Drone Photography

For those of you that are afraid of heights, but enjoy high speeds, DJI has a new treat: a car with a camera on a gimbal. There is a catch, though. You won't sit in that car, but you will be able to drive it.

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. 

When you think of UAE most minds go straight to Dubai. When you then think about photography of the UAE, it's — for me at least — skylines at dusk. It's refreshing to see just how much more there is. 

Tony Northrup uploaded a video in July 2018 which discussed his thoughts on drones and why he thought you probably shouldn't buy one. This video was met with a lot of criticism from many people especially from those who had already bought a drone. In a recent video however, Northrup seems to be changing his tune. 

A California man is facing a fine to the tune of nearly $20,000, after his drone landed near a runway at Las Vegas’ main airport. He claims he was just trying to take a picture, when his DJI Phantom 3 “started acting all weird” and took off of its own accord.   

Drone shots have got more intricate and more complex as the years go on, and this compilation by Sam Kølder is one of the best examples of that. 

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? 

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. 

"They provide a unique viewing angle and might be fun to fly around,” I thought. "But there's no way that interest will last.” Well, crystal balls are often cloudy.

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.

A drone pilot has partnered with a theme park in Sweden to utilize his skills and record one of their rollercoasters. He operated the drone to closely follow the coaster’s car around the tracks for the thrilling footage. 

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.

London's Heathrow airport is one of the busiest in the world, which climate change activists plan to leverage in an attempt to shut down the airport next month by intentionally flying drones nearby. 

Drones are great tools for photography and video, but with technology changing at such a rapid pace, racing drones (FPV) are becoming much more popular and in demand for commercial work. It can be a little overwhelming to learn this technology all at once, so I am here to help you with your first setup. 

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. 

With the popularity and accessibility of drones in recent years for everything from music videos, to photography, and even parcel delivery, designers are continuing to come up with creative ways in which to use them. Now, researchers have created a drone that shrinks mid-flight so it can squeeze through small spaces. 

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.

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.

Drones have enhanced viewer experiences in a wide range of media, from documentaries to sports coverage. That they have had a massive impact on the film and photography world is undeniable, but have they revolutionized photography?

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. 

DJI, one of the world’s leading drone manufacturers, has formally lodged a complaint against the BBC for a pair of "biased" programs they aired on drone safety. DJI claim the broadcaster included little of the information they provided for the programs, and that the shows were sensationalist by focusing on high-risk incidents like the Gatwick Airport drone crisis.

Most feature films are shot with anamorphic lenses. That's why, when we see this type of shot on YouTube, we call it "cinematic". It's going to be available for your drone soon. Get ready, it's going to be incredible. 

With drone use being far more common, albeit far more regulated, most of us professional photographers are dipping our toes in the water. 

Drones often give us a new perspective, but a Florida dad was stunned to see what his DJI Mavic 2 Pro captured while he was recording his children swimming in shallow waters. 

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. 

Aerial photography company Timelab Pro have released a breathtaking video of the world's biggest nuclear icebreaker ship ploughing its way through frozen waters. 

Tornadoes are notoriously hard to predict and to study, but better understanding the complex processes that lead to their formation is crucial to providing the sort of advance notice needed to save lives. Researchers in Project TORUS are turning to drones to better study these dangerous storms. 

Must-see footage has been released depicting the advancement, and likely future, of drone videos. Directly comparing the DJI Phantom 4 Drone with the new FPV drone, the latter is leagues above, providing cinematic footage, at high speeds, and with zero limits.

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. Whether you’re a drone pilot, or film photographer this short video has some useful points about how to approach any shoot and get better looking video or images.

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.

Last December, Fstoppers emitted serious doubt about a potential collision between a drone and a Boeing 737. Six months later, a Boeing investigation on behalf of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board concluded that the radome damage on the airliner was most likely cause by an improper installation and had nothing to do with drone. 

Predicting the weather is next to impossible, but you can optimize your chances of a successful shoot quite a lot. Do not be lazy about that optimization. I was lazy and it lead to one of my biggest fails in my career as a landscape photographer. 

We've seen infrared-modified cameras before, but not like this.

 Philip Bloom has always had an affinity for modding his cameras to see infrared light, by removing the filter designed to block the wavelength. The additional light drastically affects the colors. Most importantly, it doesn't require any post production to do this.

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.

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.

A storm chaser in Oklahoma captured incredible footage of a tornado with his drone today, giving a unique perspective on the incredible meteorological phenomenon. 

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.

Firefighters in Paris were able to use DJI Mavic Pro and Matrice M210 drones to track the fires flames in real time. 

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. 

On the back of a number of public nuisance incidents, Russia has launched a new drone with a purpose-built shotgun, designed for the sole intention of shooting other drones out of the sky.

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. 

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.