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So need some “drone” ideas

Mikep123456

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I’ve had my Mavic Pro for about a year. Have only flown it a couple times. Wanted to use it a couple weekends near the Grand Traverse Bay here in Michigan only to be blocked by the FAA. Thought about flying it over some of the vineyards... but didn’t. I’ve flown it over my house and up and down our street but nothing outside of that. Have thought about using it to “survey” my hunt camp but was concerned about the dense cover and losing connection.

Any advice for how to get started and some ideas, subjects to get me started would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Mike
 
Just find a nice wide open spot and dont concern yourself with the spectacular subjects to capture. Then practice your drone and camera moves.

Create a shot list of a point of interest.

Like.
1. Fly over object at a low altitude and point camera straight down.
2. Orbit
3. Fly close to object -start recording and back away and gain altitude at the same time . Exposing the subject and its surrounding area.
4.Fly from a low elevation and fly straight up with the camera pointed forward the entire time. Do not adjust the upward path and try and fly it slowly.
5. Orbit while gaining altitude at the same time (Helix)
6. Fly across the object from right to left or left to right at the same altitude with the camera and the distance from the object static . You will need Course Lock mode from the Intelligent Flight Modes to achieve this.
7.Any others that you would like to add.

Fly straight lines where possible and avoid just hovering and spinning the drone/camera around.

Then change exposure and observe its relation to shutter speed and understand the use of ND Filters to allow you to set the frame rate to double the shutter speed to get cinematic shots.

That way when you do finally find that beautiful pearl of scenery you will be prepared and know which shots that you want to capture and how to approach it.
 
I'd suggest you get familiar with your Mavic close to your launch point before you branch out too far. JMO. A lot of people including myself keep our quads within eyesight. I've got strobes on my MP and can see it out to about 3000 feet most days but it depends on the conditions. I usually go looking for photographic targets away from people so I look for unique places that offer some scenic vistas. I'm in an agriculture area and that can provide interesting images. Crop rows, vineyards and orchards can be cool looking from above. Lakes and rivers are nice as well. For whatever reason I like bridges as well. And don't forget about sunrise/sunset settings.

DJI_0237 2.jpg
 
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there is one important aspect to UAV flying and that is time ,it takes time to learn how the UAV flies,it takes time to understand the camera,and most of all you need to have the time to travel around to find interesting things to take video and pics of

if you have the time to give to the hobby it can be very interesting ,it all depends what your reason for UAV ownership is if you cant really find a reason to fly your UAV maybe the hobby is not for you there are also the new rules that are coming online and these can impact on how and where you can fly your UAV,i hope you find the answers and continue to fly your UAV
 
I’ve had my Mavic Pro for about a year. Have only flown it a couple times. Wanted to use it a couple weekends near the Grand Traverse Bay here in Michigan only to be blocked by the FAA. Thought about flying it over some of the vineyards... but didn’t. I’ve flown it over my house and up and down our street but nothing outside of that. Have thought about using it to “survey” my hunt camp but was concerned about the dense cover and losing connection.

Any advice for how to get started and some ideas, subjects to get me started would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Mike

Come on out to the beach at Empire. It’s an area outside of the National Lakeshore, Class G airspace, and great views of Dunes. Great for flying over waves, but not people.

You can get a similar setup at Arcadia, inspiration point.

Or come on out to my house north of Honor and get great experience dealing with 100 ft trees.
 
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Set a YouTube bookmark filter to DJI Mavic Pro and select last hour.
That is what I have done for DJI Spark and DJI Mavic Air to get ideas/ techniques.
 
I've gone through exactly the same sort of low inspiration periods so I know what you mean. There's some good ideas in this thread. 2 things that have specifically helped me are 1) watching drone videos on YouTube, and 2) making it a point to learn all of the flying modes. Go out into a large open area and practice quick shot, waypoint modes, etc until you get proficient with them. Once you learn how to use, that in and of itself may spark some ideas.
 
I would suggest inviting others to join you for a flight session. I find that folks are absolutely fascinated by this technology, and their fascination rubs off on me.
 
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My suggestion was made so that you can feel comfortable with all of the capabilities and be prepared to use the Mavic to its full potential to achieve the shots that you and others may find appealing.
 
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Thanks for the advice. This is my second drone. The first one failed prematurely and the company was not returning my calls. I replaced it with the Mavic. I feel pretty comfortable with the controls and have watched quite a few videos on recommended camera settings. I’ve made a few of the changes. Since joining this forum I’ve been watching some of the member videos and plan to search YouTube for further inspiration. Feel free to share some videos in this thread.

Thanks,

Mike
 
Sell it. Sounds like your not having any fun with it and you can’t figure out what to do with it. A lot of money just sitting on a shelf
 
Unless you enjoy editing video and publishing to show others, drone flying can get old. You really have to enjoy the view of flight, enough to shows others for fun or profit. The aerial views possible with drones can rarely be duplicated with manned craft, and it's relatively cheap, it opens up all kinds of possibilities.

Try shooting bird videos. If you can find water (river) near a noisy freeway where birds hang out, you can get pretty close to the birds if you slowly approach in tripod mode. The traffic noise conditions the birds to tolerate the drone noise, within reason. Use the 2x digital zoom while recording 1080, this helps get a closer view.
 
You have to find an aspect that interests you. Some just like flying the drone around like an RC car "in the sky". Some use it commercially. But I think most like to take photos or videos. I like to do photos to get a different perspective of things. The small town courthouse, a railroad trestle, a beach, a waterfall. You can share on FB especially if it is a group of similar interests - a photo of your school on the HS class of xxxx that you beyond to or share privately on on Google photos. Your neighbors will like photos of their house if you ask them ahead of time. I think it is easier to get a nice photo than to produce a good video. It depends on how much time you want to spend in post processing. I started with jpeg snapshots but now only shoot RAW often AEB and always post process in Lightroom.

What areas interest you or your friends? Try taking photos of that. If you like fishing, take pictures of where you fish. If you model railroad, take pictures of real railroads. I agree, taking the same photos of your house is boring. If you travel, it is easier to find new / interesting things.... But you could have a horse farm and just take videos of different people riding.

If you don't like taking photos or videos, then a drone may not be a good hobby for you.
 
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If you travel, it is easier to find new / interesting things.... But you could have a horse farm and just take videos of different people riding.
I would avoid getting close to horseback riders in fear of spooking the horse.
 
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I would avoid getting close to horseback riders in fear of spooking the horse.
I don't fly close to most things but especially animals and people. I assume if he worked around horses he would know that. But probably a good point since some people are morons.?
My point was take pictures of what you know, what you do or what interests you. If you have no interests then photography via drone is not for you.
 
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Thanks for the great replies. I really enjoy most things outdoors. Hunting, fishing, nature watching have a UTV and do a lot of back road riding looking at ponds, farms, deer, turkey, cranes etc... always have a camera and binoculars with me. Always looking for a great photo. It’s hard for me to fly it when other people are around as I’m not sure all appreciate drones. I know enough not to fly it over them etc... I’ve done some photo editing and did put my first video on YouTube a few years ago. Nothing special as I was mainly trying to learn. Mainly looking for inspiration.

Thanks,
 
Thanks for the great replies. I really enjoy most things outdoors. Hunting, fishing, nature watching have a UTV and do a lot of back road riding looking at ponds, farms, deer, turkey, cranes etc... always have a camera and binoculars with me. Always looking for a great photo. It’s hard for me to fly it when other people are around as I’m not sure all appreciate drones. I know enough not to fly it over them etc... I’ve done some photo editing and did put my first video on YouTube a few years ago. Nothing special as I was mainly trying to learn. Mainly looking for inspiration.

Thanks,
You might find others like them. People love pictures of their homes in the country. FYI check your state regulations on flying near game or during hunting season.
 
Wanted to use it a couple weekends near the Grand Traverse Bay here in Michigan only to be blocked by the FAA
Was it a Restricted Zone (NFZ - No Fly Zone), Authorization Zone, Warning Zone or Enhanced Warning Zone?

There are changes being made in the procedures but for now the recreational flier can follow the procedure in the link below. The serial number they want is the AC serial number, not the RC.
For a recreational flier the Restricted Zone is a NFZ, the Authorization zone can be self unlocked by the AC (aircraft) operator. the others can be flown in by clicking the "I accept responsibility" checkbox on the display screen attached to the RC (remote controller)
I used my street address and you can see I need to self unlock the authorization zone if I want to fly from home as shown in the two screen copies from the DJI Self Unlocking page.

Home is the Red teardrop with the black dot, the airport is the Red teardrop with no center color and the Orange teardrop with no center color is a heliport.
The Red rectangle the airport teardrop is in is the Restricted (NFZ) zone, the bow ties at either end and the area where I live are authorization zones

In looking at Grand Traverse Bay, on the surface it doesn't look any more complicated except for the airport at the southern end of the bay.


BHC Airport     .jpg BHC Airport 2     .jpg

Grand Traverse Bay     .jpg
 
Hmmm. I thought it was the NFZ but couldn’t be positive. If I remember correctly I requested authorization however it never allowed me fly.

Next time I’m up there I’ll have to try it again.

Thanks!
 
I fly for the enjoyment of it. I find that it relaxes me after a day at work. The freedom of moving in three-dimensional space and looking down from on high is still thrilling to me. Although I practice camera techniques I rarely record anything because to me flying is much more interesting than viewing.
 
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