TOP TIPS GET READY FOR TAKE-OFF!

Start flying your drone and capture your first photos or video footage

1 Cleared for take off – up, up and away!

Pressing and holding the arrow on the right-hand side of the controller, a circle appears on my phone screen. When the circle is complete, the drone’s propellers start spinning and it takes off, hovering at eye level. Now I can play with the controller to gain an understanding of how the drone moves in the air, and basic camera control, before lifting off higher.

3 Capture some images

Once you have built up your confidence, increase the height the drone is flying at. (Remember to keep it below 400 feet.) As you slowly lift off, you get an aerial view of what is around you, and your phone screen tells you how high you are flying. Now start taking some photographs. On my DJI Mini 2, I can capture stills or record video by either pressing the big white button on the phone screen, or using the button on the back of my controller.

5 Export your captures

To export my captures, the microSD card from my DJI Mini 2 can be removed and connected to a computer. Alternatively, as the drone-flying app runs on my phone, the images and video can be stored there. This way, if I am out and about, I can easily edit my images and video footage on the fly.

2 Adjust the angle of your camera

You don’t always have to have the camera in the same position. Use the sliding button at the back of the controller to change the angle of the camera while in flight, which gives you full control of what you are looking at. The angle you have the camera at is displayed on the right-hand side of your phone screen.

4 You don’t have to fly too high

You don’t always have to fly your camera drone near its flight ceiling to get the best results. You can also use a drone to capture a different perspective on things closer to the ground. Another potential use of a camera drone is using it to make surveys; you might want to get an overhead view of space available in your garden, for example, if you’re looking to plant some new flowers.