While I've written a number of drone articles on flying and photography, I feel like this one will help tie many of those together. Taking photographs with your drone involves a lot of different skills. So here are some things for you to explore that I hope will help you on that journey. Most of these examples use DJI products, but the basic techniques can be applied to any brand of drone. I also think you'll find it much easier to explore many the basics on the ground rather than try to figure them out while you're flying (except for the ones … [Read more...] about Learning the basics helps you take better photographs with your drone
aerial photography
360 degrees of flexibility and a new perspective: Taking photographs with a drone
While taking photographs with your drone is very similar to taking them from the ground, it's also very different. For me, the difference lies in two main areas. One is in the new perspective a drone offers by being in the air above everything. The other is the ease with which you can change your position from a few feet to thousands of feet from the initial launch point. Your camera can be raised or lowered in altitude, it can be moved forward, backward, right and left. You have 360-degrees of flexibility with your camera that you didn't have … [Read more...] about 360 degrees of flexibility and a new perspective: Taking photographs with a drone
Why I’m loving Topaz Studio A.I. Clear
A.I. Clear is a tool from Topaz Labs that claims to eliminate noise, remove artifacts, restore detail and sharpen images simply and easily. How does it work? The company describes it this way: A.I. Clear uses the insight of a custom neural network that was trained by analyzing millions of images. This network detects and reduces noise while enhancing details in your images automatically. Topaz Labs has always been at the forefront of image noise reduction. In 2010, Topaz Denoise had been already considered the best high-iso noise removal … [Read more...] about Why I’m loving Topaz Studio A.I. Clear
How to apply haze removal tool selectively in Affinity Photo
In this article, I am going to show you how I use the masks and the Haze Tool in Affinity Photo to apply it selectively. The above panorama consists of six photographs shot with my DJI Inspire 2 drone using the X5S camera and an Olympus 12mm f/2 lens. I corrected each photograph in Capture One Pro using the Lutify LM-RAW-CL-Chiara-25 LUT and then made further adjustments. I then exported the six photographs as 16-bit TIFF files to AutoPano Pro, stitched them together and exported the final result as a 16-bit TIFF. The next step is to take it … [Read more...] about How to apply haze removal tool selectively in Affinity Photo
Five tips to shoot from a helicopter
In recent years, aerial photography has taken off with the advent of drones. Living in Canada, the rules to fly drones are pretty drastic and flying legally is very complicated. So I turned to helicopters, which are much easier, albeit more expensive. Shooting from a helicopter offers a different perspective than a drone, as you are much higher. For example, in downtown Toronto, we have to fly at 1,500 feet. So, it's usually better for tall buildings or larger complexes. That being said, clients are interested, both for finished buildings … [Read more...] about Five tips to shoot from a helicopter
Becoming a Better Drone Pilot: Display Sunshades and the One I Use
Using a sunshade might seem like extra trouble and hassle, but I find there are definite advantages to using one, especially when they work properly. Check it out the article below and see if one might help you with your drone projects. Why Do I Use a Sunshade? For me, the bottom line is that it helps me see the tablet or smartphone screen more clearly and easily. That translates into better videos and photographs because I can see what is in focus and out of focus and what's in the frame. This clearer view of the screen also lets … [Read more...] about Becoming a Better Drone Pilot: Display Sunshades and the One I Use
Becoming a Better Drone Pilot: Brother AirScouter WD-300C Head-mounted Display Review
In this article, I review the new Brother AirScouter WD-300C Head-mounted Display, that I have been using for the last 3 weeks. In much of my commercial drone work, I am a single operator drone pilot. That means I am having to control the drone and the camera simultaneously. That translate into looking down at my tablet and back up to the drone, so I can fly safely and still get the shot. I am finding that using a headset even helps me do a better job when I am piloting and have a second operator controlling the camera because I can see what … [Read more...] about Becoming a Better Drone Pilot: Brother AirScouter WD-300C Head-mounted Display Review
How to Use Luminar’s Brushes, Filters and Masks – Part 2
Welcome to part two of this series. You can find Part 1 here. In this article, I'll show you two ways to use the Brush and Masking to apply the Dehaze Filter. These techniques can be applied to the other Filters as well. To follow along you will need Luminar 2018. Using the Brush with the Dehaze Filter This video is about one way you can use the Brush with the Dehaze filter. In this example, we are going to enhance a sky. Using the Brush by Painting on the Mask a Little at a Time This video is about another way to use the Brush with … [Read more...] about How to Use Luminar’s Brushes, Filters and Masks – Part 2
