How do they get rights to fly over iconic locations?

[wco81]

I came across a Shutterstock image of a photo over Central Park, from Pandora Pictures, a Shutterstock user.

https://www.shutterstock.com/g/pandorapictures?consentChanged=true

Their portfolio includes photos over the Thames river in London or Sydney Harbour, overlooking the Sydney Opera House.

These are all NFZ places, which I would assume is not at all available to recreational drone flights.

But in this case, this entity and other Shutterstock users are selling drone photos and videos at these forbidden locations.

So maybe they go through and get permits from these cities and other governmental agencies?


It's not cheap either. I once saw a large park south of Melbourne CBD and looked into getting right to fly and film over there. They didn't allow recreational flights, period.

But you could apply for a commercial permit and that included not only the permit application but you'd have to pay to have one of their people observe you. All in all, it looked like it would cost thousands, so it was more for film and TV productions, not even freelance photographers looking to sell a few photos and videos on Shutterstock or similar sites.

I looked up NYC drone permits and they have a $150 non-refundable permit fee but there's also the requirement to post flyers for any people who might be filmed during the drone flight?

unmanned-aircraft-systems-permits

But I don't imagine that they routinely approve permits from anyone or else they'd get a lot of permit applications, even with the $150 fee.

And for people wanting to fly for TV or film, the permit fees are probably a lot steeper.

So how do people who sell stock photos and videos get permission? Or do they not bother to get permission from cities but these stock sites will let them sell media without guarantees that they weren't captured through illegal drone flights?

Well Youtube used to be full of videos of illegal flights, like people circling Big Ben or the Eiffel Tower.

 

[MM2]

Check out 'the dronalist' on Youtube. He is always asked in the comments how he gets permission to fly in such exotic/iconic locations. He never answers the question of course. We all know why.

 

[DanJ]

Many people do it illegally. Without permission.
The national parks in Canada are a good example.
I see plenty of drone shots from Jasper and Banff and I doubt that they got permission.

 

[Cafguy]

Permits to film commercially can go into the thousands of Dollars. L.A. for example requires the streets around you to be closed and that area must be guarded by L.A. police officers....... all on your dime! The same is true in all larger cities. So the bigger your shoot the more it is gonna cost you.
I don't think these photo sites really ask or care really if you are flying legally when you got a picture. The person who needs to be careful is the end user. The person that ends up actually using the photo without doing their research can end up with a lawsuit on their hands. When found these pics and videos are Reported by others to the FAA and then investigated. The fines levied should be MORE than enough to keep you from being tempted to do it. In some parts of the Los Angeles National Forest Flying a Drone will get you a fine of over 30 thousand bucks!!! (In a condor preserve don't even think about Drones).

Well Youtube used to be full of videos of illegal flights

Those flights are Reported to the FAA so much that I am sure they had to hire someone just to take the reports! lol.
Those people face their Day in court and with solid evidence such as pics and videos... They will regret the decision to publish their antics.
I know a few Professionals and they will tell you that You would be surprised where you can fly and the video you can take if you Simply ASK and COOPERATE with the officials in charge.

 

[mavic3usa]

Permits to film commercially can go into the thousands of Dollars. L.A. for example requires the streets around you to be closed and that area must be guarded by L.A. police officers....... all on your dime! The same is true in all larger cities. So the bigger your shoot the more it is gonna cost you.
I don't think these photo sites really ask or care really if you are flying legally when you got a picture. The person who needs to be careful is the end user. The person that ends up actually using the photo without doing their research can end up with a lawsuit on their hands. When found these pics and videos are Reported by others to the FAA and then investigated. The fines levied should be MORE than enough to keep you from being tempted to do it. In some parts of the Los Angeles National Forest Flying a Drone will get you a fine of over 30 thousand bucks!!! (In a condor preserve don't even think about Drones).

Those flights are Reported to the FAA so much that I am sure they had to hire someone just to take the reports! lol.
Those people face their Day in court and with solid evidence such as pics and videos... They will regret the decision to publish their antics.
I know a few Professionals and they will tell you that You would be surprised where you can fly and the video you can take if you Simply ASK and COOPERATE with the officials in charge.

Thank goodness for AI which will put an end to *all* of this nonsense. That's if you believe it exists in the first place.

The only thing you mentioned I agree with is the "condor preserve" and guess what? You don't see those videos on YT (that I can tell). Should tell you something (i.e. trying to prevent someone from flying a drone in and around the golden gate bridge is patently ridiculous).

 

[SethB]

…
I don't think these photo sites really ask or care really if you are flying legally when you got a picture. The person who needs to be careful is the end user. The person that ends up actually using the photo without doing their research can end up with a lawsuit on their hands….

Examples?

 

[SkyeHigh]

Not a problem over Sydney Harbour… but strictly no drones. Regular scenic helicopter flights with doors off, fly along the harbour and over the bridge and Opera House. Did just that in the past - before I got into drones.

 

[DARKSeifer]

You don't ask for permission, hit&run is the only way you are going to get good photographs. You wait on the ground till the planets align, and when the lighting is good you fly.

5 minutes airborne is all you need to get the pics and is fast enough that even with Aeroscope/RID enabled they won't get you. 10+ minutes and you'll get fried.

You can repeat in several days/locations, and you'll never get caught if you take off from private property or far places. In FCC you have 1Km where you don't even have to point the controller and up to 3Km where you can fly well even if the takeoff place has some light obstructions.

Then never confirm the pics were made with a drone, just say they are "aerial perspective". Before drones, on urban environments, you usually asked for permission to owners to get to the top of a close building and that's a 100% legal way of getting an “aerial shot”. They also could be “done” with a copter, a captive balloon (those where you hang a camera and are legal to fly almost everywhere), a plane, etc.

PS: Hit&run in photography/videography has been there since the early days, whenever you needed a shot, you just did it. You can't submit the art to the bureaucracy, so just get your **** together, take the drone out of the bag and fly.

 

[wco81]

Not a problem over Sydney Harbour… but strictly no drones. Regular scenic helicopter flights with doors off, fly along the harbour and over the bridge and Opera House. Did just that in the past - before I got into drones.

I considered doing that but didn't do it. If you climb up to that Harbour Bridge tower, you might get a good aerial view.

However, it seems a bit unfair, those licensed helicopter flights must bring a lot of revenues so they're allowed but drones, which present much smaller risk to property damage and people getting injured or killed are banned.

It's similar in places like Hawaii where it's a big part of the booming tourism economy.

 

[Mr Bowcat]

Better to ask forgiveness than permission maybe?

 

[SpitFire]

Better to ask, you may be surprised.

 

[Droning on and on...]

Better to ask forgiveness than permission maybe?

Forgiveness may include a sizable penalty of some sort, making the pain and cost of getting permission look like parking fees.

 

[Droning on and on...]

In the US, unless I'm forgetting something, if there isn't a TFR or other FAA flight restriction, so long as you take off and land from a location not restricted by the locals, you can fly around these landmarks and shoot all the pics and videos you'd like.

 

[AnzacJack]

Not a problem over Sydney Harbour… but strictly no drones. Regular scenic helicopter flights with doors off, fly along the harbour and over the bridge and Opera House. Did just that in the past - before I got into drones.

ive flown drones over Sydney harbour many times.
You just need to follow the rules, hold the qualifications and submit the correct paperwork.
I would assume most places around the world world be the same.

 

[wco81]

ive flown drones over Sydney harbour many times.
You just need to follow the rules, hold the qualifications and submit the correct paperwork.
I would assume most places around the world world be the same.

The rule for the Harbour appears to be permanent restricted space for recreational flights.

From OpenSky, the following screen shots:

 

[AnzacJack]

im aware of the maps.
like i said, qualifications and paperwork. Im not talking about recreational flights. I was merely pointing out that these areas can be flown in for various reasons, if need be.

 

[Kilrah]

Either they take the risk or they do everything right with the appropriate licenses and permits. More likely the latter, it's obviously their job that they wouldn't want to put at risk.

Sure it's expensive and time-consuming but stock photography has existed for decades, and investing both prep time and thousands into taking a photo that you believe may be able to be sold to enough people who'd rather pay hundreds to license yours than thousands to retake it themselves has been one of a photographer's jobs forever and is basically the definition of business.