Greenland From Above

Following up on Denise's blog about our incredible trip this past summer to Greenland, I wanted to write about drone photography during this trip.

There are considerable limits on the amount of gear you can take to Greenland.  This starts with the weight limits imposed by the airline, then of course, space on the boat is quite limited as well.  Thankfully the DJI Mavic Pro is both small and lightweight.

According to our boat crew, about 50% of the people who bring a drone on this trip end up loosing or crashing their drone.   Considering this was the trip of a lifetime, I decided to give flight a try on our first morning, but it was not meant to be.  The drone had an internal calibration error and required a calibration process that required no movement or vibration.   So I had to wait until we went ashore that evening to run the calibration routine.

The next morning we woke up at the Iceberg Graveyard.  This is an area where the currents take the icebergs but there is nowhere for them to escape.  The shot above was taken at the Iceberg Graveyard around 4:00am just prior to sunrise.  Our ship was anchored a considerable distance away, and we took Zodiacs into this lagoon area and shot from land.  It was also my favorite spot for using the Mavic and luckily we spent two mornings in this area and were able to return to this area the next morning. 

I did try one flight a couple of days later from the boat.  We were near a glacier and the boat was still but not anchored.   Upon return to the boat the drone ended up doing a little bit of a controlled crash upon landing.  I chipped a propeller but otherwise the drone was undamaged.

In addition to the minor crash I mentioned,  I also had some times where the Mavic would lose GPS and then inflight control and stability became a bit more erratic.  However,  the more experienced you become as a pilot the easier these incidents are to handle.

I'm doing a lecture on Drone Photography for our meetup group on March 30th.  Click here for more info.

Why We Fly

As artists and photographers we tend to be an opinionated lot.   Some folks are pro this brand of camera and have what appears to be contempt for other brands.  I think this is typical of human nature,  I have noticed this type of rivalry around favorite sports teams.  I think when we become passionate about something, we can not help but be opinionated as well.  I'm not seeking to change any of that with a short blog post, but perhaps some perspective on why we fly drones and the occasional push back we hear from photographers and others that find flying drones somehow offensive. 

First why we fly.  I must admit I enjoy flying and at this point I'm over 100 flights and it's been a long time since I had an accident.  There was the time where I crashed into a tree.  I was suffering from a bit of overconfidence in my flying abilities and that was a good lesson.  As such I fly a bit more carefully these days.  Also I recommend that people get a cheap quadcopter to learn on before spending the big bucks on a real drone.   Yes I crashed a couple of times while learning. 

DJI is the market leader in the drone market and their products are very easy to fly.   The crafts are GPS stabilized and this makes flying much easier.  The craft goes just where you send it and you don't have to worry about the craft drifting or being pushed from moderate winds.  Without the GPS, flying under these conditions would be challenging without experience.  So yes there is a learning curve and like anything else the more you do the better you get as a pilot. 

Back to the reason we fly (both Denise and I fly).  Flying a drone gives us a vantage point that would not be available otherwise.  For instance, the roof of the Waterside Woolen Mill feature above.  When we were in Palouse this past summer Denise took a shot of the Miller House that is otherwise not available.  The reason it is not available is because the family that farms the field the house sits on is adamant that photographers shoot from the road and not step on to the field.  Her shot of the Miller house was one of the best taken during that trip in my opinion. 

When I started flying I liked to shoot down on the subject, what is commonly called top down from altitudes of a 100 feet or so.  Denise has a different approach,  she prefers to shoot at heights that are much closer to earth, perhaps 10 of 20 feet off the ground, This can give much different perspective than you would get just shooting from a standing height.  I find today that I do a combination of top down and much closer to earth.  But please don't tell her that she was a positive influence on my shooting style... 

 Back to people who do not share our love of drone photography.   Most of the time when I'm flying, assuming there is anyone around, people are curious and generally positive.  However, I also hear negative comments from time to time.  I think the best way is for people who fly to do so responsibly.  There are a number of rules and regulations regarding the flying of recreational drones and it makes sense to be aware of these rules and fly responsibly. 

If you would like to start flying, DJI is currently having a sale on their products.