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Taking Your Photography To New Heights

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Welcome to another edition of Let’s Talk Photography!

With the latest advances in technology, cameras now exist in many forms such as cellular phones, GoPro style video cameras, glasses and goggles that have the ability to record photos, videos and audio, and cameras that are flying around attached to the bottom of unmanned air vehicles that we have become accustomed to calling “drones.”

By today’s definition, a drone is a remote controlled pilotless aircraft or missile. Back in the day, these were called radio controlled or remote-controlled airplanes and helicopters. Today, however, they have multiple motors and propellers and can be finely tuned to hover, fly forward, backward, sideways, up and down and they can be programmed to perform advanced tasks with the simple touch of a button. The most impressive advancement is the addition of gimbal mounted cameras that can shoot photos and videos in up to 4K high definition to give your hobby a cinematic story.

Earlier this summer, I picked up a used drone that falls between hobby level and professional level. With four rotors and blades on top it’s considered a “quad-copter”. The more advanced models have six or eight rotors and have much more precise flying capabilities that allow them to be used in producing movies or shooting large commercial-type photo and video sessions. Right away I was excited to get out and fly it around and shoot all the photos of the top of my head that I never imagined I’d be able to get!

The model I’m using has a 1080p HD camera attached and can shoot both photos and videos. It has a setting to turn audio on, but I haven’t successfully been able to get that to work as of yet. I’m certain I’m doing something wrong, but it’s fine because the audio is not a game changer for what I want to capture from the sky.

Right away, the first thing I did was take it out and fly it straight up to see how high it would go. What I didn’t realize was that there was a setting in place that restricted it from going higher than 400 feet. I’ll talk more about that in just a moment. Once I got it up to the point that I could barely see it in the sky, I started snapping photos and, guess what? They looked exactly like I expected them to look. There was really nothing too overwhelming, but it was fun, and that’s really the most important part, isn’t it?

Having gotten the initial excitement out of my system, I then started looking into the instructions and the software that allows you to make changes to the drone’s capabilities and that’s when I found that the restrictions were in place. So, can you guess what I did next? Yes, I took all the restrictions away and realized that this little camera on wings could go up to 3,200 feet!

This is the point where I have to pass along the stuff that most people don’t realize, and it’s really the most critical point to this article. Having a drone, or any other remote pilotless vehicle, requires a knowledge of laws and restrictions so you can enjoy your hobby safely and without trouble. Just shooting a drone straight up into the air could be incredibly dangerous if you are in the flight path of an airport or a hospital, which is the case for most any location in Jamestown. Also, airspace is restricted above schools and other government facilities so you have to get the proper authorization and clearance to operate in these areas. But, how in the world would anyone know of these restricted flight zones? The short and sweet answer is… “there’s an app for that!”

I’ve downloaded and used the app called AirMap on my Android powered phone. This is one of many apps available that will show you the restrictions and points of concern when flying a drone in any location. It’s a great way to scout out a location ahead of time and make sure you are compliant when you put the vehicle in the air. You can access the same service from a web browser on your computer by going to http://app.airmap.io

Using an app like this will ensure you understand all the warnings and restrictions in your area and allow you to operate within the proper airspace. For example, remember that 400 foot setting I mentioned earlier? It turns out, there is a ceiling of 400 feet above most of Jamestown that you are allowed to operate beneath without any special clearance needed. The software also lists all the warning zones like schools, hospitals, government buildings, etc. that you should make sure to avoid while flying.

Another precaution that you really should consider is crowds of people. Remember, you’re operating a device that has blades spinning in thousands of rounds per minute and it can easily be a weapon of mass casualty if it were to suddenly drop out of the air and into a crowd of unknowing pedestrians. Make sure you keep people aware of when and where you are flying to avoid any accidents. And always be aware of privacy concerns. The best way to lose your drone is to fly it over a neighbor’s house or yard and have it shot down!

This week during the team photo sessions at Strider Field for the JHS football teams, I shot some aerial shots of the new field for the school and it was a blast!

If you’re out flying a drone, have a fun and see what new angles you can shoot that you never thought possible before.

Until next week, happy shooting!

Is there a topic that you’d like to learn more about? Send feedback, share your photos, or offer topic suggestions to talkphotos@ecklof.com. If you’re looking for a place to connect with local photographers in Chautauqua County, search for the group “Shoot ‘n Share Chautauqua” on Facebook.

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