Chase Guttman - The Handbook of Drone Photography: A Complete Guide to the New Art of Do-It-Yourself Aerial Photography

GETTING STARTED

WHAT IS A DRONE?

A drone is a type of unmanned aircraft either controlled remotely by a pilot on the ground, or by a series of onboard electronics, or by both. Drones have their roots in the military, whereby governments could perform aerial combat operations without risking the safety of their pilots. Today, the word drone is also used to describe a different set of technology thats not defined by military exploits. This term has come to represent UAVs, or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. In the context of this book, I will be using both drone and UAV interchangeably to describe the more innocuous variety of unmanned aircraft thats designed for aerial photography and videography purposes. Camera drones, to be specific, have exploded onto the scene in the last handful of years, allowing the everyday consumer to get professional-grade aerial imagery that was once only possible with a sizeable helicopter budget. In an incredibly short span of time, these devices have advanced considerably paving the way for a wide variety of applications and uses.

For example, farmers can now use camera drones to survey crops that stretch across a multi-acre field, property owners or insurance companies can inspect a vast array of infrastructure for damage, police or fire departments can use UAVs for search and rescue operations or to inform their emergency responses, and cartographers can send aircraft into the sky to map surrounding areas. Companies like Amazon are even exploring how they can use drones to deliver products into your backyard in under 30 minutes.

As a photographer, my excitement with drones is driven by aesthetic and artistic urges. With UAV technology, you can elevate your imagery to literal and figurative heights. This book zeroes in on the photographic side of drone tech, teaching you the best practices as you ease into this emerging medium.

THE ANATOMY OF A DRONE

Lets break down the anatomy of a standard camera drone. Depending on whether the drone is a quadcopter, hexcopter, or octocopter, the UAV will either have four, six, or eight arms, respectively. These arms extend outward from the drone body and have motors positioned at the end of them.