If you like photography and like to search for different angles for your photos, have you ever thought about the possibilities of incredible photos taken by drones?
Drones have advanced technology and are capable of taking aerial photos like no camera!
The introduction of this equipment in the market brought better possibilities for shooting aerial images for personal use (like sharing on social media), but also for entertainment use and for professional photography of administrative and commercial business.
With a drone, you can shoot aerial photos that were not accessible to people before, and were only possible with aircraft vehicles (like airplanes and helicopters). Drones are available for sale in the consumer markets, which means you can buy one for yourself and use it to take photos.
In this post you will see which are the drone photography benefits and tips: we will take a quick look at how drones were created, then you will see the advantages of drone photography, plus you will get some tips of how to take better photos with a drone and how to hire a good professional drone photography service if you need!
Let’s get started!
Talking a little about the evolution of drones
Drones were developed based on radio-controlled flying machines and remote-controlled flying machines. A drone is an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (an UAV) which means that drones are aerial vehicles that fly “alone”, with no person or people as crew or as passengers. They run on batteries and remote control.
Let’s call Unmanned Aerial Vehicles of UAVs from now on.
The tech development of drones
The idea of creating UAVs was born in 1898 when Nikola Tesla developed the first radio-controlled boat, the ancestor of the drones.
Using Tesla’s RC technology, the model called Ruston Proctor Aerial Target was developed in 1917, being the first winged aircraft guided with unmanned precision in history.
In 1960, with technological evolution, transistors had their radio components miniaturized, allowing RC airplanes to be airborne by remote controls. At the same time, those UAVs became available for consumption.
Rules and Regulations
When drones evolved to the point of being capable of shooting photos and videos, that caused some concern in terms of what rules and regulations have to be followed to operate a drone in safety.
In the United States, for example, the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States (FAA) created the rules and regulations of what to do and what not to do when you operate a drone in the U.S., the final rules for Drones/Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) were announced on December 2020 by the FAA.
So don’t forget to search about the rules and regulations to operate a drone in your country to make sure you’re using it correctly!
Benefits of drone photography
Drones offer a lot of benefits for taking great photos! Let’s see them in detail.
Panoramic views
Drones offer different angles for creating photos and exploring scenes that were inaccessible. The aerial view of an event made with a drone, for example, results in incredible photos with a complete picture of the place! To capture landscape images, drones offer a new model of photography with new shapes and symmetries (balance) that would be impossible to be seen from ground level.
Low interference in the photo environment
A drone, due to its size, can enter areas with wildlife life (in forests, for example), all quietly without disturbing the animals in their natural habitats, without interfering in the environment and without scaring the animals. Also, drones can take pictures of small animals in rich detail, such as birds.
Use for many commercial purposes
Drone photography can be used for different commercial purposes. Construction companies, for example, have this technology as an efficient tool in capturing images for construction planning, documenting the construction process and identifying problems.
In georeferencing, drone photography is widely used for mapping areas because it saves time. Also, drones stability is great for taking georeferencing photos, which makes them different from helicopters that usually require the same photo to be taken over and over again.
In entertainment fields such as public and private events, drones have the capacity to cover all environments, taking panoramic and individual high-resolution photos.
The use of drone photography for commercial purposes must follow the guidelines of your country’s authority that regulates drone usage, such as the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States (FAA) for United States citizens, for example.
More benefits of drone photography
- Photos with excellent resolution.
- Cheaper panoramic photos compared to photos taken with a helicopter.
- Photos with an emotional connection to a larger view.
- Wider range of details for producing photos that are often impossible in traditional photography.
- Total coverage of the photo area.
Getting better results from drone photography
To get even better results from drone photography, you need to be aware of its challenges, then you can avoid them! Let’s see about that in details:
- Drones run on batteries that last a maximum of 30 minutes, even if you’re using the latest generation lithium polymer batteries (LiPo) and high voltage lithium polymer batteries (LiHV). In some situations this time is enough, but in others it isn’t. So, ideally, you must have more than one charged battery in hand when shooting with a drone.
- The weather is also a challenge for taking photos with drones. Strong winds, snow and cloudy weather can prevent you from shooting high aerial photos. The position of the drone in relation to the sun is also very important, so don’t forget to observe the sun’s reflections in relation to the drone’s camera to avoid getting photos blurred by the sunlight.
- The connection between the drone and the remote control is only good if the flight distance is not too long. Otherwise, the screen is black and white and a warning appears that the connection has been lost.
- Your drone must be positioned in the direct line of sight of the remote control, otherwise the connection may be compromised.
- An interesting fact is that the latest generation drones, that is, the most modern drones, are equipped with GPS and sensors to avoid collision. These drones often find their way home even when they lose connection.
- The quality of a drone’s camera is very important in order to get good photos. A drone’s camera can have much lower quality than a Mirrorless Camera, for example, so check the drone’s specs about its camera quality to make sure you will get good photos from it.
Tips for hiring drone photography services
In case you’re hiring a drone photography service, before signing a service contract, make sure the drone operator is certified by the authority in your country that regulates drone usage, such as the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States (FAA). Also, ask the contracted professional to see their drone operator card issued by the authority.
Generally, the operator works with an observer, a professional who helps with orientation to avoid accidents and collisions. Photography companies usually have this professional. If the contracted service does not offer this assistance, it is necessary to hire an observer so that the photo session can take place without any problems.
Another important action is the verification of airspace. The hired professional must be aware of whether the photo shooting area is allowed by the local authorities. Generally, areas near airports are prohibited.
Finally, check if the contracted professional has experience with this type of service and ask to see the demonstration portfolios of photos captured by the drone before hiring their service.
Conclusion
Great! Now you can benefit a lot from drone photography because you know its advantages and benefits, you also know how to avoid the challenges of drone photography. Plus, you know about drones history and how to make sure you’re following the regulations of drone usage. You also know how to hire a trustworthy professional drone photography service!
So don’t hesitate to get a drone to make awesome aerial photos! You won’t regret it!
You can also share your thoughts in the comments below!
It’s nice that you talked about how drone photography could be used for different commercial purposes. I heard drones could be used in a variety of ways which made me quite curious about it. It seems there are even drone architectural photography services now too, which looks quite interesting.