Aerial Photography

Oregon has one of our nation's most beautiful coastlines. Seeing it from the sky from someone who really knows how to frame a shot is a real treat for the eyes.

The ability to capture aerial photo and video has many uses, and not all of them are commercial in nature. A recent story out of Australia shows us just how useful drones have become for purposes of public safety and surveillance.

The Always Home Cam is a drone that flies through your home to make sure everything is intact when you’re not there. When the alarm goes off, it gets out of its dock and flies to the breach. The cameras are blocked when in the dock, so it only records when in flight, and because drones make noise when in flight, everyone knows when recording is taking place.

While we all adjust to these ongoing changes, it is interesting to see how different types of photographers and videographers have successfully adapted and continued their craft. Being a commercial drone pilot often requires a small team, and that team is often a part of a larger production. With film and video production studios beginning to get back to work, what it looks like behind the scenes on set is going to be different. 

Do photographers have any ethical obligations towards wildlife? Drones can cause significant damage to wildlife and should be used with caution, not abandon. 

The Mavic Air 2, DJI’s latest drone, sits squarely between its other drones, the Mavic Mini and the Mavic 2 Pro, but what does it offer that its siblings don’t? Gena Nagata, a.k.a Potato Jet, takes all three for a spin to find out.

A few years ago, Adobe introduced an alternate way of processing images that could help reduce artifacts. In the intervening years, much of the benefits have faded away, until now. Can this technique find a new use in processing images from non-Bayer sensors?

Whether you’ve just gotten a drone to escape quarantine via the skies, or you’ve been flying professionally for a while, having access to more detailed flight information can help make you a better pilot. Airdata, a flight data platform, promises to give pilots broad insight into their drone’s data. Do they deliver?

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.

DJI has recently introduced Mavic Air 2 and it looks like the best small-sized drone option at the moment. But how does it compete against the other DJI drones?

There are many things you can do during the lockdown from the comfort of your home while your photography work has dried up. Turns out, archeological discovery is one of them. 

Depending on what you need, there's a DJI drone for everyone. For most, you'll find that drone somewhere in DJI's Mavic lineup, which is now bolstered with improvements to its mid-range offering as its new Mavic Air 2 takes to the skies with a number of improvements borrowed from its pro relatives.

I’m no expert in flying a drone. You can see that from my first flight that ended in a Mavic-destroying crash. But while my drone awaits repairs, I decided to dive deep in learning to make sure I have some best practices under my belt before taking to the skies again.

The first time you do anything, you’re bound to do it poorly. The first time I shot football, I thought a 1/200 s shutter speed would be perfectly fine to stop action. The first time I shot portraits, I thought my f/1.6 photos were perfectly sharp (they were not even close). And the first time I flew a drone was a catastrophe worse than both of those experiences.

Abstract nature and landscape photography is a subgenre in its own right. It is a fascinating approach to nature, where the feeling of the photo is usually more important than the subject.

Happy New Year! If you’re like me, you probably made about 20 New Year's resolutions — most of which seemed like far poorer ideas once the wine wore off. A few I do have to admit would make me a better person, but don't sound like much fun. There's only one am I excited about: Explore more!

At 2,716.5 feet (828 meters), the Burj Khalifa in Dubai is the tallest building in the world, and this title has attracted a lot of attention, especially from drone pilots.

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.

With the latest Mavic Mini release, DJI now offers four drones in the Mavic line-up, ranging from entry level aircraft to professional grade quadcopter. But picking the right model might be confusing. Here is clear and comprehensive comparison based on direct, hands-on experience.

The Mavic Mini is one of the smallest HD drones on the market right now, and it actually performs well. If you are looking to get into drones, but don't want to break the bank, this could be what you are looking for.

Filters are an essential part of any professionals toolkit and Polar Pro has built up a great name over the past few years in the filter industry. From the ease of use, quality, and performance of their products, Polar Pro is expanding into new realms to help filmmakers and photographers at a higher level.

If you live in or are traveling to the Boston area next weekend, be sure to check out the city's first Drone Film Festival for some inspiration for your next project.

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?

When DJI's digital FPV system was first announced, it was big news for a lot of people in the drone industry. How does this new system stack up against what already exists in FPV and how will DJI's Digital HD FPV system play a role in its new ecosystem?

Few photography niches are as difficult and intense as aviation, but British photographer Lloyd Horgan shows that if you can break into it, it can produce some stunning results.

When the first consumer drones became available around the millennium, many people paying any attention (including me) saw them as just another fad. We were wrong.

The popularity of drones is soaring as the idea of creating unique images and original content continues to attract photographers and videographers. But drones are also causing a lot of problems for users, sometimes landing them in prison. Here's what you need to know.

With drones becoming more and more mainstream, people are doing some new and interesting things that require a lot of skill and control. In this video, Mr. Steele, an FPV freestyle pilot and the owner of Ethix, takes us on a ride through his house on one of his 5" custom builds.

Video is an amazing way to showcase things when people are watching something of interest. For years, people have been glued to TV shows and movies but now there seems to be a shift to fast paced, fun edits that people can watch and be inspired by.

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.

FPV drones have been on the rise the past few years but have had some minor issues with long range transmission and video signal. With DJI's new digital FPV system, there is a good chance all of that can change and more people can easily adapt to a new type of flying.

I have been shooting aerial photography for years now, but have never really shared much of my process when it comes to creating images. Here is a quick look at what sometimes goes into a simple photo of mine.

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.

If someone said that you could shoot the milky way right out of a plane window, what would your first thoughts be? Would you say given the right time and location it's possible, or would you say no way without a tripod?

Here's a short video from Joey Helms that hits some great points on how to achieve more cinematic drone shots. Almost all of these points hold true for any photography or video shoot.

As I continue to add content to my YouTube channel, I thought it would be fun to try something new and screen-record myself while doing an edit. During this process I remembered the importance of trying edits like this  to familiarize myself with the programs I use on a day to day basis.

One of the biggest concerns when it comes to flying drones is airspace and safety. Drones must always yield to manned aircraft and now DJI has found a way to make this process easier than ever before.

With drone technology, aerial photography may seem easier than ever to achieve these days.  However, to the discerning eye, the quality just isn't there sometimes. This leaves photographers with only a few options to consider if they want to capture a scene from the sky.

Flying a drone is a feeling that can be hard to describe. However, the photos and videos people are able to achieve using these tools are absolutely amazing and can have people staring at their screens for quite a while.

From Where I Drone may be a familiar tag to those who share aerial photography online. About a week ago, Polar Pro released another episode from their Focus Series on Dirk Dallas and his story to starting one of the biggest drone communities online today.

Drones create unique new ways to film but as technology seems to advance day after day, true pilots begin to push these drones to their limits. Meet Johnny FPV, a drone pilot who has helped take FPV freestyle to the public eye.

For years now I have been amazed by a lot of the content JP and Mike have been sharing on their Instagram account Abstract Aerial Art. Just recently, they revealed their story on the Focus Series from Polar Pro.

I recently heard about three Puerto Rican photographers who would go out and shoot casually as friends. But, what made them unique was that these three photographers specialized in three completely different genres of photography. 

Common sense would suggest that drones aren’t equipped for astrophotography. The slightest wind can ruin the long exposure needed to capture the Milky Way center, never mind the challenge of flying relatively blind at night. A DSLR mounted on a tripod properly situated on the ground is the only way the capture the Milky Way in all its glory, right? Maybe not.

The DJI Mavic Air is known with is high pitch propellor noise, and now users have the option to replace those with low-noise props.

Last autumn, I finally decided to get my butt in gear and become FAA Part 107 Certified to be able to fly my drone commercially. Since I had pretty limited time in the busy fall season, and had zero prior aviation knowledge, I decided to give one of the many online courses out there a try.

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.

What does supersonic motion look like? Well, now you can see it for yourself in incredible images recently captured by NASA.

This is a really good idea, and as far as I know it's an original one. The folks at Skylum, who have given us the Luminar and Aurora image editors, are today offering AirMagic, a Mac or PC app designed to apply AI (artificial intelligence) to any drone or aerial-based image you drop into the app, either a single image or a bunch of images. The app will be released March 21, but I got an early review copy and I'll share my impressions below.