UPDATE 2021 - I have now passed my A2 CofC, which means that I can now do commercial aerial photography!
It has been on my wish list for years now, but I finally invested in my own drone. Up until this point I had been borrowing one from a generous friend, an entry level DJI Spark which is perfect for dipping your feet into aerial photography.
Brighton Palace Pier - sunrise. Mavic 2 Pro
Beachy Head and Belle Tout Lighhouse
High and Over
Bodiam Castle at sunrise
Misty woodland captured at sunrise
But with an entry level product there are limitations. Most of DJI’s lower cost drone are limited in some way or another. This might be stability in moderate winds, video specs, inability to take filters, photo resolution, low light performance etc. I have taken photos using the DJI spark in the past, and even in the best lighting conditions it still looks like the images from a toy camera. The video is much better, however the frame rate seemed to be stuck on NTSC (used for America) which looks jittery when mixed with UK cameras.
Palace Pier - taken on the Mavic 2 Pro
If you have read the description of the above photos, then you can probably guess that I didn’t settle for anything less than the Mavic 2 Pro. It is truly a professional tool that fits in a small package. I opted for the smart controller, which frees up my mobile phone (You have to use your phone to act as the screen with the standard controller). Supposedly this drone will fly 46mph and several miles away; although that would be a bad idea. But it gives you more options.
End of the pier - Mavic 2 Pro
The images here were from the drones’ first flight, which was sunrise on new year’s day (yes it was an Xmas present to myself!). I am amazed at the quality of both the stills and the video files that come out of the drone, which is down to the 1 inch sensor built into the drone. It also takes ND filters, which allowed me to record at the correct settings, you can even control the aperture.
Brighton Seafront - facing west. Mavic 2 Pro
The Rules
Of course, I am new to owning this drone, so I am following the rules, and since none of this is for commercial clients; I don’t need to have a license. You do need to pay a small fee and register the drone, after passing a few simple questions in a test. I aim to get a commercial license so that I can photograph my architectural projects.
Palace Pier. Mavic 2 Pro
British Airways i360
Brighton’s Band Stand
Corfe Castle, Dorset - sunrise
Old Harry Rocks - Dorset
Corfe Castle, Dorset - Sunset
Within a few weeks I found myself in Dorset/Devon photographing landscapes, and you cannot understand how happy I was that I could get aerial footage of the locations.
More images coming soon!
