It’s no surprise that camera drones have largely replaced helicopters and fixed-wing planes for aerial photography. Considering a drones compactness, its ability reach “intimate” locations in the city and get right in between obstacles it is hard to beat. Now that I have nearly 100 hours in the air -since passing the FAA exam to become a certified UAV pilot- I have learned a few things I didn’t expect...
Leave the tripod in the closet?
First, I can’t give up my tripod-based camera, but, I will say that for exteriors, I am more inclined to pull the drone out first, before I get out my tripod. I find it quicker, less inhibitive and the image quality is just about as good so I can prioritize my drone instead. Not to mention, the drone is an awesome scout for finding the best viewpoints to place the tripod.
When working on a tripod my movements are limited. I am not too limited by where I put my drone. I can fly it just about where I want to see what the view looks like over there. Or fly it across the highway to see if that’s worth a shot.
Next, I can’t say how many times I’ve had a water feature, pond or light-pole in the the angle I wanted; Well I can now just hover over top of it.
When a house or building is on rising ground 20’-50’ and the front faces a steep slope down, my tripod isn’t tall enough; Easy, I can simply work that out by elevating the drone to the proper level of the subject.
And hey, no worries! The drone can take pictures at the typical 5’ tripod level too, it doesn’t have to be a hundred feet up to take a photo! So why would I bring a boat anchor to a photo shoot?
Camera in the Sky
So, for me, it’s basically a camera on a giant tripod, in the sky; Thus fewer limitations of height or location. Plus I can use it to capture compelling video of landscape design, construction workers or just show off the building shape in flight etc.
Finally, I’m not really about to leave the tripod in the closet. There are some things the drone can’t do, such as when I do a sunset time-lapse, headlight and motion blurring, not to mention the amazing resolution of my Sony camera and perspective-control lenses. This will be an ongoing partnership between my drone and my tripod, it’s just that the way they are used may be changing.
Locations in this post are Atlanta, Georgia; Mystic, Connecticut; Cincinnati, Ohio; Nashville, Tennessee.
Clients are Werbrich’s Landscaping; KTGY Architecture; CertainTeed; Unity Homes.
Hi, I am Mark Bealer. I want to help you get amazing pictures of your designed projects, for Marketing or Contests, whether it be Commercial, Residential or Landscape. If you are an Architect, Design Professional or work in the Construction Industry I am here for you!