Way back in 2015, we had built a huge hexa-copter (dubbed Dragonfly), its purpose was to carry a miniaturized DSLR camera, like the small but still kind of heavy Fuji X-M1. Including the camera’s battery and the 27mm F/2.8 lens, the payload for the drone was 407 grams. The camera featured an APS-C-sized 16-megapixel image […]
Aerial Photography
Extending VLOS with Strobe Lights
I don’t know of too many beneficial accessories you can mount on a DJI mini-series drone, but a really bright light could be one. When considering the Operating Requirements for commercial drone pilots, stretching the VLOS (visual line of sight) with drone strobe lights seems to be a really good idea. Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Regulations (Part 107) […]
Rising from Ashes
When last we left our heroes … Flying a drone was always about photography. Years ago, I built the huge hexa-copter, we had dubbed Dragonfly, its purpose was to carry the miniaturized but still kind of heavy Fuji X-M1 camera. Including the battery and the 27mm F/2.8 lens, the payload for the drone was 407 grams. […]
Oak Creek Spire
When you’re driving down south from Flagstaff on I-17, the north-south Interstate Highway located entirely within Arizona and also known as the Arizona Veterans Highway, as you start down the long hill between the Rocky Park Road and Stoneman Lake Road exits, you cannot not notice a very prominent sandstone tower on your right-hand side. At 350 […]
How I shoot aerial panoramas
The tiny and lightweight DJI Mini 2 quadcopter has three panoramic shooting modes: Panorama Mode: 180˚ (7 images) Panorama Mode: Wide-Angle (9 images) Panorama Mode: Sphere (26 images) and here is how I use them. Usually, when I shoot videos with the Mini 2, I put an ND filter on the camera and if I […]
Elephant Rock
I think how you consciously entered Sedona for the 1st time will determine your favorite Sedona Rock Formation. In case you enter from the North, driving down Arizona State Route 89A from Flagstaff, Wilson Mountain might become your favorite. If you arrive from the West, driving on 89A, the beautiful sight of Capitol Butte or […]
The elusive Black Phoenix
In Greek mythology, a Phoenix is a long-lived bird that is cyclically reborn. This beautiful bird is said to live 500 years, and then, at the time of its death it creates a nest and while still in it, sets it on fire. Out of the fiery hot ashes of its own demise springs a […]