Drone Photography

[Herdfan]

I think the main difference here is you can take a blanket image of a huge area and then crop.

That is what drones do. I had to buy a new Apple TV so I could watch my drone footage because it was in 4K. Now they are 6K with 8K on the horizon. So yeah, they just grab everything they can see and you can edit out what you don't want.

One thing you might consider is a sub 250g drone. Drones under 250g don't have the same requirements as those over. Still can't fly in no-fly zones, but you also don't have to register or license them.

 

[mollyc]

Right, would be interested in seeing the full shot, for example the people on the court could’ve been cropped out of 2 city blocks.

These are photographers in my circle, but not that I know really well. I really doubt they did this from that high up. Composition is pretty important to anyone submitting to this particular collaborative blog, and my guess is that other than straightening, this is fairly close to the original crop. I'll see if I can find this image elsewhere or get clarification.

 

[Clix Pix]

Here are two examples (these are not my images) of photos that can only be taken with a drone. There is no tripod tall enough to take images like this, and even off a balcony, you can't get a view below/past your feet. Using a drone is no different than using a remote or an intervalometer, it's just the camera is in the sky, rather than in someone's hands or affixed to a tripod. There are lots of times the person manning the camera isn't actually touching it.

Well composed drone images are often very graphical in nature and make you think about your surroundings and how things look vastly different from a bird's eye view.

View attachment 14842

Frankly, neither of these images is particularly interesting to me at all. To each his or her own, of course.....

 

[Eric]

These are photographers in my circle, but not that I know really well. I really doubt they did this from that high up. Composition is pretty important to anyone submitting to this particular collaborative blog, and my guess is that other than straightening, this is fairly close to the original crop. I'll see if I can find this image elsewhere or get clarification.

That could very well be and I'll give it the benefit of the doubt for this discussion. But I can't agree that it's the same thing at all when they can choose from such a large field, especially when they have larger censors now. Imagine being able to hike your DSLR or Mirrorless with a 16-35 mm lens up to 50 or 100 feet with a 42 megapixel sensor, you could easily crop out a couple of dozen shots that would suffice for social media. It's a huge advantage.

 

[Eric]

Frankly, neither of these images is particularly interesting to me at all. To each his or her own, of course.....

I think the first one is great with their shadows like that, great example of minimalism while being interesting.

 

[Cmaier]

I think the first one is great with their shadows like that, great example of minimalism while being interesting.

Eric and I think alike. I really like the first one. The second one is fine, but doesn’t make me feel much of anything.

 

[mollyc]

I sent a message to the photographer of the basketball image to see if she would explain a bit about her process, etc. She does quite a bit of drone work of her own kids, sidewalk chalk, etc. and other court types of images.

Frankly, neither of these images is particularly interesting to me at all. To each his or her own, of course.....

It's unfortunate that you are unable to recognize talent in photographers who shoot in non-traditional ways. The basketball court photographer has actually won several awards and is published.

 

[Eric]

I sent a message to the photographer of the basketball image to see if she would explain a bit about her process, etc. She does quite a bit of drone work of her own kids, sidewalk chalk, etc. and other court types of images.



It's unfortunate that you are unable to recognize talent in photographers who shoot in non-traditional ways. The basketball court photographer has actually won several awards and is published.

It's funny, I love to look at photo submissions at county fairs and some of the ones they choose as winners while passing others is often beyond me, but it's really in the eye of the beholder I guess. When one of my photos takes off somewhere (usually Reddit) they seem to always get mixed reactions, even with thousands of likes and hundreds of comments there will always be people who don't see it the same way.

 

[Citysnaps]

My opinion... you gotta shoot what floats your boat, energizes you, makes you happy, and hopefully/ideally helps achieve some personal objective. I root for everyone who goes out in the world with their camera and makes photos.

 

[mollyc]

It's funny, I love to look at photo submissions at county fairs and some of the ones they choose as winners while passing others is often beyond me, but it's really in the eye of the beholder I guess. When one of my photos takes off somewhere (usually Reddit) they seem to always get mixed reactions, even with thousands of likes and hundreds of comments there will always be people who don't see it the same way.

i totally get that. but for people in the “art world” (which truthfully i don’t really put myself in) there are typically standards or guides for merit judging.

i grew up in the country and went to the county fair every year. i don’t really put those judges in the same category as the art world.

 

[Eric]

i totally get that. but for people in the “art world” (which truthfully i don’t really put myself in) there are typically standards or guides for merit judging.

i grew up in the country and went to the county fair every year. i don’t really put those judges in the same category as the art world.

I see art as subjective, it either speaks to you personally or doesn't.

 

[mollyc]

I see art as subjective, it either speaks to you personally or doesn't.

i had to take some art history types of classes in college are ms core requirements so i always tend to look more objectively than subjectively.

but yes, certainly people are allowed to dislike things “just because.” it’s when lots of things are disliked it gives me pause for a specific person’s opinion.

 

[mollyc]

candidly i think my own work falls into the mediocre category on both fronts but i keep shooting and sharing anyway because it’s fun.

 

[Eric]

candidly i think my own work falls into the mediocre category on both fronts but i keep shooting and sharing anyway because it’s fun.

I personally enjoy your work, it's unique to you, you have a good idea of what and how you want to shoot it and it stands out.

 

[Citysnaps]

i had to take some art history types of classes in college are ms core requirements so i always tend to look more objectively than subjectively.

I took three art history classes as electives, going back to Lascaux cave paintings in prehistoric times to contemporary art of today. They had no relevancy to my degree, but looking back I feel very lucky to have taken them.

 

[Clix Pix]

I sent a message to the photographer of the basketball image to see if she would explain a bit about her process, etc. She does quite a bit of drone work of her own kids, sidewalk chalk, etc. and other court types of images.



It's unfortunate that you are unable to recognize talent in photographers who shoot in non-traditional ways. The basketball court photographer has actually won several awards and is published.

Well, then, I guess it is unfortunate that I have my own opinion, isn't it?

 

[mollyc]

Well, then, I guess it is unfortunate that I have my own opinion, isn't it?

You have always made your opinion perfectly clear, regardless of the consequences.

 

[mollyc]

So back to the drone aspect....here is what my friend said about her basketball court images, and others that are set up similarly (the first image in the screenshot I posted earlier).

I just hover up over whatever I am shooting and compose it looking at my phone. I don’t put it up really high. I’m too nervous for that. I’ve crashed it many times and even had it go crazy and start Flying up and I couldn’t control It. I’m always nervous of others too that they won’t like a drone flying around them. So I only do it when other ppl aren’t around!

So she is shooting only her own kids/family and actually composing in camera, rather than flying around a larger area and then hoping for good images to pull out of a wide expanse. These are "set up" like a studio or lifestyle image would be, working with the subject, light and props in the frame, and considering how they all work together.

It is a very different concept than flying around the bridges with which Eric started the topic, and my point was really that drones can be used for "ordinary" photos too, just with a bird's eye perspective, and controlled from the outset.

 

[Roller]

Drone-mounted cameras offer vantage points that may not be possible with handheld ones. Clearly, the resultant photos or videos are often useful practically. When Apple Park was being built, for example, flyovers were an excellent way to monitor progress. But these images can be artful in their own right, though, as with all photographs, it's a matter of taste and opinion.

 

[DT]

So back to the drone aspect....here is what my friend said about her basketball court images, and others that are set up similarly (the first image in the screenshot I posted earlier).

I'd be curious what specific drone/options/apps she's using!