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Aerial Introduction Q and A

any questions from you All in terms of, um, anything that you saw there. Okay, fine. Doing Yes. Well, I said it for me, for a complete novice. I didn't get into this because prior to the advent of GPS on gyroscopic stabilized copters, you would never even think about when I wouldn't even think about flying it. Because every horror story I heard about flying manually flying a helicopter again, especially ones that were single or double bladed. You know, single access helicopters were just horrific. And maybe Adam, you can speak to that in terms of what you went through in the early days. But the difficulty in terms off flying them, especially in any kind of breeze, must have been just terrific. Biggest challenge really was what we call pilot induced oscillation. You're trying t o keep your aircraft stable so that you can capture photograph, and if you have it out, you know, 3 400 feet. It just looks like a dot in the sky and you make it starts to drift in the wind. You make a correction...

. By the time that correction is noted, it's doing something else, and you start to get this oscillation going and one time actually flipped over, was coming down, realized what happened. Caught at the last moment, the whole thing in a safe. But my knees were shaking. So will you, and you're gonna get that flying copters is kind of like motorcycles. It's not when you're if you're gonna crash, it's win. So you will. And that's really is a good one of the first tips I'll give you is don't buy copter more expensive than you're willing to lose, because there's a good chance that you're gonna bend or break it or do something to it. So don't buy anything more than you're not willing toe depart with quite quickly. It's interesting that oscillation is something still, even with these copters you take after take into account cause, like you said, if you compensated here doing this and then you compensate by overcompensating in doing this, then the wind is trying to take it this way, and then the wind is trying to. The wash is trying to take it this way, and you're fighting against itself so you can still get that even with the gyroscope that's going to do its best to say Look, you're an idiot. What are you doing? You know, and try and stabilize it. This area, especially on dissent I've found if you get too carried away with the fast descent, is it has that potential. And as soon as it does this, obviously, if it's pointing this way, it's no longer making it not go down. It's going this way. And if you're bringing it down and it starts doing this very little of that wind is keeping you up, right? And the potential for it having an uncontrolled descent is definitely there. Fortunately, again, with the nice thing about D G I is it actually limits how fast you can descend. They put that into software. You can ascend very, very quickly and control the scent is very easy to dio. I'm going to see when we get into, um, video. See if I've got another clip here. One of the things that I like to do, like you saw in that, um, Hotel del Coronado I'm shot is, um, pull back very fast. Pull back where you start with an establishing shot. That person in video really doesn't even know that it's an aerial shot. You're shooting it usually at eye level and just get this nice stabilized lock. And then, of course, the pullback reveal that you're actually in a flying machine is a very cool shots, one of my favorite shots and, um and with that, um, it's also very stable shot of being able to pull back and go up at the same time. So ascent is a very controlled, stable way of shooting. And so anyway, yes, yes, sure. From a Ronald Clerks, he says. We've always been told if you want to do panoramic photography would need to stable tripod and preferably panoramic head. I'm curious how the drones compare have the drones. Stability compares with a tripod, and a second part of that question is whether you process your panoramic shots in the same way you do your normal pan. Is it a stable tripod? No, that would be pretty darn cool, because even my handheld isn't as stable as a tripod. Is it a stable as handheld? No. Is it stable enough to do Panos? Obviously, yes, it's amazing, and I would say that the success of your panel is as much to do with the prowess of photo shop as it is with the ability to have a stabilize shot. Depending upon how much when there is, you actually can get an incredibly stabilized shut from these GPS locked copters. You do want that? The copters, Congar. I don't know if there's an upper limit to satellite locks. 12 you get 14 orm or I don't know. Yeah, So the number of satellites triangulating on your position is what's giving you the greatest amount of stability. So you're gonna want six orm or satellites to get a stable lock. If you're gonna dio Pano without having a good satellite lock, it's gonna be very challenging. Even yesterday, when I was shooting this panorama here, we had enough wind going on even though you couldn't tell. And also, I was quite sure that there's really no I had to go to several different places yesterday here in Seattle. I was doing some parks around here, away from people. Fortunately, there was the game yesterday, so nobody was in Seattle in the afternoon. Everybody was glued to the TV or watching the Seahawks game. Um, but the number of skyscrapers was really limiting the number of satellites that I could link into, and I actually couldn't even fly do test shots in some of the open fields that were closer into town. So here I was able to get again. 56 It actually, you'll notice when we showed this footage, it actually was going in and out of a complete satellite, a satellite lock, which was interesting for May because it's so open. So it's very stabilized. The thing to keep in mind, as I mentioned before, is that you're basically shooting with a fish eye lens. So all the rules that would go with shooting a panorama with a fish eye would come into play, regardless of the fact of whether you're in the air on the ground. So those are the things that we're gonna compensate for. Fortunately, one of the main addicts of aerial photography right now is Russell Brown, the creative director and adobe crazy Doc Brown. And he, because of his passion for drone photography, has made sure that the lens profiles for both the current GoPro's and the current deejay visions are built into both adobe camera raw as well as like room, so you can get rid of the inherent distortion based upon the fisheye lens directly in those pieces of software, and that helps tremendously when it comes to stitching a panel. So we'll get into that this afternoon. We will such a few panels, but it's all things considered very, very stable. This is in C. This is almost a sunset you can't quite see because we had the wonderful Seattle cloud cover. Um, but its ability to shoot in low light and, um is amazing at a high enough shutter speed to stabilize the shot. So it's all automatic. From that standpoint, you're not using a shutter speed priority or anything in these copters. You do have the ability to do exposure, compensation and said, and I s O. But because you can't really set a shutter speed or aperture, usually an auto eso. But again, we'll get into that when we get into the app in the shooting settings in the application. But very good question. And it is again for a photographer disability to shoot raw, take control exposure to get a stable I shot even in low light like you saw those panorama is taken way past sunset out on the coast. It's amazing it's, you know, it's a game changer. And again, that was probably a situation when, you know, in the olden days, what camera could you lift? And what were your parameters? You'd have to do what you'd have to set up prior to doing the shoot. You know, all those things have now just become so much simpler. Even somebody like me can get a halfway decent shot. Yeah. Good question. Was looking to see if there Waas? Yes. Question. This is really cool. I had not quite gotten to where I had absorbed its its existence. Really? And I'm wondering, are we going to have a chance to see a demonstration? We won't see a demonstration inside this studio when it was expected to rain today. So going outside and on all that's involved in that we do have the instructional files here. So this was yesterday, me setting it up and shooting. So we did some of that. So we will do some that I even did just for you guys, Um, the virtual reality mouth go pro in the mouth footage. So which is had a little thing over here, which is very actually worked out quite fun for you to be able to get the feeling for the environment and the app. You can see what the camera is shooting and seeing. So yeah, we'll do as close as I could get to, you know, doing some life stuff we will. And just a minute we're going Teoh set up through the drone, the copter, and go through some of the parts. I am gonna turn it on so we can go through the apse and everything else like that. We have the ability to project the mobile device. That's another great thing about the DJ I copters is that they're controlled via mobile APS. So again, you get your first person view based upon your own cellphone, which is awesome, which we can project. So we'll be able to go through all those different settings. But we're aren't in this brick and steel building able to get anywhere near close enough of a lock toe, actually, try and fly in here that we do have a little drone, you've got it right there. So very little drug. You can bring that. Bring that up or we'll put that that's got to go with lightness. Is just too cool. That is actually a really real drone, which is just so awesome. It's got a 10. 80 p camera. I know it doesn't. It doesn't have any camera in there, but it is an awesome little drone. And actually, I will be using this to demonstrate some of the different shooting capabilities when we get into the intelligent orientation controls. But that was awesome that we can fly in here that when you could basically flying somebody's eye and it's not gonna hurt him. But what we will do is when we do get to the point of controlling the copter as if it was flying, I'm gonna actually take the blades back off. And so there's no chance of it doing a rogue launch. I've never seen. I've never done it. But there are certain safety things, and that's what one of the things we're going to get into is that basically, you've got a loaded gun, right? These things have the potential of doing some serious damage to yourself and those around and small animals and all sorts of things. It's one of the reasons I actually have a Siris of carbon fiber blades, which are nice. They reduce vibration, maybe allow for longer flying times. But they're just razor blades in the air. So unless you've got proper guards on, you know, basically safety first. Caution, Caution, Caution. So in this case, we're not gonna get anywhere close to flying inside of this. This room here. Yeah, that's fun is that would be, but hopefully some of the footage will give you a feeling for it. I mentioned Russell Brown, Russell Brown, um, where you can find it. Russell brown dot com to esses and two l's russell brown dot com, because he has this passion for doing photography has got a number of little instructional things on doing working with drones. Two more people that are absolutely excellent at drone instruction would be Jeff Foster. He's got actually a think the to day, Or is it a three day class to day class here at Creative Live on Drone Photography, where he pokes is a lot more in the video aspect of it and soup to nuts and all sorts of different copters, including commercial grade ones and then the other one of Colin Smith from Photoshopped Cafe. Excellent person who's been applying for a long time. He often works with Russell Brown and helps out with the his drone classes and things like that. So I can't recommend those three folks enough. And of course, there's a lot of other people. But those are all friends of mine that I highly recommend their instruction. Okay, any other questions? Yes, in regards to the national park situation is, Is there any talk about there being maybe particular times that professionals Congar oh, out or anything like that? Or is it completely shut down altogether for drone access, it's completely shut down. As far as I know, there is no easy exception. Without a special permit, your you would have to go through all the legal geopolitical hoops in order to get access to it. They've Even now, if you probably heard, forget the drone aspect of it. If you can't use, you can't shoot in a national park. A still photograph if it's for a commercial shoot without a permit. In other words, and supposedly it Z even not that you could post it, but their limitations even on still photography. They're just kind of going a little crazy, which is a little bit, considering that there are national parks and our taxpaying dollars for a person with camera to worry about taking a shot and selling a landscape of what is a national land, a beautiful landscape for me. I mean, you think of all the commercial photographers who made a living selling landscape photography of our national parks and that now is something that has to be done with special permit. Um, so I'm afraid that that things are only going to get tighter in terms of those restrictions. Hopefully, the permit process will continue to simplify for certainly still photography. And then right now the licensing, possibly of drone operators, so people can use it for commercial purposes like real estate. You know, it's silly that a person couldn't, you know, make some sort of income from real estate photography with a drone. It's There's no reason why you can't aside from the fact of yes, let's have some basic training. Remember, all the the FCC rules related to this situation were devised way back in the day of really early remote controlled photographer, not photography, remote control toys. You know, you're sitting in a baseball lot, you know, running your little remote controlled toy so that the original things never envisioned where we are Now. That person is going to take a drone down Fifth Avenue, New York, and crash into, you know, Coca Cola sign or something like that. So it makes sense that they would have to come up and update all the laws. The question is how strange it is that gonna be. And unfortunately, there's enough associations associated with aerial photography and drone photography and drones in general that we're getting a bit of a voice. You know, Adam, get your take on whether they're doing a good job or moving way too slow or they're moving a little bit slow. Yeah, on that they originally said they would have, you know, proper regulation in place by 2012. So here we are, you know, going on three years later. Still still nothing official. So they are saying it's coming, though, and we're all just waiting in the wings for it. So right now, the things that I'll just jump on it, because the question your limitations are, you have to be away from airport. Can't be anywhere close to it. You're not supposed to be any than significantly populated areas. You have to be below 400 feet. Those are the main three, I would say right there. Is there another main Wishing from full size manned aircraft is really the primary. Yeah. So the airports is one, actually, the latest update for the Phantom Vision software. I won't even allow you to take off if you're close to an airport, which is again is great, knows every single thing that's around you. And so D. J. I really, I think is on the top of it, on top of it, in terms of that sort of thing. So thief feet limit in terms of elevation is important, and not by any airports and things like that. And then a lot of that, the rest of it is gonna be common sense. But that's where probably the regulation is going to come in where it really is going to be in terms of what designates a populated area. And, you know, what are those restrictions gonna be? And how much time do you need logged and who's gonna be the instructor? So you could be a certified, you know, flyer, and you know what commercial things can you do? How much can you make? All those things are still in the works. Yeah, I was gonna say place like canyon douche would probably require. Still, you have to get approval from the tribe or something. But it's not a national park. It's owned by the Navajo tribe. You. That's a very good question. Whether the Navajo land or Indian Native American land in general or First Nation land in general, um has come up with any unified restrictions for drones. I haven't heard of any, but there certainly could be something. I don't know if if tribes of both Canada and North America would have come up with that, but I'm obviously there's plenty of places that are not considered national parks is a huge number of places where you can fly. I recommend that all your starting be as far away from people and property and large objects and hopefully water as well. That was, unfortunately, never lost a drone. Excuse me in the ocean. Um, but the big, wide open field, you know, head out to you know, Timbuktu and do all your trials there. Especially when we get into this this idea of intelligent orientation control and some remote flying, which is awesome capabilities. That was another recent update for the drone, the D J AI software that allows you to put in way points so you can actually fly your copter by marking points on a GPS map and have it automate the flying process. Will you focus on shooting Awesome. Fantastic. Glad that will be able to at least touch on that a bit today. These air. I was just saying, This is a friends will just do this little one here. The pullback for May is one of the funnest ways of shooting. And, uh, just makes for a, you know, a great reveal, as it's known in in film areas. Is this idea of, you know, this is Pacific Palisades. This is where I grew up. Don't live here anymore. But another great videographer, Art director, cinematographer, friend of mine, Gino's Andrews. That was his house that we just pulled back from rough life. I know. And the other thing that we're gonna touch on deals with safety which wouldn't use as a starting point, but, um, the takeoff and landing specifically the landing of the drones. This I'm probably breaking a lot of rules here because I have small Children that are super ansi and I'm going to actually land grab the drone out of the sky. But between you and I and don't tell any other students out there in TV land, if at all possible, I grab the drone out of the sky to land it so there's no chance of it bouncing on the ground and tipping over. So that little area right there it is so stable. And if you're cautious, there's really no problem at all. You can see that I've, you know, stop the blades before I put it into the small Children's faces. Uh, there's really is one of the nicest ways Teoh land your copter in that way. You also you don't get the dust or dirt all the things that's gonna be kicked up when you're actually land on the ground. But that would be an advanced a feature that, um, we'll touch on late later, okay? And those are good questions in terms of safety and some FCC regulations and things like that. So glad we already touched based on some of that great questions over here. You know, I just feel free to chime in. Eve's wants to know, Can you talk to us a little bit about the weight limitations of the deejay? Well, basically the great thing with the phantom mission to which will start. Actually, you've got yours right here. Adam, could you bring yours up on that? We might as well I'm gonna unpack mind. But this is my drone of choice right here. This is the phantom vision to Plus. And as you can see, it's got its own camera on board and with a very nice gimble. Very nice stabilized situation. When we turn it on, you'll see the gamble in operation. So this is aside from you can put a few little shots keys on it, but it's not meant to carry any payload whatsoever. Aside from the camera, the phantoms that don't have the word vision in it do not have their own camera. So you're gonna bring your own camera, and that would be a situation where you'd be bringing in something like a GoPro and they're basically set up for a GoPro. I don't know of anybody that put has put anything other than a GoPro onto a phantom copter. Um, and there's really no reason to that the GoPro, especially the hero, the GoPro hero for that just came out as I mentioned, is an amazing camera. You've got one of those yet, plus, before haven't Yes, Four should be in this afternoon. Um, I ordered one, and we should have one here. Not that we're gonna be able to play with it, but anyway, I just need to have it as soon as possible. So in terms of the weight, the GoPro is basically the set up. The great thing about the GoPro is the battery lasts forever. They're integrated in with the D G I Siri's. They've got special adapters to allow for first person view. They're an excellent way to go if the Phantom two with its three d gimble, is what I would recommend. And it's a great set up if you're gonna be shooting with anything. Other event, let's say a micro 4/ or a small DSLR. Some people are using that the cannon, the rebels, in concert with the bigger Usually there's gonna be a hex, a copter, you know, six plated device that's gonna be able to lift enough of a pay loved to have a DSLR micro 4/3 camera on it that gets, and that's a whole another level of complexity and cost and also obviously as mentioned before you have to be willing to lose whatever it is that you put in the air. And therefore, by taking a hex, a copter as well as a DSLR up into the air, you know you're cost potential, goes up almost exponentially. So, um, what's your largest copter that you have at a helicopter is capable of lifting a large DSR. Okay, so eight bladed copter, basically a flying guillotine. Some of those air fantastic in terms of their how heavy duty they are. John Corn, fourth, is a friend of mine who does aerial photography. Fantastic Photographer went down Teoh, Tonga with him and brand Forbes, and he was shooting at the coast down in my area, and he's got again a hex, a copter, but is using a commercial DSLR on a gimbal and it's beautiful footage. So again, if you're going to be shooting commercial footage, the one thing that is going to be required is to have an option other than a fish eye lens. And that's the problem with the GoPro. As nice as it is, there are no lens options and that fish I is cool, but it's a very specific look, and that's not how the eye sees. So if you're trying to blend in copter footage into some non copter movie, then that's a little disorienting. Especially if there's any significant movement where you've got this distortion at the edges of a fish eye lens and where the benefit of having a DSLR something with multiple lens options comes into play. Even if you're using a wide angle, it's not a fisheye. And so I'd say, especially when you're even thinking about in commercial applications. Getting one of these Hexi copters or Arctic copter is going to be a requirement. But again, start, start here. Okay, you know, 30 bucks on eBay and then move up. Teoh. Some of the new ones, Like I said, D. J. Has just come out with the under $1000 great one, especially for photography that has most of the capabilities of their big boy cameras. So good. Any other questions? Okay, Okay, yes. Is it possible to ensure these like you Would any photographic equipment? Absolutely. Um, do you have a ah company? That's kind of we known. Renowned for ensuring copters. I've used the Hartford before. They were during mean state farm. There's different, different companies. Usually, what you can do a lot of times is even like with Amazon and others. You know, the really big companies that are selling these and you can get all these on Amazon as well is that they offer warranties, usually by third party companies, for it, for no questions asked Replacement. So that's maybe the easiest way to do it is basically, you get a warranty on the hardware, just as if you were putting a warranty on a regular camera or printer or something, they just portion haven't figured out yet that most people who do that will probably use that warranty. And but if everybody gets a warranty than it obviously is with the insurance, So that is something I would definitely recommend, usually either adding it to some sort of insurance policy You may have already is a homeowner or something like that Renter's insurance, property insurance, or just get the warranty at the time of purchase. Yeah, you cannot go wrong in that. And Amazon is an example is great. Amazon will send you out a replacement even before you send back the product. That has a problem. But it has to be a problem with the product came out wrong. It's not that you crashed it, so you can't, you know, use that. And you certainly couldn't have you bought it at a best buy or, you know, prize or wherever else you could buy it. A crash is gonna diss, you know, disallow any sort of coverage. Except if you got a no questions asked Warranty. So that's what I would definitely recommend.