The advent of reasonably priced unmanned aircraft systems (
Drones) has opened up a whole new world of imaging possibilities for myself and other creative professional photographers. As with all other electronic marvels, the technology advances at lightning fast rates. The latest offerings from companies like
DJI are smaller, more energy efficient and have greater imaging resolution than the models of just last year; and they promise to get better and better at an increasingly rapid pace. As an
adventure travel photographer I have embraced this technology and, as one who
travels by motorcycle with limited storage space, am thrilled with the compact size of these modern aerial imaging tools. There are limitations to their performance, of course, but they have opened up a whole new world…with entirely new vantage points…for the traveling photographer. As a working professional I, of course, have gone through all of the necessary steps of study and testing to be certified to fly an unmanned aircraft system. I hold a valid FAA Part 107 certification and am well versed in the theory and practical application of the flight knowledge required to obtain such certification. Constant practice keeps my skills sharp. I record mainly still photographs…my specialty and first love; but also record 4K video cinematography for those clients that require it. In the past few months of adventure motorcycle travel I have captured images in
The Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina, in the
Amish Country of southeast Pennsylvania, in The Adirondack Mountains of northern New York and right here in my home town:
Northport, NY, where this aerial view of Northport Harbor at sunrise was captured.