Action Camera Blog

By Corey Hill:

Drones! Gotta love these Aerial tools.
I have been flying drones professionally for my business, AntiGravity Aerial Productions, for the past 6 years now and it seems each shoot is truly a different experience with something to learn with every takeoff.
From birds plotting to attack while in midflight, to how much the k-index (Earth’s magnetic field) can affect gps stabilty and flight controls.

I was recently hired to do a shoot that really opened my eyes to how much a difference 25ft. of elevation can make to a residential property.
This was a property in placerville that increased in elevation approx 20 feet from the beginning of the long driveway (200ft). So a tripod mounted camera had to “tilt-up” fairly significantly to capture the home (not good).

I wanted to make an impression on this client since she has not worked with me in the past.
She hired me to do traditional interior photography, but as always I brought Patton (my Drone). Named after one of the great generals in history. (One tends to take better care of things we name!)
So Patton in tow and waiting in the back seat. (Not trunk. Too much vibration in the trunk for finite technological components.) At the end of the shoot I mentioned to the agent (in private), “I brought my drone,” and asked if it would be ok to capture a few Aerial images.
She said, “great!” The homeowners were present and were quite excited to see the bird fly! And with me having a true passion for the capabilities of these machines, I’m always excited to show what can be done with these Aerial tools. But quite frankly, I did not know the true extent of what I was about to show these homeowners.
As I was setting up my drone for flight, naturally the 20 questions started. And I love answering all of them! Sometimes I will find myself answering TOO in-depth and need to stop myself.

Propellers installed, GPS calibrated and all systems-a-go! As I slowly lift-off I can feel the presence of faces over my left shoulder watching my trusty Ipad mini 2, the monitor I use on my controller to view what the camera on the drone sees so I can compose my shots, fly around etc. Silence and awe is now abundant from the homewoners with quiet sounds of discovery permeating from their vocal chords. Great stuff!
My attempt of impressing my new client and homewoners is paying off well so far. However, a reverse impression was about to be laid upon me. As I slowly elevate the Drone, an impressive perspective starts to take shape. A whole section of the home started to come into view that you cannot see from standing in the driveway. I reached about 25 feet when I heard “Oh wow it’s a whole different home!” said the husband. “It looks completely different!”
Now just to put some understanding to this visual revelation, these folks have lived in this house for 37 years and have NEVER seen their home from this perspective. With being 25 feet up you can now see the roof-line and a much better angle of the home. It was very exciting for them. And me!

That experience inspired me to do another type of marketing that I call “Elevated Photography.” It has been successful and a real asset for marketing a home and using it as the initial introductory photo for Zillow, Redfin, etc.

Thanks for reading and I look forward to sharing more stories with Action Camera customers that I have had over the last 6 years of flying these amazing Aerial tools. STAY TUNED! If you are interested in a “one-on-one” Drone training session with me at our Roseville store, please click here: https://www.actioncamera.com/classes#!/One-on-one/p/141469899/category=23889163