Tips For Aerial Photography From Small Planes And Drones

By Author: Ella Wilson
Total Articles: 7
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Aerial photography offers a most outstanding perspective, especially if you get it right. Taking stunning aerial photos will help you get superior-quality shoots of your construction, real estate marketing copy, and landscape photography right. To help you achieve that, here are a dozen aerial photography tips, including drone aerial photography tips, to help you boost your captures and compositions right away.

1. Know the rules in advance

The last thing you need is to suffer fines, delays, and bad blood between yourself and the local authorities because of violating local aviation regulations.
If using a small plane for your aerial photography, ensure the pilot is experienced and licensed.
If using a drone, know the local drone aerial photography or recreational use rules. For example, some local aviation authorities won’t allow you to fly a drone over crowds of people and private property.

2. Remember aerial photography is still photography

Unique and thrilling as it is, the best aerial photography shoots are still as a result of meticulous lighting and weather conditions.
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... So do bring your top ground photography game aboard that plane. Familiarize yourself with the landscape well in advance. See the best time to shoot to avoid glare, for example, when the sun is high up if capturing water bodies. Practice your angling, too.

3. Pack up your gear well in advance

Whether you are out to capture top-notch video or stills from a drone or small plane, you are investing a small fortune in it.
So be sure to counter-check you have what you need and then some to ensure you don’t have to make a trip back to grab that crucial lens filter you forgot on the ground.

For example, don’t go flying out without those telephoto zoom lens or wide-angle/aperture camera with fast shutter speeds capabilities.
Also, check your drone’s battery capacity and carry extra batteries, regardless of how long you plan to be out there.

4. Take full advantage of custom drone photography

Whether you own one or are using a drone aerial photography service near you, opt for a drone with the most optimal technology for your specific aerial photography needs.
Whether you need superior 360-degree captures, perfectly vertical stills, near-ground, close-inspection videos or to capture photos of remote places small planes just can’t fly over, using a drone can help you get a high-resolution alternative perspective.

5. Talk to your pilot before and in-flight

How you communicate with your small plane or drone pilot with make or break your aerial photography session.
They can help you understand the landscape, weather conditions, lighting on different times of the day, and the perfect flying route to capture the specific target you have in mind.
Talk about how you’d like your photos to come out and what you need them for. Most pilots are happy to help if you just ask. If you can work with an experienced pilot, even better. They will safely and expertly maneuver the aircraft to help you get that wing, wind, glaring sunlight, or other obstacles out of your lens ways.

6 Get some distance

Getting wide angles is particularly essential for top-quality aerial photography. So, get back some feet before shooting to make your photos come alive.
If the scene is particularly compelling but you couldn’t get it right on the first, feel free to make a round or hover the drone at varying distances on the spot.

7. Use RAW format

That will ensure you have more wiggle-room to edit your photos to your liking.
Also, while some aerial photographers swear by manual mode, feel free to set auto mode on to set your mind free to focus on composition, too. Practice makes perfect here.

8. Use the Rule of Thirds for natural snaps

Did you know people to first notice the portion of a photo that’s centered at the top?
That’s where to position your main focus item to help them appear natural. Then let the surroundings amplify its gorgeousness.

9. Tinker with your camera settings

If you use a small plane on a low altitude, especially, keep in mind there will be a lot of vibration, a fast-moving background, and other potential challenges to blurring your images.
So, choose fast shutter speeds. Start with an ISO of 100, depending on your needs. Set focus point to infinity. Use a wide-angle lens. Switch bracketing, autofocus, and vibration reduction, and Auto ISO on.

10. Feel free to ask for help

Getting perfect shoots for a decisive campaign can feel overwhelming with all that’s at stake, so do feel free to ask an experienced and licensed professional such as a drone aerial photography service near you to help you get what you need the first time around to save you time, money, and headaches.
With these aerial photography tips, you can start practicing them right away so you’ll be ready for the next shoot in no time.

My name is Ella Wilson, i am from Chicago.I am a writer & a blogger. I love to write About Fashion, education, lifestyle, latest technology.