Question for those flying a few years

[julius13]

I suppose we all experience this. I go and find things that are unusual that most people overlook. Abandoned buildings, trains, night shots, etc. I have thousands of images from my backyard and neighborhood. Looking at some over the years is kinda interesting. When I couldn’t find anything interesting I worked on my flying skills by doing things like descending into an abandoned smoke stack, flying around old water towers, etc. it keeps me on my toes and frankly makes me a better pilot. The reality is though, you will get pretty bored so there is no getting around having to travel outside your area to keep the creative juices flowing.

 

[Buzzman]

I practically never run out of material for photography. In addition to extensive travel, I have virtually covered every part of my local geographic environment. I have broadened my photographic options by mixing many forms of still photography, and video with my drone photography and I use these various multi-media forms for my video shows. Examples: (1) I have spent 5 years learning and perfecting TIMELAPSE photography. At first I did timelapse with only a tripod. Then I branched out by purchasing a motion slider. (2) Osmo or Go Pro video camera. These amazing cameras can do regular video, timelapse, slow motion, hyperlapse, and other things. (3) iPhone video. Purchase one of the better Apple iPhones (I have the iPhone 11 Pro Max). It has 4K video, timelapse, slow motion, rfegfular images. (4) Osmo Pocket (5) Hyperlapse photography. (6) ASTRO-photography.

Each of these topics or cameras can provide for hours and hours of fun shooting. Then, take the time to really learn a video editing program. I assure you, there will never be enough time.
In the US, even with Covid-19, I think flying is relatively safe. I flew two flights in each direction to our summer trip in Montana. You can jump on a plane for a long week-end to places nearby in your state, or anywhere else. For examples of some of my most recent multi-media videos I would refer you to my last 4 videos on Vimeo. Here you will view examples of multi-media videos taken with all of the above tools.

As a little boy, I once told my mom I was bored. She told me, a bored person is a boring person. Teach yourself. Try to learn astrophotography, learn video editing, use different video sources, learn to fly with some of the automated flight modes....

Your Vimeo URL link seems to be broken. :-(

 

[El Dedos]

I started taking video of a car dealership closing and then being tore down and it became an Aldi's. I took video from the same spot about 100 feet up and directly in front of my business for 5 months. Then did a time lapse of it being tore down, cleared , and then the new building erected. A total of only 5 minutes. Made a DVD and gve it to the manager of Aldi's.. Just another thing to do.
S.L.

 

[bartjes]

Watch some youtube video's for drone video and photo tips, practice these in area's nearby so when you get to a really nice location, you have the experience to capture it in a better way. Having said this, my drone has only been used 2 times since summer since there are large no-fly area's in my country, forcing me to drive at least 20 min to fly legally.
Keep finding new perspectives & compositions, lighting conditions, sunset, sunrise, just after a rainshower or storm, be creative !

 

[Terry63]

Ok i've been flying a few months now. Captured everything of interest in my locality. Seems I'm having to travel farther and farther out to find something interesting to film , and to keep me interested in doing so. So question is , how do ye guys keep it fresh , without spending hours in the car ?

Try new things.
If I am going to shoot video I usually use Litchi. Once you have a flight mapped out and tested the drone will fly itself so you can pay more attention to exposure settings focus and such.
A few weeks ago I thought about using Litchi to make a two or three mile trip through the hunting club I belong to. To do this I plan to fly 1200ft. to 1800ft. clips controlled from the midpoint of the clip and edit them to make a single long video. The idea is to overlap three way points at the end of one clip with three waypoints at the beginning of the next clip and try to splice them as seamlessly as I can to give the illusion that it is one continuous flight.

 

[irpnetgb]

Ok i've been flying a few months now. Captured everything of interest in my locality. Seems I'm having to travel farther and farther out to find something interesting to film , and to keep me interested in doing so. So question is , how do ye guys keep it fresh , without spending hours in the car ?

Someone once said to me, "..it's all about perspective". New angles, different lighting, different weather etc.
For me, it's about interpretation. I filmed trains on several occasions but interpreted each video differently through the sound track. Same for other vehicles.

I have the same problem as you as I don't drive, but I am fortunate enough to live in a suburban area that is quite literally less than a couple of blocks away to get into the countryside.

 

[Mazdaman323lx]

I suppose we all experience this. I go and find things that are unusual that most people overlook. Abandoned buildings, trains, night shots, etc. I have thousands of images from my backyard and neighborhood. Looking at some over the years is kinda interesting. When I couldn’t find anything interesting I worked on my flying skills by doing things like descending into an abandoned smoke stack, flying around old water towers, etc. it keeps me on my toes and frankly makes me a better pilot. The reality is though, you will get pretty bored so there is no getting around having to travel outside your area to keep the creative juices flowing.

Love to see that smoke stack vido please . Thats exactly my kinda thing . Love flying my dronethru old railway tunnels and other challenging places

 

[Mazdaman323lx]

You could film the footbridge at Cork cornmarket - think it's called the Shannon Bridge ? I cast the ,'L' shaped walkway supports here in Sheffield., but have never seen the actual Bridge.

As requested . Quicly grabbed this before work and before the drone police got out of bed.Named after the Shandon clock tower at the begining of the clip.

 

[cdnyny]

I have an app that shows hiking trails and parks, which is a good way to find new venues. And as another user pointed out, taking pictures of the same views with different lighting conditions and camera settings (a lot you can do here) keeps things fresh and interesting. But ultimately, you will need to expand your horizons (where I have been for a few months). Enjoy.

 

[Bill Kennedy]

As requested . Quicly grabbed this before work and before the drone police got out of bed.Named after the Shandon clock tower at the begining of the clip.

Excellent work. Many thanks for that. I've often wondered what the finished article looked like.

 

[Carb63]

Capturing is the first aspect, what you do with it after the fact is where it can get interesting. If your just a fly and film guy, try learning how to give some artistic output to your captures by learning a good editing program and give your artistic juices a flow. Trust me for every 20 minutes of capture you can literally spend hours editing and post production..it will expand your horizons and time, it's like a additional hobby

You can also stay local and film not only POI's, but also different events or activities, couple that with editing and I am sure your time and interests can be expanded without leaving the neighborhood.

I agree. It is time consuming in the beginning , lots to learn and experiment with, but lots of fun as you tweak photos and video. I started doing this a few month ago, have since stopped because of other things needing my attention but getting back into it again. Again, I have time on my side being sideline and working from home. Have fun with it.

 

[Dronebow]

Ok i've been flying a few months now. Captured everything of interest in my locality. Seems I'm having to travel farther and farther out to find something interesting to film , and to keep me interested in doing so. So question is , how do ye guys keep it fresh , without spending hours in the car ?

When I travel, I take the drone.
I joined a local search and rescue org to put my skills to use with drone search and rescue.
Got my 107
Flying over water and practicing flight by chasing boats and getting different angles is fun


But yeah, I am right there with you.

 

[Bob4131]

So I used to travel a lot prior to covid-19 and new spots were my focus. I would often fly every day. I do not really "like" flying, it is more a platform to take photos. I belong to local social media groups. People like an aerial view of their courthouse or neighborhood or the local high school. Train buffs like train photos or trestles. You get the idea..... I also post on Facebook for friends. I have used it as a way to meet neighbors ( hey, would you like pics of your house because I would like to launch from your backyard to take pics looking down the valley.). Finally I do drive 1-2 hours to take photos of interesting things. I find if I fly 3-4 batteries and then latter do the postprocessing once per week, that satisfies my interests.

 

[Weazel]

Capturing is the first aspect, what you do with it after the fact is where it can get interesting. If your just a fly and film guy, try learning how to give some artistic output to your captures by learning a good editing program and give your artistic juices a flow. Trust me for every 20 minutes of capture you can literally spend hours editing and post production..it will expand your horizons and time, it's like a additional hobby

You can also stay local and film not only POI's, but also different events or activities, couple that with editing and I am sure your time and interests can be expanded without leaving the neighborhood.

Exactly! This will help you work on editing pictures along with putting footage together. With editing software there is always some new technique to work on. I’m still learning, however when I was quarantined at home for a couple months that I worked on. I enjoy taking videos and seeing what I can put together