My Drone Work

A few months before Christmas my father came to me and said "a photographer needs a drone" and would I like some help in purchasing one? I settled on one and he helped me buy it, and I've been flying since mid-December of this year. I had been resolutely ignoring drone photography in general because I had a feeling that once I became interested I would not be able to stop myself from spending a good deal of money on it. It would crop-up, of course, but I would always close the website or slam the book shut after a few images. I live by one rule when it comes to equipment: don't even think about it until what you have can no longer produce what you visualize. A flying camera kind of falls outside that idea (or hovers somewhere above it). I love the control you have of the frame in space. I love the perspective you can get from looking straight down. I've only been at it for a few months. I welcome you thoughs and feedback, and I thank you for your time.   

A Note about equipment: 

This was all done on a DJI Mavic Pro, which I chose because of both its portability and its camera. It has a 26mm fixed f/2.2 lens, a maximum shutter speed of 1/8000, and shoots in raw at 12.7 megapixels. It uses GPS and optical sensors for positioning which offers a stable platform for still photography. The pilot can operate the camera (full manual controls) using a phone or tablet as a viewfinder and it also supports a second camera operator. I also use a set of neutral density filters and a polarizer. The mavic is also a capable video platform, but I mostly stick to still photography. (You can see some video examples here)

Black and White

This is some of my most recent work. I've become partially attached to black and white drone images over the summer. I like how this high-contrast process tends to make details and textures stand out in a big way. I think black and white also lends it self very well to the more abstract compositions you can find in industrial or undeveloped areas around the city. I've been keeping the drone in my camera bag when I leave the house and fly whenever I see something interesting. Some of these were made along undeveloped parts of the Trinity River. Some of these were made while I was waiting to pick up my daughter from daycare. The last two were made over White Rock Lake in Dallas. 

Over My Campus. 

The athletic images are very popular among our coaching staff and advancement team, but I like photographing other areas of our campus as well, some of which is included below. This is where I did most of my practice both flying and getting to know the camera.  

Parks and Rec

I like flying in parks because you have a lot of open space to work with, and if you go at the right time, no people underneath.  I also have a few images from our senior picnic at Camp Thurman, and a few from various places near parks around Ft. Worth. 

My Neighborhood 

These are some early images above my neighborhood. I like to go up and capture storms as the come in (when the wind is calm). I've done a few long exposures with traffic lights, but it's hard to keep the drone still when its too dark for the optical sensors to work. And my nieces (not really my nieces but they call me "uncle Johnny") love it when I photograph them swimming in my grandmother's pool.