A year ago today, May 1, I passed the FAA Part 107 license, giving me the legal ability to fly a drone for commercial purposes. Since then, I’ve put my DJI Mini 4 Pro into the air 175 times. I’ve done over thirty real estate or commercial projects, from simple photos of a house and the surrounding area, to a full-fledged video of a property for a construction company. For fun, education, and to get better at it, I shot video and stills of ten historic covered bridges near Salem and produced a short video.
As a lifelong photographer, I have to say, learning to fly a drone has opened up a brand new world of photography that I could only imagine. I follow several excellent drone videographers and photographers online, and hope to learn from them. As with any endeavor, the goal is to continue to improve and learn, to keep experimenting to see what the drone is capable of.
I’ve learned how to use the various mastershots that DJI offers, and incorporated them into Instagram videos. I’ve learned how to set up timelapse videos with the drone moving slowly from point to point. And there’s more to learn. I feel, even a full year in, and nearly 200 flights, that I’m just getting started.
So, for fun, here are some of my favorite drone shots from the past year.
I keep looking for opportunities to fly and photograph the ground below. If you have a project in mind, be sure to reach out!