2018 - The Year of the Drone

For some time now I have envisioned the world of photography from the skies.  I have always strived to shoot subjects in unique and interesting ways, thus shooting from above has always seemed like a good transition for me.  As I take 2018 to move back in to the world of commercial photography, I am looking for my drones to augment my photographic work.

I will be studying for the FAA 107 license in the next couple of weeks so that I am prepared to enter into the world of commercial drone usage.  I have a number of projects already lined up and  will be actively pushing this line of work.

For 2018 I have finally made the jump and acquired two drones to get me started.  First up is the amazing and fun, and totally transportable DJI Spark.  This little drone, for the  money, just can't be beat.  It is super easy to fly; incredibly stable; and takes gorgeous pictures from its little camera.  With only a little bit of editing, especially with noise in the sky, these are just simple B&W conversions in Silver Effex Pro, my go to B&W editing tool.

I grabbed one on my way out to Minnesota for a winter bike trip up on the North Shore and it did not disappoint.  I spent the evening in my hotel room charging everything and updating the firmware and then flew to Minnesota the next day.  My maiden flight was in the basement of my friends house.  With only a little bit of flight time, I was able to capture these images in single digit temperatures. Having a drone that easily packable on a bike will forever change how I document my travels.

After returning from Minnesota, my long awaited DJI Mavic Pro Platinum had finally arrived.  This little drone takes things to an entirely new level.  While the Spark is fun and takes reasonably good images that are useful for telling a story, it is still constrained by battery life; the size of the sensor; and flight distance.  The Mavic Pro eliminates all of these issues.

It has been incredibly cold up here in Maine these past few weeks so my flight time with the Mavic is limited.  However, I believe this is an incredibly competent drone that will help me to move up the ranks of drone flying with my target being the DJI Inspire this fall.  That platform will enable me to take my aerial images to the level that I am looking for.  In the meantime, the Mavic Pro will serve as a useful tool for learning the art of aerial photography.