Thoughts After First Day of Drone Use

[Mike Lewis]

So now that I have flown my drone twice, I am already feeling much better about the flight aspects of using it, while also feeling a bit more frustrated about developing an efficient workflow to be able to determine where it is safe, legal, and scenic to fly it. That was the issue that held me off from buying one (along with wanting decent still-shooting capabilities) and that seems to still be the issue that will have the most to do with what I ultimately can accomplish with it.

I went out with 2 other guys , all of us new drone owners. 2 of us with new Evo 2 Pros, and the third with a new DJI FPV drone. We ended up driving quite a ways to get to an area we knew would be legal and also away from any interested bystanders. All 3 of us had very successful first experiences as far as flying was concerned. The area we picked was absolutely flat and barren, so not very picturesque but other than us and the car nothing to run into either. I am happy with purchasing a photography/video centric drone, but it was amazing nonetheless to see the little DJI FPV drone zip around, holy crap that thing is crazy fast, even on the easy setting!

In reviewing the small amount of 4K and still images I shot here are my take-aways:

• Easy as pie to take off and land (and in fact the automated landing for my drone put it right back on the landing pad, although the other 2 drones were not able to achieve those results.)
• The Evo 2 is like having a flying tripod, amazing to see how stable it can be up in the air.
• I spent too much time trying to watch the drone in the sky and not enough time watching the drone camera view. As a result I have lots of video with the gimbal pointing the wrong way to get anything interesting. Especially with spotters present to let me know if I was getting close to being out of visual range this was not necessary. Rookie mistake #1.
• Flying is safe, but there is a knack to it, and I have to get the stick functions memorized and into muscle memory.
• Obvious statement alert - Just because you are up in the air with a camera doesn't mean the media you produce with it is interesting. You still need to find interesting locations to go and interesting scenes to shoot

So this circles back to my original thought entered at the beginning of this post. I have some phone apps (B4UFLY, Air Map, Kitty Hawk) to help decide where I am OK to fly. Using those combined with reading local ordinances has so far been - confusing, to put it politely. But the real question is how to find some scenic areas to go that are worth shooting. The drone flying itself is fun, but at the end of the day my real desire is to make interesting images with it.

So wondering how more experienced drone pilots work these issues?

ML

 

[Jameel Hyder]

Thanks for sharing this Mike. Will be following this thread as I have ben mildly interested in a drone myself but so far have resisted pulling the trigger.

 

[JimFox]

How interesting. I am glad the flying part is going good.

The "where" to fly is my biggest question also. Where is there anything interesting in the areas I am at where I can fly it?

 

[Jeffrey]

Good report, Mike. You're on your way.

I spent a few weeks just flying and learning all the aspects of my aircraft before I even tried to make a good image. I am not very interested in video, though I did make a few fun clips. Once I felt comfortable using the controller I began to photograph more seriously. I need the flying part to be simple and intuitive without requiring a lot of attention so I could concentrate on using the camera as I would my regular dslr. I needed to know exactly where the controls were for exposure, aperture, etc, so I could work them quickly while working the sticks to position my camera just where I wanted. Positioning is crucial as it is with any camera. I still try to remember to turn the rig around for the rear view to see if I'm backing into a tree or something while composing. Then I let the aircraft remain stationary for a few seconds to get as still as possible before pressing the shutter. Then I moved on to panning and tilting to create panos both vertical and horizontal. And finally, when the controller warns you that your battery is getting low and you should come back, do not hesitate to press RTH immediately. It's tempting to hang around a few minutes longer when the scene you want is upon you. Avoid disaster!

 

[TimMc]

Good report, Mike. You're on your way.

I spent a few weeks just flying and learning all the aspects of my aircraft before I even tried to ... Avoid disaster!

I think Jeff nailed this, perfect advice. The only thing to add is not to get in a hurry. Jim asked about picture opportunities, they will be lots more evident after some time in the air and time playing with test shots. If you worry about where it’s legal, just ask the local police . Even if they are wrong, no one else is going to bother you anyway

 

[Mike Lewis]

Thanks everyone - some excellent nuggets of advice in there from our experienced drone pilots - very much appreciated. I think the next steps are as Jeffrey stated - gotta get the flying to fade into the background at least a little so I can get familiar with the camera and how it operates. It is not going to compete with my 45MP main camera but I think under the right conditions it should be able to produce some very nice images, once I learn it strengths, weaknesses and how to run it efficiently.

ML