2 Take to the skies
Have a go at drone photography to capture stunning aerial views
Not too long ago, if you wanted to capture a stunning bird’s eye view, you had to physically take a camera up above yourself… but this has all changed now thanks to the drone!
Drone owner and operator Matt Cranfield knows a thing or two about flying – and using drones to take photos. Matt has a DJI Phantom 2 with a GoPro Hero 4 camera that shoots 4K video as well as stills.
There are many safety considerations and rules you need to take into account if you are going to fly a drone. First, the drone must always be in your line of sight. “You also need to check the weather conditions,” Matt advises. “With my drone, I can’t fly it in wind conditions stronger than 15mph and also if it’s raining, it’s a no-go.” If you’re thinking about investing in a drone yourself, Matt advises to look for a model with GPS support. “It’s like having a tripod in the sky,” he says. “If you let go of the controls, the drone will hover in the same spot.”
To see what his camera is recording Matt has a FPV (first-person-view) monitor. Although it’s not completely necessary to fly a drone, Matt finds it extremely useful. The screen not only projects the view from the camera, but provides a heap of other information including battery life, flight height, and flying speed, to name just a few.
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* “For your first flight, head to an open space such as a field,” Matt says. “But avoid flying next to electricity pylons! You can build up your skills in an open and safe space, and understand what your drone is capable of.” * Matt advises you to invest in extra batteries. “I have four, as each only lasts around 15-20 minutes of flight time.” * Check out Matt’s YouTube channel via www. bit.ly/dc166drone for more inspiration.