So, you have a good-quality camera. You’ve got the best drone for aerial photography you could afford to back you up as well. But you are still not sure why you can’t seem to get the stunning photos you want.
What next?
We asked a veteran with over 20 years of experience doing aerial photography in Dallas what to do. And they were generous enough to offer 15 practical tips you can start practicing immediately to improve your drone photography.
1. Know the Law
Drone regulations vary among states and countries. For instance, U.S. operators must follow the Part 107 guidelines from the Federal Aviation Administration (FDA).
Also, familiarize yourself with other regulations such as restricted areas and the maximum height for flying drones in your area.
The goal is to ensure you won’t capture trouble instead of stunning aerials, to begin with.
2. Plan your Session with a UAV Forecast
The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Forecast provides essential information for photographers.
Visit their site to get crucial details such as off-limits areas, the weather forecast, visibility, and how many GPS satellites are active in your area.
These are all factors that’ll affect your drone’s ability to shoot stills or vivid videos, for example.
- Pack Drone Spares and Accessories
Anything can happen, so carry extra batteries, cables, chargers, filters, propeller, and maps. You do not want to forget your supplies, such as food and water.
4. Timing is a Big Deal, Too
You’ll capture the best images at sunrise when natural lighting is just proper. But of course, that’ll depend on the areas and subjects’ angle to the sun. So, consider arriving early and testing your equipment.
But you can do better.
Talk to a local. Know about the area’s layout and weather conditions. Then you can get an idea of what to expect throughout the day.
5. Use Lens Filters
When shooting in bright conditions, you may need lens filters to reduce glare.
Good-quality lens filters also help reduce reflections and enhance colors.
That’s what you want.
6. Capture in RAW Format
RAW format saves photos in a compressed format, preserving a lot of details and resolution. This allows you greater flexibility when processing the images.
- Make Precise Shots
If there are too many distractions, angle your drone camera gimbal to capture your target images. A gimbal keeps your camera at the same angle regardless of drone movements.
Additionally, you can hover your drone closer to the objects but not too close to crash the drone.
8. Use Leading Lines
It can be challenging to focus on your object where there are multiple elements.
In that case, look for shape lines such as those found in rivers, roads, mountain ridges, and sand dunes. Those leading lines also add depth to your images.
9. Use the Rule of Thirds for Balanced Images
The rule of thirds is simply moving subjects away from the center.
To achieve this, divide your potential shot into 9 boxes (3 horizontal and 3 vertical).
Now place your image at the left-third or right-third of the frame. The technique helps improve photo composition and balance.
Photo Credit: Unsplash
- Break Some Rules
It is crucial to understand the point of the rule of thirds—so you can break it like a pro.
You can create superb photographs that warp people’s perceptions. For instance, instead of focusing on fruit, zoom in on a drop of water on the fruit’s peel.
- Use Auto Exposure Bracketing and High Dynamic Range
Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB) and High Dynamic Range (HDR) technologies allow multiple shots on the same photo at different exposures and settings.
That gives you more choices to work with. Besides, you can combine the shots into a single image in post-production.
- Capture Images from Various Angles and Perspectives
You don’t want to spend your resources on commonplace photographs.
Some drones have intelligent flight modes that can help you photograph from different and unique perspectives. Check if yours has such a setting to begin practicing.
- Control Your Drone with the Tripod Mode
The Tripod Mode, typical with some drone models, can also help you slow down the drone dramatically. And that’s great when you want to capture perfect stills when hovering at an equally excellent angle.
- Take Panoramas
You may want to get a complete view of an area in every direction. This is easy to achieve if your drone has the Panorama Mode.
Without a Panorama feature, you can take several shots as you pan the camera around to get a good grasp of the scene’s details.
Then you can use editing software such as Adobe Lightroom to stitch these images together for a panoramic photo.
- Creat Interesting Photos Using Counterpoint and Juxtaposition
Place two beautiful elements in one photo to create an even more stunning image—that’s a counterpoint.
Or, contrast two objects with opposite characteristics to develop thought-provoking juxtaposes.
Conclusion
You’ll notice one recurring theme here.
Preparation is a vital part of shooting stunning drone aerial photography—and videography.
Start by observing the rules of aerial photography in Dallas—or elsewhere. Then connect with locals to know what kind of conditions and landscape to expect. Then you’ll be free to let your imagination and a keen eye do the rest.
