using drones for aerial photography_ios_interactive.pdf

8/19/2019 Using Drones for Aerial Photography_iOS_interactive.pdf

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By Oren Schauble And Roger Sollenberger


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Intro to aerial photography.......................................................

Getting started...............................................................................

Getting in the air............................................................................

Flying for great photos...............................................................

Behind the shot with @bdorts................................................

Cheat sheet for amazing aerials.............................................

GoPro® settings: What do they mean?.................................

Photo editing...................................................................................

A quick guide to removing GoPro distortion...................

Editing a photo: Step by step..................................................

Planning to get better at aerial photography...................

Finding a place to shoot.............................................................

An interview with Jonathan Mayo-Buttry..........................

Behind the shot with @landforce...........................................

Behind the shot with @itsreuben...........................................An interview with Craig Coker.................................................

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INTRODUCTIONDrone technology and camera technology are on converging courses. The twin

history of flight and photography actually dates back to the mid-19th century:

The first aerial photographs were taken from a balloon in 1858, three years after

the invention of the dry-plate camera. But thanks to the smartphone revolution

this convergence is advancing at an incredible rate today, as drone and camera

components both get smaller and more powerful. Now it’s easier than ever to take

professional-grade photography equipment to the air.

Of course, right now only a very few people are flying their cameras, so today

drones still have a gimmick’s edge to them, a way to distinguish yourself as a

photographer capable of capturing the world from a new and unique viewpoint. But

before we know it, our super-charged technology cycle will make flying cameras

widespread and maybe even commonplace.

This leaves us with a few questions. How do we incorporate drones as a tool for

artistic innovation? And what will the aerial perspective mean to us in the future?

And probably most importantly now, the question this book is dedicated to: How do

we take advantage of it today?


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A new context Drones offer us incredible new ways of contextualizing

our subjects, a nearly map-like sense of scale and

complexity. You see the forest, not just the trees, and can

capture something otherwise incomprehensible; just think

of the first time you saw an aerial of the Grand Canyon.

And this perspective has a powerful and lasting effect; it

gets burned into your brain. I mean, what’s the first thing

that comes to mind when you think of Hurricane Katrina?

The world around you is really just a huge canvas. Plus,aerial shots can look simply amazing, and right now

people are eating it up.

And if you like to shoot traditionally with a camera in

hand, the aerial perspective can affect the way we look

at the world from the ground. Larry Bird said his world

changed when one day, playing high school ball, he could

suddenly and clearly in his mind envision the whole court

and all the players moving on it, as if he were looking

down from above. He saw where he was and whereeveryone else wasn’t, and the game opened itself to him

in a whole new way. He had two perspectives at once.

Drone photography can open the world to you in the

same way, because we’ll have easy access to that kind of

double-vision. How would it feel to look straight out at

your world and directly down at it at the same time?

The wow factor You can also see the tree within the forest. Drones havea range of movement and speed that allows you to

make interesting choices in framing our subjects, and

maybe lots of choices in succession, showing how they’re

connected to the environment around them, how they fit

into a scene and move in it. Drones are way more than

a gimmick; they’re storytelling devices that let us show

people a new world, framing landscapes and structures

and people in ways that can amaze you, and that will

definitely amaze the people you show it to.

This book is a quick how-to for aerial photography,

written by a guy who stumbled on success and learned

the formula. You’ll learn about the techniques and the

equipment, how to practice and polish the art, and how

to take and share the kinds of photos that will make the

most impact.


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The first thing most people I talk to want to

know is what’s legal to do. Don’t be confused

by the rules! It’s actually pretty simple:Recreational use (taking aerial photographs

for fun) is one hundred percent legal, as long

as you follow some simple ground rules that

we’ll list out for you below. This means you

can get out and practice your aerial shooting

today, drop it on Instagram, and feel proud

and worry-free watching the love roll in.

However, if you want to use drone images to

make money or advertise, that’s “commercial

use,” and for now it requires a specialexemption from the FAA. It’s called a Section

333 Exemption, and you need a minimum

of a sport pilot’s license to qualify. But good

news: That’s true today — official regulations

are on the way later in 2016. So unless you

really, really, really need to make some bank

off your aerials right now, we suggest waiting

on applying for that exemption until the

official rules come out, because the FAA

might relax the requirements for certaintypes of commercial use.

The Rules:

Here are the basic rules for recreational drone

use in the US.

• Don’t fly above 400 feet.

• Maintain line of sight as you fly.

• Avoid other aircraft and stay five

miles away from airports.• Don’t fly over crowds or stadiums.

• Don’t fly near people.

• Don’t fly over roads, bridges,

hospitals, schools, prisons or other

sensitive or trafficked structures/

infrastructure.

• Don’t fly over “no-fly zones” — these

include certain metropolitan and

government areas (NYC, Washington, DC,

etc.) as well as national parks and other

areas as determined by the FAA.

• Follow local laws and ordinances, such as

standard privacy or trespassing laws.

• And always, please exercise common sense.

Worried about those no-fly zones? Don’t

be: The FAA plans to launch an app called

B4UFLY, which will advise you of any flight

restrictions in the area, based on your GPS

location. You can also check out Airmap

or similar mobile apps that serve the same

purpose. Plus, many consumer drones today

offer real-time access to this information

through their own apps.

GETTING STARTED


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At the risk of stating the obvious, a good

flight manual that comes with the drone

should contain just about everything youneed to know about setting up, flying and

operating your drone. It should also contain

valuable instructions that might spare you

a crash. We can’t say this enough: Please,

please read the manual, especially if you’re

a first-time pilot.

Prepare for your first flight First make sure all your batteries are fully

charged.

You’ll also want to choose a clear, open

area to fly in — not only will this keep you

clear of obstacles, but it ensures the best

GPS connection.

Wait — what’s GPS? How does itwork in a drone?

Drones use GPS to determine their location

and hold their place in the air. GPS is anacronym for “Global Positioning System,”

an American satellite-based navigation

system that provides location information

anywhere on (or just above) Earth — as

long you have a clear line of communication

and are connected to enough satellites.

A drone has to talk to several satellites at

once to get a good “GPS lock.” A good GPS

lock allows the drone to stay in one place,

remember where its home is, and stop and

hold its position in the air when you let go of

the sticks.

Some drones offer a manual flight mode

if GPS signal isn’t available. But if you’re a

new user, always, always fly with GPS. This

is why you should fly in a clear area withno structures around that might obstruct

satellite connections.

Ready to fly for real

First power up the controller, then power up

the drone. Next, connect to the drone and

open your mobile app if your drone has one.

Make sure the drone is on a solid, flat surface.

Stand at least a few yards away from it, make

sure that the camera facing away from you,and take off.

READ THE MANUAL

GETTINGIN THE

AIR


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Start slow The first few times you take off, you might want to simply play around

a little with your altitude, and then practice landing. When you’recomfortable with that, slowly bring in the directional controls and

“yaw” controls (rotating the drone).

OrientationI didn’t know it when I started, but orientation is actually one of the

biggest challenges for new pilots. Here’s the fix: When you’re learning

to fly, always keep the drone’s camera facing the same direction that

you are. If you turn the drone around to face you, you’ll be flying “nose

in.” It’s a mirror-image orientation. The direction controls have become

inverted: Your left is the drone’s right. (Just how an actor’s “stage

left” is the audience’s right.) This means if you press the stick to send

the drone to your left, the drone will move to its left, which is actually

to your right. If you try to send it forward, it will go “backwards,” i.e.,

straight at you. Flying nose in can confuse even experienced pilots, so

when you’re learning, always keep the drone turned “nose out” and

away from you, so you and your drone face the same direction.

Clean shotsAnother issue you might encounter is having your propellers or

landing gear show up in your shots. To prevent the propellers from

getting into the frame, you can simply tilt your camera angle down justa few degrees. This is another good reason to fly slowly: If you don’t

fly too aggressively you’ll keep your props and legs out of the frame

the whole time.

Now that we’ve covered the basics, we can move on to the good stuff.

FLYING FORGREAT PHOTOS


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“My best shots always seem to be the unplanned ones”


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BEHIND THE SHOT W/@BDORTS

I headed out to Larch Mountain, Oregon, in search of some new perspectives with

Solo. As I drove up the fog rolled in and light rain pinged the car. We came to a sharp

turn that I thought would make for a cool aerial shot. We took off between some trees,

pretty narrow, but I snaked Solo through them. As I cleared the trees I could see the

road and some low clouds that started to move through the frame. The fog led toseveral nice stills, but the winner to me was this one — the ribbon of black road and

the fog slipping away out of the trees. I shot at several altitudes, but couldn’t capture

the sprawling feel of the fog until I reached about 350 feet, where I had a big field

of view that was much more dynamic than the lower altitudes. My best shots always

seem to be the unplanned ones, and this was definitely one of those times. The shot

that I came back with from this adventure will always be one of my favorites.


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CHEAT SHEET

Rule of Thirds - The rule of thirdsis a time-honored law of imagery

(photography, painting, video, etc).

Picture two horizontal lines and two

vertical lines sectioning your image into

nine squares – like a tic-tac-toe board.

You’ll usually want to place the main

elements in your photos on/near these

lines and the intersections. Why does

this rule work? A slightly off-balance

composition is more interesting and

pleasing, and it actually often looks

more “natural” than a perfectly centered

subject; after all, the world around us

isn’t perfectly centered, and our eyes

are evolutionarily first drawn to things

that are a little out of place. As a bonus,

by locking down these elements you’ll

naturally create interesting “negative

space” (empty space; objects are

“positive space”).

The Syms - We all know whatsymmetry is: a subject you can split

right down the middle into identical

halves. Rectangles? Symmetrical. Tilt

that rectangle into a parallelogram andyou lose that symmetry. Symmetry in

photography depends on how much

you show, whether you foreshorten

your subject, how you arrange it in the

composition (straight up vertically?

diagonally? sorta-sorta?). Drones

give you the luxury of playing with

the location of your camera in three

dimensions to get stronger and

weaker effects.

The Lines Are Drawn - Our eyes liketo follow lines. This affinity affects the

way we’re drawn around an image (or

guided, as a strong composition will at

first “pilot” our eyes for us). Find lines

from the air -- the cut of a cresting

wave; the finger-like curves of the

wave that landed before it and now

seems to be clutching at the sand as

it reluctantly ebbs out; the scalloped

sand on the beach -- lines can turn a

simple landscape into stories or create

impressions that print on your brain.

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I’ve Been Framed - As you setup your shot, pre-visualize the type

of frame your photo will eventually

occupy. Will you post to Instagram or

to Facebook? Wide banners to run

across a web page? What do you plan

to do when you edit: Crop it? Blow it

up? Pre-visualization as a rule of thumbis good practice, anyway -- it will help

you find your perfect shot that much

easier, and you’ll also be more primed

to notice surprising nuances.

Light - Often overlooked. Time of dayplays a huge role in the kind of light

you get. High noon shoots usually don’t

yield great results. If you find that you

have to shoot during a bright time like

this, don’t fly into the sun: You’ll get

a washed-out image. The light and

shadows are best during the “golden”

hours of early morning or late evening.

This can be especially interestingwhen shooting “nadir” shots, with your

camera pointing straight down.

Poetry in Motion - Movement isusually more interesting than stasis.

A person running, a car on the

road, even the motion of water or

wind through an otherwise static

landscape - they all add dynamism

and a narrative, and subtly imply

unpredictability and an appealingimbalance. Drones are particularly well

adapted to conveying movement, as

they themselves are objects in motion.

CHEAT SHEET


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Resolution & FOVShoot hi-res stills at up to 12MP with a GoPro HERO4 (set to wide FOV). You’ve got

some lower-resolution options at smaller fields of view, but there aren’t really any

great use cases for them. Best to always shoot at 12MP, then punch in to remove the

wide FOV’s “fisheye” in post. (This basically changes the wide FOV to medium.)

ProTuneSwitch ProTune on to unlock access to a bunch of camera settings. Here’s a

breakdown of these settings and how to use them, in the order you’ll find them on

the ProTune menu.

White balanceYour camera comes with white balance set to Auto, and it’s actually pretty solid --

GoPro does this really well on its own. If you want manual control over how warm or

cool your photos look, ProTune lets you adjust white balance. Choose between two

values, 3000K and 6500K (K = Kelvin; white balance is really a “temperature” shift).

These feels go from a cooler blue feel (3000K) to a warmer yellow (6500K). Don’twant any WB correction? Just go “Native.”

Color profileColor and contrast. You have two choices: “GoPro,” which is highly saturated and

makes the shots pop; or “flat,” which is best if you want to color correct in post. Start

with “GoPro” for immediate eye-catching results; choose “flat” for more flexibility.

You can also shoot with a filter, like the ones from PolarPro, which help with image

and color.

ISO limitISO is essentially how sensitive your camera is to light. With GoPro, this sensitivity isautomatically enhanced or enervated digitally; the ISO setting in ProTune allows you

to adjust the limits of this added light. Limits range from 800 (lighter; more “grainy”)

down to 100 (darker; less grainy). You won’t want to touch ISO unless you’re shooting

in a location with super low light conditions, like a cave (or at night, obviously).

SharpnessAdding digital sharpening gives your shots a, well, sharper look. The GoPro menu

allows you to set the level of sharpening that you apply. Leave sharpness at “low” for

a clean look.

Exposure compensationAdjusts lightness/darkness. Exposure set to “0” as the default. Your adjustments

affect the compensation exponentially: Set EC to +2.0, for instance, and your images

will be four times brighter. You’ll probably want to leave this one at 0, too -- though

dropping exposure a bit can help draw out some cool contrasts, like the variegated

patches of lighter and darker hues of blue in a lake or the ocean.


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SnapseedGreat free app from Google for on-

the-go mobile photo editing and

enhancements. Highlights include the

“selective” tool that allows you to edit

certain computer-selected regions of

the photo, along with a great suite of

HDR settings.

EnlightA paid app, but it has fantastic “Skew”

settings, with a “Distort” feature that

helps you correct, while on your mobile

device, the type of distortion found in

GoPro and other cameras.

VSCOThe pro’s go-to for image tweaking

and filtering. Free, with many additional

filters available for purchase.

GoPro® StudioWill remove fisheye from videos but not

photos; not as useful for photo editing.

LightroomThe pro’s choice for desktop

photography editing.

Photoshop FixGreat for basic mobile editing; filescan be sent right to Lightroom or your

Adobe creative cloud.

PhotoshopThe end-all desktop editor for

comprehensive photograph

manipulation, retouching and

improvement.

Removing Distortion - BestWays

LightroomImport >> Develop >> Lens Correction

>> Auto Profile Corrections (select

your camera model if it does not do so

automatically)

PhotoshopFilter >> Adaptive Wide Angle >>Fisheye >> Adjust from default if

needed

EnlightCanvas >> Skew >> Distort


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Step 1: Straightened and cropped the

image, following symmetry and leading

line concepts for a great compostition.

Step 3: Tuned the image. Brought

down the highlights, added warmth

ambiance and contrast.

Step 4: Upon review, a vertical photo

looked better for Instagram, so I added

one last rotation.

Step 2: Used HDR Scape filter to bring

out the shadows, colors and definition in

the photo.

STEP BY STEP


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This is something that applies for anything you want to begreat at, but is worth the reminder: If you want to be excellentat shooting aerial photos, get out and shoot, a LOT, and use itas an excuse to explore the world around you.

Dedicate one full battery toshooting stillsEspecially if you mostly fly for video

or just for fun, don’t make photos an

afterthought. Get a second battery and

dedicate that battery, every time you

fly, to shooting stills. Shoot for the full

length of the battery until you need

to bring Solo home. Snapping a few

stills in between videos gets it done in

a tight timeline, but to really learn, use

that time to carefully set up shots and

explore with just still photos in mind.

Make a list of the shots you wantto captureWhen you arrive at your location,

and before you take off, make a note

in your head, on your phone or in a

flight log of what you think will look

interesting as a photo — everything

interesting you want to look straight

down on, maybe a shot of yourself

from above, all of the different

things you want to capture. Work

through all those shots one by one.

Just the process of looking aroundand making a list will help you

get organized and in the mindset

of capturing photos. Once you’re

through your shot list, use the rest of

your battery to explore.

Capture your subjects from lotsof different anglesIf you have an interesting subject,

shoot it from all sides and above,at many different heights. Don’t be

afraid to plan and shoot eight or ten

angles or perspectives of just one

subject. If a bunch of them turn out

well, it’s great for posting “sets” on

social media (for instance, groups of

four photos on Twitter often perform

better than just one).

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Plan locations aheadIf you know where you’re going to fly,

search for what other photographers

have done before in the same location;

use Google Images, Flickr, Instagram

etc. Seeing these shots, then thinkingabout what you can do from the

air and making notes might provide

inspiration that you wouldn’t otherwise

get just by showing up.

Use Google MapsGoogle Maps is a great tool for

scouting anomalies or features from

above a location, especially if you plan

on bringing your drone on a hike or

have to make a long walk in.

Get to know your cameraBecome familiar with your camera

settings, and play around with them.

Find the kinds of exposure, focal

length, etc., that work for you, and that

work for different locations in different

lighting conditions. If you’re using a

GoPro®, Solo makes this convenient

with in-app access to GoPro controls.

But no matter what you’re shooting on,

after a while you’ll start to see things a

little more like the camera sees them

— or how you want your camera to see

them.

Commit larcenyAs with any good art, it’s okay to

be derivative, especially if you’re

starting out. Look at what the pro’s

do, and learn from it, be inspired by it.

Recommended reading: “How To Steal

Like An Artist.” Some of my favorite

aerial photographers on Instagram

include: @bdorts | @jakechams | @

tomjauncey | @landforce |

@imaerial_com

Work with what worksLook closely at favorite shots you’ve

taken, or your most popular posts on

social media. Take note and see what

you can do to replicate the look and

feel of those shots whenever you goto a new location. This is how I found

my favorite “style,” which is a straight-

down shot, then rotated 90 degrees

so that a horizontal composition

turns vertical; after the first of those

shots got a great social media

response, I began actively seeking out

opportunities to use a similar style

every time I shot.

Dawn patrolIf it’s tough to find time to fly, try

shooting at sunrise one or more

times a week, every week. Not only

is it motivation to get up early, but

the light is exceptional, and even

seemingly pedestrian locations

become a little more compelling.

Join a flight groupGoing to an RC field or using meetups

to find other pilots, no matter what

they use or do, is a great source for

other tips and even trips to go on.

There’s nothing that gets you going

more than working together with

others. Have fun on your next shoot!

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Finding locations in your areaEvery state or city park nearby that’s

got an open area is a fantastic place

to start. (Avoid National Parks if you’re

in the US, and always check your local

regulations.)

Atlas ObscuraThis site is an awesome resource

for planning photography road trips

(or where you’re going for work or

vacation). Google MapsYou’ll hear me say this many times,

but this is an amazing tool to scout

locations from above; you never know

what you’ll find in a satellite view.

Offer aerial photosKnow of an amazing location nearby,

but it’s not public? Reach out and ask

if they’ll let you shoot photos for their

website, etc., in exchange for letting

you fly. While many may say no, you’ll

sometimes be surprised at who says

yes.

Talk to a realtorRealtors love aerial photos and,

especially for showing nicer properties,

are starting to include them frequently

in their portfolios. Have you or a friend

recently bought a house? If you’ve

got the time, let the realtor know

you’re more than happy to shoot

some photos for free, and use the

opportunity to polish your portfolio.

Lakes, rivers and beachesSome people get afraid flying their

drone over water, but it’s a really

great chance to practice flying and

photography safely; plus, you’re

often far away from people and

obstacles. In addition, a snap of

waves crashing on rocks from

straight above looks great.

Lonely planetFor any trips you’re taking, or evento surprise yourself a bit about your

hometown, take a look at some of

the local attractions.

Local hashtagsLots of states have built instagram

communities around amazing photos

like #bestoforegon or #instahawaii.

Use these groups to check out where

people are shooting in your area;you’ll find yourself always checking

the location on great shots from then

on. Don’t be afraid to ask if a location

isn’t listed.

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You obviously edit a lot ofmotion graphics, much more

so than stills… Do you find theprocesses are similar, or do youuse totally different software/filters/features?There are certainly similarities between

producing video or motion graphics

based content and shooting aerial

photography. At the core of both,

you have a concept that you want to

communicate. Whether it’s a landscape,a story, or a message, you are crafting

the content to relay something specific,

and controlling the way that content is

perceived. You have a huge amount of

control over designing the look of an

aerial photo in post-production. If it’s

a warm landscape, you can brighten

the highlighted areas and add some

color temperature to make the image

feel warmer, attempting to capture thefeeling of the environment when you

shot it. You want to guide the viewer’s

eye. Figure out what areas of the photo

capture the pieces that you want to

accentuate, and brighten or sharpen

them. Then you can subdue the other

parts, by darkening or blurring them, to

help guide the viewer’s eye to where you

want it to go. With panoramic images,

having some kind of major feature orsomething that stands out helps give the

image character. It also helps establish

scale. When you see something

manmade, like a skyline or a pier, break

the landscape in a panoramic image, it

gives you more information about the

surrounding landscape. You can start to

tell a story in that single image.

I use Photoshop exclusively to assemble

panoramic images. Photoshop is used

in all areas that I work in, including

motion graphics. It’s the best tool toexplore and refine concepts, and you

can easily break things into layers to be

animated. These same principals can

apply to aerial photography. You can

break apart different shots into layers,

constructing the exact shot that you

want. Maybe there is a perfect sunset

in one image, but there is a person or

a car in that shot. You can borrow that

data from a different photo, removingthe elements you didn’t want in the

shot and preserving the parts you want

to keep. Similar to the post production

workflow for video, you have to refine

those edits until they are not noticeable

to the viewer.

When you’re shooting photos,

what are your preferredGoPro® settings?The biggest benefit to shooting imagery

with a GoPro is ProTune. You can lock

ISO down to the lowest setting to

reduce image noise. Shooting at 12 MP

(wide) is great for the amount of data

you can capture, but it does include

lens distortion. You can, however

circumvent this with a modded lens.

I’ve enjoyed shooting with the PeauProductions 3.97 mm. This allows you

to shoot on the wide setting without

getting barrel distortion. I usually set

the sharpness to “medium” as I’d prefer

to leave any post-sharpening to more

robust desktop software, which gives

you more control.

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When you’re shooting photos,what are your preferred GoPro® settings?The biggest benefit to shooting imagery

with a GoPro is ProTune. You can lockISO down to the lowest setting to reduce

image noise. Shooting at 12 MP (wide)

is great for the amount of data you

can capture, but it does include lens

distortion. You can, however circumvent

this with a modded lens. I’ve enjoyed

shooting with the Peau Productions 3.97

mm. This allows you to shoot on the wide

setting without getting barrel distortion.

I usually set the sharpness to “medium”as I’d prefer to leave any post-sharpening

to more robust desktop software, which

gives you more control.

If a user wants to turn a videoscreenshot into a still photo,what are some tips for exportinga high quality, clear shot?GoPro video is very sharp. Unless you are

flying very fast or turning aggressively,

your frames will be sharp. Film at the

highest resolution possible.

Any tips for working with GoProstill photos in post?If you shoot with the GoPro’s sharpening

levels set to medium, then you can control

how sharp the image is in post. Use anunsharp mask to bring out details. Don’t

use so much that it’s clear to the viewer

that sharpening tools were used, as that

can bring them out of the photo. Push

the levels until you can tell it’s a little

too much, then back the settings off a

bit. Sometimes closing your photos and

opening them later with a fresh set of

eyes will help you figure out if you’ve

gone too far with any types of colorcorrection or

post processing.

What are your favorite fisheyeremoval techniques?I usually bring images through the camera

raw import feature, which you can use

on any images, not just raw images. This

allows you to batch things like exposureand color temperature settings, and

fisheye removal, giving all of your images

the same look. That gives you a consistent

base to start from when assembling

aerial photos into a single panoramic

image.

A lot of your work features

some pretty dramatic lightingediting… Any favorite pluginsor filters others might enjoyexperimenting with?After getting the baseline lighting close

in the camera raw import settings, I

light everything in post manually. My

favorite technique is to use transparent

gradients in quick mask mode to make

feathered selections of the parts that Iwant to lighten, darken, or blur. Once I

have the selections, I ’ll manually adjust

levels, curves, or simulated camera blur

settings to craft the look I want and

focus in on certain parts ofthe image.

When you’re shooting tocreate a Panorama, what

GoPro settings do you use?When shooting aerial panoramic photos,I’ll sometimes shoot 4K video, rotating

the drone around. In post, you can

isolate frames from the video and stitch

together a high resolution panoramic

image by assembling those frames in

Photoshop. I use the same ProTune

settings as stills; ISO set as low as

possible, sharpness set to medium. I am

fine shooting with either the flat or theGoPro color profiles. The GoPro profile

seems to just juice the saturation a bit,

which is usually done in post anyway.

On higher end cameras, shooting flat

usually means that you are shooting

raw, with a higher dynamic range. But

with GoPro, the flat color profile doesn’t

translate to a higher dynamic range, so I

don’t think it matters much.

Any tips and tricks for userson composition? How do youspace your photos for properframing?Using traditional photographic

techniques like the rule of thirds or

taking advantage of dramatic one point

perspectives can work. Overall, try and

identify the most compelling part ofyour scene. Then set up the framing

and camera position to accentuate that

element and give it the focus you want.

CONTINUED >


20/27

What software do you use forstitching together panoramas?I prefer to manually stitch images in

photoshop. There are plenty of auto-

stitching apps, but I think part of the

process in creating an image from

multiple images involves choosing

which parts you want to use from each

image. Water is especially tricky, as

waves from one shot won’t line up with

waves from the next shot. Manually

blending and rotating selections can fix

issues like that, as you have maximum

control.

Any tips or tricks on getting agreat stitch?Know when to crop. Just because you

shot 15 images for a panoramic image,doesn’t mean you should use them

all. Once assembled, crop in to get

the framing you want, even if it means

ditching parts of the photo.

What other post-processingdo you do once the stitch iscompleted?

Traditional color correction andretouching, such as curves, levels, hue/

saturation and removing unwanted

objects like people, cars, etc.

Any other editing/tips tricksyou can share with ourusers?For landscape images, once you

are finished, try flipping the entire

composition horizontally. Sometimes

a mirrored version of your image can

give you a more interesting look.

Strangest story/encounter/demo experience with Solo? Filming on set with Michael Bay in

Malta was very memorable. Also,

filming in Mexico was intense. Too

many stories to recount. The best

moments are adventures where you

think the shoot won’t work out, or you

are losing light, and then at the last

moment everything comes togetherand you get something bigger than

you imagined.


21/27

BEHIND THE SHOT W/COLIN LANDFORCE

This photo came about in somewhat

sketchy flying conditions, but I knew I

was going to get a great shot so I went

for it. GPS was iffy because I was in a

corridor of super high trees. Once I got

lock I immediately popped up and got

up and out of them to get a stronger

lock and all was well. It was snowing, butnot hard, and it wasn’t a wet snow so I

felt pretty comfortable flying given the

conditions. I envisioned this shot at much

higher altitude, but the fog was thick and

when I got much higher than a couple

hundred feet I started to lose the visual

of the ground/trees/road... things started

to grey out. I brought it back down to,

if I remember correctly, about 170ft and

started shooting. The thick fog was stillan issue at this altitude but it was shifting,

and from 4 or 5 shots I captured this, this

was the winner. Interestingly, this was my

2nd-favorite shot from that flight but over

the course of the following week I shared

both on social and this one blew up when

compared to my favorite.


22/27

CONTINUED >


23/27

BEHIND THE SHOT W/REUBEN WU

Approach On the way to Mexican Hat and Goosenecks State Park, I encountered this strange

landform called the Raplee Anticline. The strata were exposed in red zig zags and

the whole mountain appeared like it had suffered some violent upheaval at some

point in its past.

Experience I had to fly my 3DR Solo drone pretty far in order to get this shot. I was separated

from the mountain by the meandering San Juan river and 2000 ft was the closest

I could get. The sun had set from where I was inside the valley but the mountain

remained softly illuminated, giving me a few minutes to get the shot I wanted.

PerspectiveAs I directed Solo into position I realized this feature was immense. It had an

extraordinarily dynamic natural composition, and the moon was suspended

perfectly above its summit. I’m drawn to compositions where lines converge and

align in symmetry with celestial objects. To capture both landscape and moon

fully would not have been possible without being airborne.

CaptureThis was best captured in a panoramic photo. The composition of the picture I

had in mind was so fragile that using a moving image would not have added much

value. Also, the landscape was so vast that I needed to use the panorama feature

to pan the camera to take multiple images and create a wider aspect photograph.

Raplee Anticline


24/27

When you’re shooting to

create a Panorama, what

GoPro® settings do you use? GoPro’s highest photo quality (12mp)

Single shot mode

Protune – ONWhite Balance – Depends on

conditions. Generally set to 5500K/

Day and 3300K/Night

Spot Meter – OFF

Color – FLAT

ISO – 200

Sharpness – Medium

EV – 0

How do you space your pano

photos for proper framing?Pre-meditation and visualization is

key before taking to the air. Try to

calculate how many photos it will

take for you to complete your pano.Once in the air you can start from

either right to left or vice versa. Take

all photos in a row and never random

order so they’re easier to work with

in post.

What software do you usefor stitching panoramas?I get optimal results with Adobe

Photoshop. They have great auto-stitching software as well some really

useful advanced options.

I N T E R V I E W

PANORAMAS, STITCHING, FLYING TIPS AND MORE

CONTINUED >


25/27

Any tips or tricks on getting agreat stitch?Flatten your GoPro® image first to

get rid of distortion. You may also

need to crop your photos. Actually, I

highly recommend cropping if you’re

going to use auto-stitching in Adobe

Photoshop.

What other post-processingdo you do when you’vefinished the stitch?I use Adobe Lightroom to color grade

and flatten my images. Lightroom has

some great GoPro presets

for getting rid of distortion.

Let’s talk about downwardfacing panos. One of myfavorite shots of yours is astraight downward stitch of adock in California. Downward-facing photos are some of

my favorite aerial perspectives! And

I’m assuming that here you’re talking

about the pier with the waves? The

post work on that one was a dual

effort. Once I captured the shots our

photo editor Jered Garrison did most

of the stitching. The way I wanted the

panorama completed it needed some

advanced stitching and photo merging.

Auto-stitching wasn’t possible with

this pano because I wanted certain

attributes merged in, like waves, which

weren’t in the other photos. Shadows

and lighting were inconsistent and

needed advanced work as well.

Also, I get a lot of inspiration from the

photos that @dailyoverview posts on

Instagram.

How do you composethe different photoswhen planning to stitch adownward-facing set ofshots?First, a GoPro can’t lockout exposure.

This is usually key to stitching panos.

If your light changes from shot toshot you’ll have inconsistent data,

making stitching difficult. To avoid

this debacle try to shoot your pano

during a time where light stays at a

consistent value. Also be quick about

getting all your shots.

Any tips or tricks for

stitching downward versusaerial? You’re going to take a similar

approach either way. No matter what,

you gotta be quick moving from

shot to shot so that if your pano has

any moving attributes— like clouds,

sunsets or people — they’ll stay in

one place, which will make stitching

easier.

CONTINUED >


26/27

Pacific Beach Pier, San Diego, CA


27/27

www.3dr.com

PHOTO CREDITS:

@itsreuben

@bdorts

@samuelelkins

@lifeafteranalog

@seandshoots

@landforce

@jbcmotion

@craig.coker
http://www.3dr.com/http://www.3dr.com/

using drones for aerial photography_ios_interactive.pdf

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