how to use drones for amazing Aerial photography

In the last 2 or 3 years, Drone is added in the field of photography which creates a new perception of Photography – high flying aerial camera takes photos from a high viewpoint of the main subject. flying a camera using drone looks costly but I guarantee you won’t be disappointed. you can capture amazing pictures from the top using drones for amazing Aerial photography. Before use drones for photography, you should know basic rules and regulations for flying.

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Rules and Regulations for drones

Most countries have rules to follow, and while they can’t all be mentioned here, usually they are along the lines of these:

• The drone must always be in Line of Sight (LOS) – that basically means you should always be able to see it every time.
• Maximum Height 133 meters (400 feet)
• Never fly over groups of people, if may cause injur
• Respect others privacy
• No flying anywhere near airports and other no-fly zones as specified in each country

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It’s suggested you check with your local air safety authorities for particular details in your area.

Unique Views from drones

One thing you will love is the amazing patterns you find in the landscape when viewed from above. Drones allow you to get into the area that most planes and helicopters are not allowed to – below 300 feet. Google Maps makes a great starting point for finding locations that look worth visiting.

It certainly beats putting your camera on the end of a ten-foot pole.

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Shot Techniques and Maneuvers

Go Slow   My first recommendation to anyone filming with a drone is to go slow. Slow is more cinematic, and it gives the viewer the impression you are shooting from a larger platform, such as a helicopter. This subconsciously increases the production value and makes the shot appear more controlled and crafted.
Make sure you also go easy on the RC control sticks on the remote. Use gradual movements and remember to accelerate and decelerate slowly;otherwise, you will shake the camera around with the quicker movements, increasing your odds of having distortions or ‘jello effects’ on your footage.
Pre-plan and visualize as many of your aerial shots as you can. I
recommend scouting your filming location before your shoot so you can factor in limitations of the area. Knowing what you’ll need ahead of time
will also help you optimize your drone’s battery life, so you don’t run into a
situation where you miss the shot you truly need because your batteries
are out of power.

Use Two Axes of Movement
Imitate big-budget shots you see in movies, which are typically going to
have two axes of movement at the same time. An example would be flying
backwards and downwards at the same time, at a smooth, steady rate.

Strafe
Strafing or sideways movements also work quite well for showing
landscapes from a different perspective. Since most landscapes are
shown on aerial videos with the drone moving only forwards or backwards,
a strafing shot can stand out. It can also be an effective way to reveal cool
features in the landscape.

Orbit
Orbits can be achieved by having your drone strafe to the right or left, and also pulling the yaw stick in the opposing direction. (The yaw control is typically the control stick on the left side of the controller that controls the drone’s rotation.) It is crucial to go easy on the yaw control, or you’ll end up
spinning too quickly and spoiling the effect.

Fly-Through Shots
Fly-through shots can be quite cinematic, but they are going to be the most
risky since you’ll likely be relying only on your controller screen (FPV) in
order to navigate your drone. I wouldn’t attempt these unless you are
confident in your piloting skills. I’m personally not the biggest fan of these
shots, because when I see them it is a tell-tale sign that the shot was
filmed with a drone; this may distract your audience, making them think
more about the risk of the shot, instead of noticing the cinematography.

Gimbal Movements
You can also try gimbal movements combined with drone movements to
add another dimension to your shots. Doing this can give you up to three
axes of combined movement. One of my favorites is flying forward and
tilting the gimbal upwards to reveal the landscape.

Parallax
Add depth to your aerial scenes by taking advantage of extreme parallax
effects, often with trees or structures closer to the drone, which helps
provide a visual aid to the viewer for how large the surrounding landscape
actually is.

360 Pan
I don’t recommend just rotating on the yaw axis, or basically a 360 pan.
This is because drones typically have a hard time being precise with this
movement, and it can give the footage a whip-pan effect if you’re not
careful.

Weather and the Time of Day
When it comes to the weather, you are pretty much at the mercy of Mother
Nature. You’ll typically just want to fly on clear or cloudy days, and you’ll
want to avoid any rain, misting or heavy fog. This is particularly true on
colder days, since condensation can develop on the drone and the props,
which can freeze at higher altitudes. (I’ve seen this happen!)

Watch Out for Wind
The wind is the biggest enemy when it comes to the dreaded ‘jello’ effect
on footage. Avoid trying to get any of your drone shots on a windy day; I
typically don’t fly when the winds are over 20 mph or if there are frequent
heavy gusts. Most drones are rated to fly in up to 25–35 mph winds, but
the footage you record at these higher wind speeds will likely not be worth
your time.
I don’t recommend relying too heavily on programs like After Effects to
remove the jello effect from your footage either. Although After Effects can
do a good job at reducing these distortions, I’ve yet to see footage that has
been completely restored using its Warp Stabilization setting.

Sunrise and Sunset
Just like with ground-based cinematography, filming during the golden
hours of the day—at sunrise and sunset—will really help your footage
stand out. Shadows will be highly visible, which will help define terrain
features that aren’t as visible during the afternoon. Fewer people film at
these times, particularly sunrise, so by just doing this one step you are
already differentiating yourself from the surplus of aerial footage out there.

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Camera Settings for drones for photography

1. Use a Flat Image Profile
   Camera settings will also play a big role in how cinematic your shots
   appear. Make sure you film in the flattest camera profile possible, which
   should give you the most dynamic range from your aerial camera. Filming
   this way helps to prevent the sky and clouds from blowing out, while also
   retaining detail in the darkest points of the ground.
2. Set Your Shutter Speed
   Lower shutter speed if possible, especially on shots close to the ground, to
   avoid the strobing effect. Anything under 100th to 250th of a second is my
   recommendation, and use an ND filter if needed to keep your shutter
   speed down. Shooting at 500th or 100th of a second, which is common
   among drone cameras, will give you sharper frames, but it can give the
   footage some heavy strobing.
3. Post-Processing  Let’s go over some post-processing techniques I use in After Effects to get
4. better-looking results from my aerial shots.

1. Correct Distortion
   The first step is to remove any distortion from the footage, which is mainly
   going to be done if you filmed with a GoPro camera. You’ll get much better
   results if you shoot in 4K and are outputting the footage at 1080p; this
   gives you more pixel density in a 1080p composition and will help preserve
   image quality.
   I add my footage to a 1080p composition and then add the effect Optics
   Compensation. Check the box that says Reverse Lens Distortion, and
   for a GoPro I typically put the field of view between 70 and 80.
   If you want an even wider shot, you can check the box that says Optimize
   Pixels. This will widen up the shot back to the original width, but you’ll
   need to add black bars at the top and bottom, essentially converting this
   shot to a 2:35 aspect ratio.
2. Add Motion Blur
   If you had to film at a higher shutter speed, or if you are using a GoPro
   camera and don’t have control over shutter speed, you’ll probably want to
   add a motion blur effect to your footage in After Effects to make it look
   more natural.
   Use an effect like Pixel Motion Blur or the third-party plug-in Reel Smart
   Motion Blur. This will help add natural motion blur to your shot and will

1. Color Grade Your Footage
   Finally, the two best color grading plug-ins I recommend for aerial footage are Red Giant Colorista and Film Convert.
   Colorista is by far the best color corrector in After Effects and can also be used for color grading footage. It has a lot of options and versatility,
   especially in regards to tweaking the hue and saturation of specific colors in your scene.
   Film Convert is a film emulation plug-in that really can help differentiate your footage and give it a cinematic feel by adding a true film aesthetic.
   You can select from different film stocks and do some minor color
   correction. The film stocks help add cinematic value to your footage and help pull them away from the standard ‘drone video’ look.