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Drone

Aerial Panorama Photography using Drone Pan

Aerial Panorama Photography using Drone Pan

With the help of your DJI drone and the Drone Pan App for iOS or Android, you can create stunning aerial panorama photographs.  Using DronePan with my iOS device and my Phantom 4 Pro I created this test shot near my house, north of Seattle. I set the capture setting to shoot 25 images in JPEG mode. 

Next I took the images into my mac and used the app Hugin to stitch them together to create the panorama. Once I had leveled out the horizon to my liking, I then saved out a TIFF file for the next step in Photoshop. With the help of the Facebook community for the DronePan users group, they suggested that I use a new sky to replace my  grey wash of a sky. 

I then wanted to share my results with the Facebook community using Facebook's new 360 image module. I found the photoshop psd templates provided by Facebook, to create the 2:1 image for their module. 

Below is the image that I created, hosted using the Roundme platform. they have a great set of free and paid tools for 360 photography. I'm really looking forward to creating more of these as our weather gets better. 

Fly for Work/Business with UAS rule (14 CFR part 107)

Below are the basic things an operator must know for flying under the small UAS rule (14 CFR part 107):

Pilot Requirements:

  • Must be at least 16 years old
  • Must pass an initial aeronautical knowledge test at an FAA-approved knowledge testing center+
  • Must be vetted by the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA)

    +A person who already holds a pilot certificate issued under 14 CFR part 61 and has successfully completed a flight review within the previous 24 months can complete a part 107 online training course at www.faasafety.gov to satisfy this requirement.

For more information, read about Remote Pilot Certification.

Aircraft Requirements:

Operating Rules:

  • Class G airspace*
  • Must keep the aircraft in sight (visual line-of-sight)*
  • Must fly under 400 feet*
  • Must fly during the day*
  • Must fly at or below 100 mph*
  • Must yield right of way to manned aircraft*
  • Must NOT fly over people*
  • Must NOT fly from a moving vehicle*

    * All of these rules are subject to waiver

More info Here

The Winning Photos from DJI's 2016 SkyPixel Photo Contest

Some of the most amazing drone images in this year's contest. There are a few different categories in different skill levels that were submitted to.  The categories were "Drones in Use", "360 Photos" and "Beauty". The skill levels ranged from Professional to Enthusiast. 

See the winners here

Commercial Drone Photography Certification

I recently passed the FAA Part 107 test, to receive my commercial drone operators license. Now I'm officially licensed and commercially ready to take to the skies (where permitted). In the fleet I currently have a DJI Phantom 3 Standard, capable of 12MP HDR images, and 2.7K HD video. 

One thing that I really love about using an aerial drone to capture photography and video is that you can get some very unique angles that you were able to get from the ground. And that will increase your production value, and get you a much better end product.