The drone has taken landscape photography to a whole new level, Or should we say new heights?
These days, you can buy a drone that shoots RAW files for less than your DSLR or mirrorless body.
People all over the world are getting those incredible, top-down shots that used to be only for those with the big toys.
However, just because you have the technology and the ability to take aerial shots, it doesn’t mean that your photos will automatically turn out like a professional photographer’s.
You still need to plan your shots, think about the composition, and experiment with your tools.
It’s important to practice with your drone.
so that you get accustomed to flying it at the heights and angles that will work best for photography.
Learning to fly and control your drone aside, taking interesting aerial landscape photos isn’t always that easy. Especially if the landscape isn’t all that exciting.
But you’d be surprised at how you can make what looks like a monotonous landscape come alive when you shift your perspective slightly.
If you want to take your drone landscape photography game up a notch, we’ve got some great advice that will help you capture that magic shot.
Learn all these tips to take better drone shots like a PRO…
Crazy Tips to Take Drone Shots Out of a Monotonous Landscape
here are some important tips to take drone shots out of a monotonous landscape which we’re going to discuss in this article…
- Don’t Fry High ( I mean too high )
- Play With The Tilt Of The Camera ( It’s easy XD )
- Try some new location
- Don’t forget Weather Conditions
- Panoramas are the best
now let’s discuss each point in detail…
Don’t Fry High ( I mean too high )
The temptation with a drone is to go up as high as you can and look down.
Photo by Max Hermansson on Unsplash
However, this could give you too wide a field of vision and make your shot uninteresting.
It’s much better to try out a range of different heights and see what gives you the more interesting or unique shot.
You may only need to go just a foot or two above head height to get the best angle on the landscape.
Remember, the drone isn’t just about getting a bird’s-eye view.
It’s about getting a shot that you can’t get by just extending your arms a little.
If you go too high, you may lose out on the texture and detail that makes a very ordinary landscape interesting.
While wide shots are great, if the landscape is all much the same, you’ll only capture the monotony rather than the magic.
And while the monotony can sometimes be striking, it’s more the exception to the norm.
Take the time to experiment with the heights that you shoot and see what happens.
Play With The Tilt Of The Camera ( It’s easy XD )
As with height, you don’t always have to go for the traditional bird’s-eye view straight down shot as you hover above the landscape.
Yes, this can create some beautiful, abstract landscape photographs, but that isn’t the only option.
When you find an interesting subject play around with the tilt of the camera and the height of the drone together.
Sometimes getting a slightly different angle for the camera can create a whole new lighting effect.
You can also create different shapes in the landscape when playing with the angles.
Seeing a landscape from above is interesting, but if you give it a unique angle it becomes even more intriguing to look at.
Try some new location
A landscape can be extremely monotonous but there will always be something that’s just a bit different or out of place.
This will be the key to making your photograph interesting and building a story in your composition.
Remember, a good photo always needs a subject.
This break in the monotony can be enough to give you that subject.
It could be something as simple as a large rock in the middle of a field, or a tree with slightly different colored leaves.
When you find that item or color that’s out of place, make sure you compose your shot to make it the full focus.
The best way to do this is through the use of the Rule of Thirds.
Place the subject of your photograph on one of the intersecting points in the grid and you’ll have a killer shot.
You can also play with the colors and make them pop in post-production if you really want to get more out of the difference you’re seeing.
Don’t forget Weather Conditions
Weather will always play a major role in drone videography and photography.
Windy conditions are the worst.
because it makes it much harder for the drone to stay stable enough to take a picture, and it may affect visibility.
You need to consider the safety of your drone (and yourself) and whether or not the bad weather will cause it to crash.
On the flip side of the coin, different weather conditions—as long as they’re safe to fly in.
because it can turn a boring landscape into something quite spectacular.
Mist creeping through a valley can elevate a scene from ordinary to extraordinary and trees bent in interesting shapes in the wind create striking silhouettes.
Different weather conditions can impact the light that hits the landscape too.
Heavy clouds can cause dark shadows and strong shafts of light, which can create patterns on a plain field.
If the weather is bad, waiting for a gap in the rain and catching the sun breaking through the crowds can make for an incredible shot that belongs in your portfolio.
Take some time to consider the weather and how a scene could look different in a range of situations.
You may need to return to the same spot over several weeks at different times of the day before you can get the best shot of the landscape.
This is why planning ahead with your shoots and scouting your locations can be such an important part of drone photography.
Panoramas are the best
The panorama feature on a drone can give you the most incredible views.
The camera on your drone is probably not a wide-angle lens, meaning you can’t always capture the entire vista, even if you fly to the maximum height of your drone.
Taking a panorama on a drone is much the same as doing it with a regular camera.
You simply pan on a horizontal axis and the camera stitches the images together into one.
The result is either an ultra-wide image that captures and flattens some of the curves.
Alternatively, you can compress the image into a standard shape.
and create a whole lot of visual interest with the curves that form in the landscape.
It’s particularly interesting if you do a full 360-degree panorama and compress that into one standard-sized image.
This will certainly change up a monotonous landscape and make it a whole lot more engaging for whoever views your photography.
Conclusion
Drone landscape photography takes skill and careful planning.
Photo by Vlad Hilitanu on Unsplash
Taking a monotonous landscape and turning it into something interesting isn’t as simple as just snapping a few random shots.
Playing with angles, finding a focal point, working with panoramic views, and trying different heights in various weather conditions can all make a difference to the end result.
Hopefully, now you can get out there and practice taking aerial photos that really capture the landscape in new and exciting ways.
Having a birds-eye view provides a new perspective on the landscape below.
and it’s up to you to use your drone photography skills to capture it at its best.
that’s all from my end.
so, which tips you like to apply (or already using) to take a better drone shots?? let me know in the comment section, have a good day 🙂
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