Two weeks ago, the world was stunned by drone photos and videos of mass burials of COVID-19 victims on an island that is part of the Bronx, in New York City. Last week, renowned photographer George Steinmetz set out to capture his own images, but police seized his drone. And now we have more details of how that went down.
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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’s a look at what goes into my planning of an aerial portrait shoot.
In the past we have already seen some creative ways in which photographers used drones to light their subjects. Today we see some quite amazing photos from Czech photographer Jiri Kralovec who used a DJI Phantom drone to light his athletes and take some really nice sports portraits.
So maybe you have a drone but aren’t sure where to go to take photos or shoot video. It may seem like you need to travel somewhere beautiful to capture content like the stuff you see online. I’m here to tell you that isn’t true, and provide you with a few simple tips for shooting with your drone.
Here’s a fun story of fourteen-year-old, Caleb Hunter, who is making money with his drone. Instead of applying for a job, he created his own work by striking out as an aerial photographer. It is great to see young people like Caleb getting started in the drone business.
A prepared photographer, Vic Moss with his DJI Mavic 2 Pro shot this amazing drone photo of an NFL Stadium and here is his story of how it all went down legally!
Ten of tips on how to shoot amazing drone photos with your DJI Mavic 2 Pro, and even the DJI Mavic Pro from Dutch, award-winning photographer Albert Dros. If you haven’t seen his work yet, go grab a cup of coffee and take a few minutes to see these photos and learn more about how he uses his DJI Mavic 2 Pro to create these stunning images.
YouTube creators, Ivan Miranda and Tom Stanton went to work and first created a DIY light stick, and a second version was then mounted on to a drone. The resulting light painted images are pretty amazing as you will see in the videos below. We have seen other creations that were light-painted in the sky with a drone before as well as other drone photography works.
We know that DJI drones, including the Mavic 2, can handle a lot of abuse. We have seen plenty of videos in which the aircraft are doused with water, flown into trees, flown through whale snot and even submerged in fresh water. Many times the drones come out unscathed. Not this time, however. Clark Little flew his DJI Mavic 2 close to the breaking waves to capture some amazing footage, but the salty spray from 20-foot waves crashing on the shore of Hawaii proves to be more than even the DJI Mavic 2 can handle.
Today, Lume Cube announced an all-new re-designed light for content creators of all kinds. The Lume Cube AIR is the smallest, lightest, and most portable lighting device on the market. Combining a portable and waterproof design, versatile mounting options, the freedom of wireless control, and a range of diffusers inside the box, the latest solution is an affordable, all-in-one light that allows anyone to create better photo and video. Compatible with everything from a smartphone to a DSLR, the Lume Cube AIR provides professional quality lighting in any environment.
In case you’re wondering what Lume Cubes are good for, check out these amazing drone photos of glaciers, night sky and rock formations!
Photographer Reuben Wu has been using drones in very creative ways to light up mountains and display signs in the air. This time he traveled to Pastoruri in South America to photograph glaciers that were lit up at night. Reuben uses a drone outfitted with Lume Cubes to light up the scenery. This results in very dramatic photos of glaciers like you’ve never seen before.
Back in March, we already saw other work from this very talented photographer, Reuben Wu. Reuben uses drones to create artworks in the sky. The first time we saw Reuben Wu’s work here on DroneDJ, he used a drone to create halos over rock formations. This time he uses them to create illuminated or glowing symbols in the sky. The drone is outfitted with a lighting rig using Lume Cubes to draw symbols such as a plus sign, a square and a triangle from narrow straight lines. The artwork is created right above the water creating stunning abstract images.
The summer of 2018 will be remembered as a very hot and dry one. Many parts of the world experienced very high temperatures and extreme drought that led to wildfires, water shortages and all kinds of other problems. The state of New South Wales in Australia wasn’t spared either as they were hit with a 100% drought, causing farmers to struggle with failing crops, reduced livestock feed, and limited water supplies. In an article from The Guardian, photographer David Gray shows us that the drought, when seen from the air, can provide some really artful scenes. David captured them with his drone for all of us to see. Check them out below.
We have seen other creative solutions before where photographers have used drones to light up a scene. In this case, a professional photographer mounts a flash directly to his DJI Phantom 3 drone to create a uniquely lit sunrise portrait with great success.
Dutch landscape photographer Albert Dros uses his drone to capture the tulip fields from the sky. Depending on the weather, the tulips and other flowers will show themselves from late April into early May. Especially in the Western part of the country, around Lisse, the fields of flowers can seem endless and people traveling from all over the world to see their beauty.
In an article in the NY Times, photographer Josh Haner explains how drones have now become part of his regular outfit. Josh is particularly interested in using drones to gather factual data, such as exactly how many houses burned down due to a wildfire.
Nature photographer, Jani Ylinampa captured the beauty of Kotisaari Island during the four seasons with his drone. Until 1980, the island used to be a meeting point for the lumberjacks of Rovaniemi in Lapland, Finland. One of the buildings on the island has since been converted into a tavern and a daily ferry brings tourists to and from the island. As Kotisaari Island is only four miles from the Arctic Circle, flying a drone during the winter months proved to be a real challenge.
Photographer and director, Joey L recently was invited to talk about his portrait and drone photography in the Syrian conflict zone at Hardwired NYC. In the 21-minute presentation (see video below), he explains the crucial role cheap consumer drones have played in his ability to capture the warzone from the Kurdish perspective. He also talks about what it was like to fly a DJI Inspire drone through, what the locals called, the ‘ISIS Winter’ in Al-Qayyara, Iraq.
Previously aerial photos could only be made from helicopters or airplanes and therefore it was the almost exclusive terrain of professional photographers who could afford to rent these aircrafts for special assignments. However, with the arrival of affordable consumer drones, such as the DJI Mavic Pro and Phantom series, aerial photography has become much more accessible. As a result, mere mortals now deliver some of the most amazing photos, we’ve ever seen.