There is no easier way to get an establishing shot than using a drone. Meet Jacob Sigala, a photographer, filmmaker and creative director. His first drone was the Mavic 1 Pro in 2016 and his first flight happened while he was traveling in Iceland.
Amazing right?
Not really if you’re trying to figure out how to operate the drone AND you’ve got windy conditions. He was not prepared, his drone did NOT fly the way he expected it to, but I applaud him because he did it anyway (and kept trying!!) even in windy and challenging situations.
Deciding to fly the drone is half the battle.
After his Mavic 1 Pro died (possibly of old age, it could no longer be calibrated for unknown reasons, so therefore couldn’t be used anymore) he got the Mavic Air 2.
Although you might think getting this drone is a step down from the Pro drone series, between 2016 and present day, drones have come a VERY far way in their ability and quality of photo and video.
His Mavic Air 2 is performing exactly the way he needs it and he’s able to use it in professional projects.
Key Learnings
- Using filters is important especially in the middle of the day when it’s really bright. In the lower ND filters, you can generally “get away” with not taking them off between flights (if you’re lazy like me)
- When figuring out how to fly in other countries – I always find the equivalent of the “FAA (Federal Aviation Administration)” for that country then pull all the language into google translate
- If I want to do further homework and get a vibe for what it’s like flying in a specific area, I’ll use Reddit to see what pilots are saying real time
- Drones come with a bad reputation. So just because you’re allowed to fly a drone in an area doesn’t always mean it’s worth it. In other words, taking the extra step to see who is around and how they might react might make you realize it’s not worth the shots you can get
- Jacob does something when he launches his drone that I also do – we BLAST IT. We send it as high up (as we are allowed to in that area) so as not to disturb people around us… then we EVALUATE whether we keep the drone far or close depending on who’s around. For example, people always ask “how loud is a drone” – this answer will be VERY different depending on where you’re flying and which drone you’re flying. If you’re flying somewhere in the woods that is very quiet, 400 feet will be loud. When you’re capturing the waves on the North Shore of Oahu when the surf is big, you won’t hear anything at 20 feet.
- DON’T just throw the drone up and just press record. Find the points you KNOW are the best shots and watch it for a minute to figure out how you want to setup your shot.
- Plus it’s a drone – MOVE AROUND, it’s so easy! Find different angles of the thing you want to capture from a 100 feet away or hundreds of feet away in addition to the shot you already got.
Free drone resources
Whether you’re figuring out which drone to get, how to fly a drone, or are trying to become an advanced pilot, get free drone courses and resources!
Connect with Jacob Sigala
See some of my fave content from him:
- Checkout Jacob’s Lebanon video and learn more about TourLeb
- Checkout his cinematography reel
- Jacob caught me flying drones inside you can see that here
Connect with other drone pilots in The Drone Party community on Facebook!
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About The Drone Party Podcast
Drones are FUN and everyone is invited to join The Drone Party!
A weekly video show by Christine Lozada interviewing drone pilots about HELPFUL drone tips and their BEST and WORST drone flights.