How to Create Stunning Drone Selfies - 017
Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all? Yes, we have all seen those people that take selfies then realize they have an audience. Some are embarrassed, some give you a look as if to say, “why are you looking at me?”
The natural progression from cell phone selfies is with drones, in fact, there’s a drone for sale dubbed the “selfie drone.” In all honestly, I’m guilty of the occasional cell phone selfie, typically when nobody is available to take my photo near a neat backdrop. I fall more into the embarrassed category when caught in the act because it seems a little egotistical IMHO. As far as drone selfies, guilty there as well, but it’s usually for a good reason, but “heck to the no” if I’m going to let someone else fly my drone (this is a joke, our flight training clients fly our drones most of the time).
The Shot List
What are you trying to accomplish? Just for fun is an acceptable answer and can lead to some creative shots. Don’t forget about props, not those props, but rather an accessory that ties your image and personality to a hobby or passion. For example, if mountain bike riding is a passion, get some pictures with a bike, better yet, take video of yourself doing cool things. Using the “follow me mode” without being able to easily take over control of the drone, while popular, is a concern. Even some of the best drones in the business when it comes to obstacle avoidance, like the Skydio, may have trouble with the lack of foliage on the trees during winter.
Stills, Video or Both?
Stills are the easiest option with time taken to adjust the position of the shot as well as the camera settings (which we will address in a future article). After setting up the shot, the pilot can look at the camera and take the photo with ease. It’s easy to get distracted, for example, looking down to make sure your finger is hovering over the correct button and accidently taking a heads-down photo, ask me how I know.
Manually shooting video can be a little trickier, with no time to adjust the settings and frame the shot. It’s possible to eyeball that the camera is pointed at the subject (this would be you), but more than likely is that the camera would lose frame at certain times, this reminds me of the early days of drones that used an action camera but didn’t have a video feed (some call this the “spray and pray technique.”) A certain amount of the video will need to be edited or spliced together with other shots. Perhaps there’s a way to subtly look down using your eyes only to keep frame but if the shot is close viewers will notice.
Using the automatic circling (or orbiting) feature of the drone is awesome but care should be taken with the set-up. A typical modern drone can be set with an altitude and distance away from the subject. Be aware, some drones have certain minimum orbit distance, a non-starter unless the drone has good zoom qualities.
The best suggestion is to select a wide-open area, because how many people will get out a tape measure to see where a thirty-foot orbit will take the drone. Trees, powerlines, and structures are all lurking out there to take down your drone quicker than you can say, “hit the cancel button.”
Safety First
Use “Cinema Mode” for maximum smoothness and safety and because there is no really good reason (in the majority of cases) to do ultra fast flying.
We have a rule in flight training, take-off and go to an altitude a couple of feet higher than the tallest person at the practice field. When it comes to selfies that would mean flying higher than your height. The reason is that if your brain says “zig” and the drone zags you won’t have a face full of prop blades.
My only disclaimer is that sometimes a photographer might want to shoot from a low angle. The low angle is a technique used in the film industry to make bad guys look more intimidating, or taller. We’re all adult here, so the risk with this shot is a decision that will need to be evaluated.
Be aware that selfies require the camera to be pointed at the subject, the area of reverse command, where left is right, right is left, and forward is back, back is forward.
Circle mode (a.k.a. point of interest or orbit) moves (or features) can be set up as video or stills depending on the capability of the drone app used. If the drone has the capability, stills can be programmed to be taken at certain points around the orbit.
While there are several drone manufacturers that market to people in sports displaying outstanding footage of using the “follow” feature. As mentioned earlier, even the best obstacle avoidance systems can have limitations, like leafless trees and powerlines.
Use the drone’s zoom capability to create an extra safety buffer. Distance allows the pilot to have more time to maneuver the drone if it goes out of control (either self-inflicted or a signal issue for instance).
General Best Practices
It also goes without saying, a good selfie is one that generally close to the subject, or a compromise between the unique backdrop and the subject, keeping in mind the conversation we had about risk. In the film business a close shot is primarily just the subjects face, medium shots from the torso up, then full body length photos. Try a variety of these type shots from a variety of angles. The magic is in either the single photo or how the shots are put together. How about a variety of stills and video.
Exercises
1. Four Corners: Take a picture from the front, sides, and back of the subject.
2. Experiment with the lighting, your position relative to the sun (or light source) and camera settings.
3. Set up a “dolly shot” video where the drone is flying left to right or right to left with the camera pointed at the subject.
4. Tri-pod mode: As the name suggest it follows using yaw control only while holding position. Film walking to “stage center,” turn towards the drone and fold your arms.
5. Dronie mode: Close-up then “up and away (backward).” Follow up with hand flying the same shot. I like to have a consistent backward speed while using the throttle to control the framing as altitude increases.
6. Use Circle or point of interest mode but also hand fly one to increase flying skills. Remember to consider obstacles.
7. Experiment with Rocket, Boomerang, and Helix modes (in addition to Point of Interest or Circle mode), which are the names of the DJI QuickShot series of programmed maneuvers. While it can be easy to get outside the bounds of a selfie, these modes could be used combined with close in shots.
It’s a Wrap
Mastering the art of the selfie can be as simple or complex as the pilot/subject wants it to be. We suggest using the building block method to gaining skills in this area. If you need to spend more time looking at the display initially, no big deal, just delete those shots. Always keep in mind that while using programmed maneuvers the cancel button should be at your fingertips. If you want to take your selfies and flight skills to the next level by incorporating some of the advanced shots, your fan club will be forever grateful.
TC Freeman is the Chief Instructor for the RemotePilotAssociation.com (RPA) and has a passion for helping recreational and commercial drone pilots learn to fly and earn FAA commercial Remote drone Pilot certification through live, hybrid or self-study courses.
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Copyright 2023, Remote Pilot Association (TC Freeman)
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