Aerial photography is shooting from an aerial perspective. Early aerial photography mainly relied on helicopters or hot air balloons, where photographers used professional cameras to take pictures. However, this approach is very expensive and most people cannot afford it. As drone technology becomes increasingly mature, it is now more common to place the camera on the bottom of a remote-controlled drone and control the height and heading of the aircraft through the remote control. The viewing is free and flexible, and the cost is cheaper than that of a helicopter. Methods such as balloons are much lower. After simple training, the general public can operate an aerial drone to see the world from the sky.
With the influence of TV shows such as "Where Are We Going, Dad", aerial photography has received more and more attention in recent years. If one day you see an aerial photography plane aiming at you and making circles somewhere, you may have been "photographed"! Let’s learn the basics of aerial photography with a drone.
1. What equipment is needed for aerial photography?
The first is of course the aerial photography aircraft (drone), which is divided into two types: integrated and assembled. The one-piece type means that the aerial photography aircraft has a built-in camera function, that is, "ready to fly"; the assembled type means that you need to install the camera on the aircraft yourself. The camera you install yourself should be selected according to the size of the aircraft. Small quadcopters are generally equipped with GoPro; while six-axis and eight-axis aircraft with strong load capacity can be equipped with SLR cameras such as Canon 5D3.
2. How to ensure stable shooting when the aircraft shakes during flight?
Due to the influence of wind and airflow, it is inevitable for the drone to vibrate during flight. In order to ensure stable shooting during flight, drones are generally equipped with a gimbal. The gimbal, if simply understood, is a stabilizing device. A good gimbal can ensure that the camera's shaking range in the horizontal and vertical directions does not exceed 0.05 degrees no matter how the aircraft shakes. This stabilizing effect is much better than shooting with the camera by hand.
3. Is aerial photography expensive?
This depends on the purpose of your aerial photography. If you are just an individual hobbyist and just want to take photos or videos from different angles while out and about or traveling, then just buy a "ready-to-fly" drone. The price ranges from more than 2,000 to more than 7,000. wait. For example, France's Parrot third-generation drone parrot bebop drone only costs 3,699 yuan on Taobao, and the DJI Phantom Vision comes with a 14-megapixel camera and only costs 4,999 yuan.
Although the effect of the drone's built-in camera is good for ordinary people, if you are an enthusiast, or your aerial photography is for commercial purposes and you want to pursue higher-definition and more realistic effects, think of yourself Assembling or modifying other parts of the drone may require a relatively high investment.
4. Is it difficult to operate a ready-to-fly aerial photography drone?
Generally speaking, the learning threshold for aerial photography drones for ordinary consumers is not high. Read the product manual carefully. Finally, after dozens of minutes of training, you can control the drone well. However, it should be noted that some small aerial photography aircraft (such as Parrot) can be positioned with the help of cameras and can fly indoors; while drones (such as DJI Phantom series) that can only be positioned through GPS have poor indoor GPS signals. , it is very difficult to operate, and it is not recommended for beginners to fly indoors. Even outdoors, it is generally recommended to fly in open areas and places with little traffic. Open areas generally have better GPS signals, so the aerial photography aircraft can hover autonomously, allowing you to focus on shooting and truly enjoy the fun of shooting.
5. How high can an aerial photography aircraft generally fly?
Generally speaking, when an aircraft the size of the DJI Phantom flies to an altitude of 100 meters (about a 30-story building) When it is so high), it is basically difficult for the human eye to see the outline of the aircraft clearly. For aerial photography aircraft, the height that they can fly mainly depends on geographical conditions.
In open areas without electromagnetic interference, several mainstream drones can fly up to 1,000 meters. However, if aerial photography is performed near high-rise buildings, the aircraft will be interfered by the surrounding electromagnetic fields and can only fly to a height of more than 100 meters.
6. Do aerial photography planes use batteries? How long can they fly at a time?
Yes, aerial photography aircraft generally use rechargeable batteries, which can fly from a few minutes to dozens of minutes when fully charged. When the same aircraft is fully charged, there is a difference in flight time with wind and without wind. Since one battery can normally fly for 20 to 30 minutes, it is recommended to prepare one or two more batteries in advance when taking aerial photography. When the battery on the plane is insufficient, remove it and install another fully charged battery. The overall flight time can be Greatly extended.
7. Can aerial photography also take videos?
Yes, of course. Since the plane carries a camera with independent functions, since ordinary cameras can take videos, aerial photography aircraft can also take videos in addition to taking photos. Since drones are generally equipped with a stabilizing gimbal, the videos taken will have better results.
8. How to ensure safety when taking aerial photography?
First of all, you must be familiar with the "temper" of the aircraft. You must read the product manual carefully. It is recommended to read it at least twice and practice a lot. Secondly, try to fly in open areas with low traffic. In principle, do not take off in crowded places. In addition, try to add as many protective devices as possible, such as paddle protective covers, parachutes for large drones, etc.
9. Why are aerial photography aircraft so much more expensive than small model aircraft?
This is because their positioning is completely different. Small model aircraft mainly allow us to experience the feeling of flight control. They generally do not come with a camera (even if they do, the camera is less effective), and the flight control experience is also very average. Aerial photography aircraft integrates many high-tech equipment. In addition to high-quality cameras, it also comes with high-tech gadgets such as GPS/gyroscope/head/compass/flight control system. The purpose is to make the aerial photography control experience as "foolproof" as possible. ", so that ordinary people can also enjoy aerial photography. For example, it is impossible for an aerial photography aircraft costing several hundred yuan to hover autonomously outdoors, but this function is standard for aerial photography aircraft. At the same time, in terms of key parameters such as flight altitude and flight time, the two are completely incomparable.