I began offering Drone filming and photography services back in 2015. Almost as soon as I received my first drone I got my first aerial filming commission, such was the demand.

Drones or UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) are the biggest growth industry of the early 21st Century. Their rise has been stratospheric. Flight, navigation, imaging, and automation systems are constantly being developed. Consequently manufacturers are bringing out new models every 6 months. Given how capable they are, I thought I would put together a list of how this new technologies can be useful.

I started to fly drones in Palau 7 years ago with a 450 class model and I got work immediately. Since then I’ve upgraded to an Inspire 1, then a Phantom 4 Pro for its longer flight times, image quality and stability then came the amazing 5.4K capable Air 2S and now we have the Mavic 3 Pro Cine with it’s 3 cameras for incredible shot coverage. My company as a result now provides a range of drone filming services and flies almost daily. The technology has opened up a number of opportunities.

Flying from boats

My first job was documenting the burning of illegal fishing boats. This took place 11+miles offshore and lasted for 7 hours. We could launch from the main support vessel and fly over the scene multiple times during the burn. Logistically, it was far easier and vastly cheaper to use a drone rather than a light aircraft or helicopter. It also produced low level images that would have been impossible with a helicopter.

Flying from a boat can be a bit daunting. I would recommend that if you’re a beginner and not confident in what you’re doing, to avoid it. Because what goes up will also come down. It’s up to you to bring it down onto a very small area on a moving object. I always use an assistant if I can to act as launcher and catcher.

 

Real Estate Drone Filming Services

Drones provide affordable aerial imaging of property. This enables clients to see what’s there from the aerial perspective. As long as you can get to within a few hundred meters of the site, the drone can fly the rest. It makes a great case when roads need to be built and the next best alternative is Google Earth.

If an owner is looking to sell their property or land, a drone can get an affordable and perfect perspective so that buyers can see the potential of the site.

 

Documenting the Rock Islands and Marine lakes of Palau

A drone is the next best thing to a Cessna for filming the UNESCO World Heritage Site that is the Rock Islands of Palau. One particularly cool aspect of the rock islands are the marine lakes that remain secluded within the islands. They can hold huge populations of Jellyfish and even Saltwater Crocodiles. Drones can fly into the cauldron of a lake, unmatched by any other method. This will provide a great tool for studying these unique environments. Read more on how I use cameras for innovative media production in Palau here.

 

Super crane for stunning B-roll

With a drone you can film a worm’s-eye-view then climb to 1500ft in the space of a minute without changing camera. A Quadcopter’s speed and maneuverability is unmatched by anything that doesn’t use jet turbines. With that in mind, one of my favorite shots is to track next to a presenter then ascend to show the environment they are in. Drones provide an incredible increase in production value for a filming project for a relatively small investment. They transform any production and inject the WOW factor.

 

Population studies of sensitive animals.

There are many Conservation Areas dotted around the UK that consist of terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems. A drone is invaluable for documenting these systems from and their inhabitants. Their small size and low noise make them ideal for sneaking up on timid animals. For example, Seals, otters, Cetaceans etc are scared by a helicopter or boat engine.

One of the greatest uses for me in Palau with a drone was to document the extremely rare dugongs. We demonstrated that they lived in the area slated for dredging. As a result the footage proved decisive in stopping the dredging going ahead. Click on the photo below to watch footage of these amazing animals in the wild. See our page for Drone Survey services.

 

Advertising for resorts and businesses

With an increase in tourism, competition between resorts and hotels is greater than ever. Once more the flexibility of a drone becomes apparent. They can shoot from practically any angle at any altitude useful for that business. So it is therefore a much cheaper alternative to a Helicopter. Stable and of excellent quality. Raising the production value of any advertising and marketing media.

360 Virtual Reality Photography

Virtual Reality has actually been around for years. But it is only recent technology that has made it available to regular consumers. The format is slowly going mainstream.

Camera companies have developed systems to render the drone invisible therefore creating a unique sense of flying to the user.

Aerial mapping using drones

Another form of real estate imaging. Extremely useful for assessing large areas accurately. Software programs the drone to fly a certain path and take overlapping satellite view photos. The photos are stitched together into a high resolution map. Every photo has a GPS reference.  3D renders with gradients and volumes are also available. An extremely useful tool for surveyors and realtors alike. See our page for Drone Mapping Services.

 

Flying a drone is available to anyone who can buy one. The drone code should be followed.

Our pilot is CAA qualified and 3rd party insured.

In general:

• Please avoid flying higher than 120m or 300ft
• Do not fly whilst under the influence of alcohol or drugs
• Avoid flying over large crowds or too close to people
• Do not fly over busy roads. Drones distract drivers. Your drone could crash into a car.
• Do not fly in the flight paths of aircraft approaching or leaving the airport or air fields.
• Register your drone with the CAA or local authority.

Fly safe.