Inspire 2 Monday and couldn't be happier to have it. After working with a Phantom 3 Advanced and Professional for about a year and a half, this new drone makes all the difference in the world.

Making Visuals Great Again: TV Hires Adventure Photographers to Capture Younger Audience

YLE, a Finnish Broadcasting company, were on a mission to attract a younger audience. They needed to make a change to their strategy and get some new programs produced. They knew these shows had to tell stories that were going to speak to a younger audience. Stories that would captivate the senses - and get people excited about the outdoors, to travel and explore.

A Drone Put to Great Use: Norway Into The Arctic 4K

Drone Videos are slowly becoming more and more popular as the drone market seems to endlessly expand. Consumer drones now seem like one of the most popular items for people to buy for themselves or as gifts for others. I walk around and see “drones” in 7/11’s and other random stores with the advertising “HD Video.” These tools are becoming so popular that almost anybody can get one and start flying around.

Watch a Drone Rescue Two Drowning Swimmers

Drones get a lot of criticism for both privacy and air safety concerns, but they also hold enormous potential beyond simply making aerial photography and videography available to the average shooter. This video shows some of that potential as a drone saves two swimmers caught in a rip current.

Drone Strikes West Hollywood Power Lines, 647 People Lose Power

We’ve long passed the beginning of the end and are now certainly in middle-of-the-end territory with respect to the freedom to fly drones. The latest high-profile drone incident further ensures that drone piloting will remain a privilege and not a right, though rightly so, as some people apparently can’t exercise enough common sense to stay away from populated areas (i.e. Los Angeles) and critical city infrastructure (i.e. power lines).

The Joys of Landscape Photography Using a Drone

In the past few years, drones that offer good image quality have become both quite affordable and portable, making them a great way to get an alternative perspective and create unique and eye-catching images. This excellent video discusses the joys of using a drone for landscape photography.

A Glimpse of the Future from DJI

In a recent video, DJI aims to capture what the future with drones may look like. Personal video recording with multiple drones, anyone?