Contents

Foreword

Introduction

CHAPTER 1 Equipment

What Is a Drone?

Drones and Cameras

Quadcopters

Batteries and Chargers

Aerial Cameras and Gimbals

What Is a Gimbal?

Big Sensors on Small Drones

Flying GoPros

Integrated Aerial Cameras

Vibration Isolation

Jello

Balancing Propellers

Vibration Dampeners

First-Person View

Analog FPV

Digital/High-Definition FPV

Integrated FPV

Ground Station/Mission Planning

Stills vs. Video

Recommendations: What to Buy

CHAPTER 2 Learning to Fly

Choosing a Trainer Drone

Finding Good Flying Locations

Creating a Flight Checklist

Telemetry

Practice Makes Perfect

Exercise 1: Takeoff and Landing

Exercise 2: Box

Exercise 3: In and Out

Exercise 4: Box with Yaw

Exercise 5: Circle

Exercise 6: Figure Eight

Exercise 7: Orbit

Exercise 8: Assisted Flight Modes

Conclusion

CHAPTER 3 Aerial Stills Photography

Camera Settings

General Settings

Integrated Cameras

GoPro

Other Cameras

Accessories

Aerial Photography Techniques

Thinking in 3D

Just Out of Reach

Straight Down

Abstracts

Slow Shutter Speeds

Shallow Depth of Field

Advanced Techniques

Panoramas

Time-Lapse

HDR

Photogrammetry

Post-Processing

What’s Next?

CHAPTER 4 Aerial Videography

Telling Stories

Image Stabilization: Beating Jello

Using Gimbals

Gimbal Modes and Control

Gimbal Speed

Gimbal Tuning and Calibration

Gimbals and Filters

Camera Settings

General Settings

Integrated Cameras

DJI’s LOG Mode

GoPro

Aerial Video Techniques

Tilt Up/Down

Tracking Shot

Dronie

Crane Up/Down

Orbit

Advanced: Live Aerial Video Streaming

Using Video Out/HDMI

Periscope and Other Apps

YouTube Live

Post-processing and Sharing

The Future of Aerial Videography

CHAPTER 5 Getting the Shot: Real-World Stories

Guest Artists

Holuhraun Volcano (2015)

Holuhraun Volcano (2014)

Man Burn

Vatna Glacier

Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon

Lake Mývatn

DC-3 Plane Crash

Bahamas Shipwrecks

Glass Window Bridge

Whale Sharks

Cannibal Rock

Tonga

Strawberry Rock

Balinese Rice Fields

Pura Tanah Lot

Son Doong Cave

Backyard River Dronie

Tetamanu Pass

Tonga Via Catamaran

Corsica Panorama

Cinque Terre

Castello Aragonese

St. Angelo

Lake Como Panorama

Shark Aggregation

Lion’s Head

Poaching at Duiker Island

Monwabisi Beach

Xunantunich Ruins Dronie

Bliss Dance

Bubble Patterns

Tennis

Wigman Motel Dronie

Stanford Oval

49’ers Stadium Panorama

Notre Dame Cathedral

Hong Kong Skyline Panorama

Pittsburgh Panorama

Chicago Waterfront Panorama

Gate 6 Houseboat Co-op

Cupid’s Span

Facebook HQ

Hacker Square

L.A. Rooftop

Rockefeller 3D

CHAPTER 6 Flight, Policy, and Travel

Flying Recreationally

General Flight Restrictions

Manufacturer Responsibility

Flying Commercially

Section 333 Exemptions

Micro UAS

Global Landscape

Regional Rules

Have Drone, Will Travel

Backpacks and Cases

Air Travel

Lithium Batteries

Customs

Responsibility and Change

We Fear Change

Drones Are Good

APPENDIX A Resources

Camera Drone Manufacturers

Online Communities

Clubs and Associations

Commercial Drone Insurance

Other Resources

APPENDIX B Reference Material

Preflight Checklist

Flight Log

Index