Introduction to aerial photography, quickly master aerial photography skills.

Aerial photography is the use of aerial perspective to shoot. Early aerial photography mainly relied on helicopters or hot air balloons, and photographers took pictures on them with professional cameras. But the cost of this practice is too high for ordinary people to afford. With the maturity of UAV technology, aerial photography is more common now. The camera is placed at the bottom of the remote-controlled UAV, and the altitude and heading of the aircraft are controlled by the remote controller. The framing is free and flexible, and the cost is much lower than that of helicopter hot air balloon. After simple training, the general public can operate aerial drones and see the world from the sky.

With the influence of TV programs such as Where's Dad? In recent years, aerial photography has attracted more and more attention. If one day you see an aerial plane aiming at yourself in a circle somewhere, you may have been photographed! Let's learn the basics of aerial photography through drones.

1. What equipment do you need for aerial photography?

First of all, of course, there are aerial planes (drones), which are divided into integrated and assembled types. One-piece refers to the built-in camera function of aerial photography aircraft, that is, "fly when you get it"; Assembly requires you to install a camera on the plane yourself. The camera installed by yourself should be selected according to the size of the plane. Small quadrotor aircraft are generally equipped with GoPro；; Six-axis and eight-axis aircraft with strong load capacity can be equipped with SLR cameras such as Canon 5D3.

2. How to ensure the stability of the shooting picture when the aircraft shakes in flight?

Due to the influence of wind and airflow, it is inevitable that the UAV will shake during flight. In order to ensure the stability of the pictures taken during the flight, drones are generally equipped with ptz. Yuntai, if simply understood, is a stabilizing device. A good pan/tilt, no matter how the plane shakes, can ensure that the shaking range of the camera in the horizontal and vertical directions does not exceed 0.05 degrees, which is much better than shooting with the camera by hand.

3. Is it expensive to play aerial photography?

Depends on the purpose of your aerial photography If you are just a personal enthusiast and just want to take photos or videos from different angles when going out to play or travel, then you can buy a drone that can fly at your fingertips, and the price ranges from more than 2,000 to more than 7,000. For example, parrot Bebop UAV, the third generation UAV in France, only needs 3699 yuan on Universal Taobao, and Third Phantom Vision has its own140,000 pixel camera, only needs 4999 yuan.

Although the effect of the drone's own camera is very good for the average person, if you are an enthusiast, or take aerial photography for commercial purposes, want to pursue higher definition and more realistic effects, want to assemble yourself, or want to modify other parts of the drone, this investment may be higher.

4. Is it difficult to operate an aerial plane that can fly easily?

Generally speaking, aerial drones have a low learning threshold for ordinary consumers. Read the product manual carefully, and after tens of minutes of training, you can control the drone well. However, it should be noted that some small aerial planes (such as Parrot) can be positioned by cameras and can fly indoors; However, unmanned aerial vehicles (such as DJI Elf series) that can only be positioned by GPS have poor indoor GPS signals and are very difficult to operate. It is not recommended for beginners to fly indoors. Even outdoors, it is generally recommended to fly in open areas and places with little traffic. In open areas, GPS signals are generally better, so that aerial planes can hover independently, allowing you to concentrate on shooting and really enjoy shooting.

5. How high can an air plane fly?

Generally speaking, when a plane as big as DJI Elf flies to the height of 100 meters (about 30 stories high), it is basically difficult for human eyes to see the outline of the plane clearly. For aerial photography aircraft, the flying height mainly depends on geographical conditions. In the open area without electromagnetic interference, several mainstream UAVs can fly to 1000 meters at the highest. However, if aerial photography is carried out near high-rise buildings, the plane can only fly to a height above 1000 meters due to the interference of surrounding electromagnetic fields.

6. Do you use batteries for aerial photography? How long can you fly at a time?

Yes, aerial photography planes generally use rechargeable batteries, which can fly for several minutes to dozens of minutes when fully charged. When the same plane is fully charged, the flight time under windy and windless conditions is different. Because a battery can fly for 20~30 minutes under normal circumstances, it is recommended to prepare one or two more batteries in advance when taking aerial photos. When the battery on the plane is not enough, it can greatly extend the overall flight time by removing it and installing a fully charged battery.

7. Can aerial planes shoot videos?

Yes, of course. Because the camera with independent function is installed on the plane, because the general camera can shoot video, the aerial plane can shoot video in addition to taking pictures. Because drones are generally equipped with a stable pan/tilt, the video will be better.

8. How to ensure safety when playing aerial photography?

First of all, you should be familiar with the "temper" of the plane. You must read the product manual carefully. It is recommended to watch it at least twice and practice more. Secondly, try to fly in an open area with few people, and in principle, don't take off in a crowded place. In addition, protective devices can be added as much as possible, such as plasma shields and parachutes for large drones.

9. Why are aerial airplanes so much more expensive than small model airplanes?

This is because their positioning is completely different. Small model aircraft mainly let us experience the feeling of flight control. Generally, there is no camera (even if there is a camera with poor effect), and the experience of flight operation is also very general. The aerial plane integrates a lot of high-tech equipment. In addition to high-quality cameras, it also brings high-tech gadgets such as GPS/ gyroscope/pan/tilt/compass/flight control system. Its purpose is to make the aerial photography experience as "stupid" as possible, so that ordinary people can play aerial photography well. For example, it is impossible for an aerial plane with hundreds of dollars to hover autonomously outdoors, and this function is standard for aerial planes. At the same time, the two are completely incomparable in key parameters such as flight altitude and flight time.