Remote Pilot Association

As wedding celebrations continue to evolve, couples are constantly seeking unique and memorable ways to capture their special day. One of the latest trends gaining popularity is the use of drones to document weddings from breathtaking aerial perspectives. The stunning imagery and creative possibilities that drones offer have made them an invaluable addition to wedding photography and videography. In this article, we will explore the art of using drones for weddings and provide essential tips for capturing extraordinary aerial shots that will leave couples and guests in awe. The following are six considerations that are critical when shooting a wedding.   1. Understanding the Regulations:   Before incorporating a drone into any wedding, it's vital to understand and comply with the legal and regulatory aspects of drone operations. Familiarize yourself with the local airspace restrictions, FAA guidelines, and obtain any necessary permits or waivers required for flying in specific...

If I had a nickel every time a person came up, usually while I’m flying or getting ready to fly, and ask questions about my drone. Top question, “How much does that drone cost?” I’m sure you agree about this well worn question, but this is better than having a confrontation with an irate person. The good news is that there are certain techniques we will discuss that can be used to interact with folks or at least mitigate the situation to finish the flight mission.      Source: CanStockPhoto We were asked to do a photo job of the downtown of a major city. The photo would ultimately be turned into an artistic rendering to be put on t-shirts, mugs, calendars and the like. You might be asking who uses a physical calendar, and I would agree but guess there is a market somewhere.  The challenge going into the mission was picking a spot that would conceal us from too many onlookers and safe with respect to not flying over people. A vacant dirt parking lot seemed to foot the...

Debriefing is an important thing to do after every flight mission no matter how easy the job. I’m always learning new things from not only myself but my team after a mission. Our debriefings are categorized under two topics; what we did right and what we can do better. While we don’t always have this luxury, one of the big take-aways on a recent flight was the importance of spending time at the proposed LZ well before the mission to evaluate the environment. Source: FAA Safety Team and NASA I was shooting video at the beach, not on the beach but at a large inlet waterway with a scenic bridge, a very nice setting to say the least. The Visual Observer and I had scoped out the area earlier in the day and found a good LZ, a turn-off area just before the bridge. This was perfect for parking with a good amount of space for the drone to take-off and land. The idea was to get a video of the inlet at sunset (a good time to remember the :30 minutes after civil twilight regulation).  Since it...