# Destin's Drone Photos



## Destin (Jan 10, 2018)

Hey all, I'm getting more and more into drone photography these days and I'm creating a few photos per week with it now. I figured now was as good a time as any to start a thread for sharing my drone photos rather than making a new thread all the time. 

To start it off, here are two I took today of the creek that wraps around my property and the bridge on my road.


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## qmr55 (Jan 10, 2018)

Cool! Trees look so bare lol


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## zulu42 (Jan 10, 2018)

Wow, a whole new way to look at composition! So many possibilities. I look forward to watching your progress.


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## Destin (Jan 10, 2018)

zulu42 said:


> Wow, a whole new way to look at composition! So many possibilities. I look forward to watching your progress.



Thanks! It’s definutely been a learning curve! There are wayyyyy more options for compositional choices. Ive had to retrain my eye a lot.


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## PJcam (Jan 11, 2018)

That is certainly a new dimension.

Incredible shots Destin.


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## Pedro_lopez (Jan 11, 2018)

Looks like a drawing, really cool. I need to get out more and use my drone, just everywhere I go in Florida there’s an airport fives miles close. 


Sent from my iPhone using ThePhotoForum.com mobile app


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## Destin (Jan 13, 2018)

Soooo this happened yesterday. My drone work is about to get a lot higher quality.


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## jcdeboever (Jan 14, 2018)

Man I wish I hadn't looked at this thread, now I want one. Nice pics.


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## Destin (Jan 14, 2018)

Late morning shot of the ice fishermen out on the Buffalo Outer Harbor.


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## zulu42 (Jan 14, 2018)

Exactly, this!

So many drone stills are neat simply because of the unusual perspective. No, you also have to find the art!

Like this!


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## Destin (Jan 14, 2018)

zulu42 said:


> Exactly, this!
> 
> So many drone stills are neat simply because of the unusual perspective. No, you also have to find the art!
> 
> Like this!



Thanks man! I've actually been planning this shot since before I even had a drone and today everything finally came together for it.


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## smoke665 (Jan 14, 2018)

Destin said:


> Soooo this happened



And that is "exactly" why I've resisted buying one. They're like potatoe chips you always need another one. LOL

nice shot by the way


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## Destin (Jan 14, 2018)

And a few more from today's trip to Buffalo, though not as cool as the previous one IMO. 

1.) City Hall and Niagara Square





2.) Ice fishermen on the harbor next to an abandoned grain silo. I loved how small this made the fishing huts look. 





3.) The top of the Liberty Building in downtown Buffalo


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## smoke665 (Jan 14, 2018)

Aren't there some flight restrictions on buildings?


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## Destin (Jan 14, 2018)

smoke665 said:


> Aren't there some flight restrictions on buildings?



No, not really. There could be on certain federal buildings and there definutely are in DC. You can’t fly over a prison or military installation. But nothing on any buildings in Buffalo that I could find.


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## ac12 (Jan 15, 2018)

I think there is a 400 ft relative altitude limit.
You are not supposed to fly over people.  This is safely related, if a drone FALLS/CRASHES onto someone.
And a few more.

I am still in kindergarten learning to fly my quad, so I don't worry about most of the rules.  I practice flying in an underground parking lot, so I can't loose my quad to a dumb mistake.

Destin
Do you have a live view of what the camera sees, or are you shooting blind?
It looks like you have a live view.


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## Destin (Jan 15, 2018)

ac12 said:


> I think there is a 400 ft relative altitude limit.
> You are not supposed to fly over people.  This is safely related, if a drone FALLS/CRASHES onto someone.
> And a few more.
> 
> ...



I have a live view of what it sees streaming through my phone while I fly. I have manual control over the camera settings and a HUD that shows speed, altitude, and distance from the takeoff point.


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## ac12 (Jan 15, 2018)

Technology  
Mine has a camera, but I have to shoot blind, as I don't have live view.
Looks like once I really learn to fly a quad, I have to upgrade to get the live view.


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## Destin (Jan 15, 2018)

Two from a test flight today. Was just up and flying around my home town, not really focused on making photos. Trying to learn how the new drone handles and reacts to input. It's a lot faster and smoother than the spark was but it takes more paying attention to keep it out of trouble. 

Top speed today was 48.9 mph, so it'll get into trouble very quickly if you aren't paying attention. 

1.) My new fire hall. I'm a Captain with the department, we're moving into the new building this month after a 3 year capital project to build it at a cost of 3.5 million dollars. Light was good so I grabbed a quick photo of it. The RAW files from the P4P aren't nearly as flexible as the ones from my DSLRs, but impressive for a drone in my opinion. 






2.) An interesting (to me at least) patch of trees on the outskirts of town.


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## zombiesniper (Jan 15, 2018)

Very cool images.

My luck I'd snap a pic just as I was crashing into someones vintage Mercedes or something.


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## Destin (Jan 15, 2018)

zombiesniper said:


> Very cool images.
> 
> My luck I'd snap a pic just as I was crashing into someones vintage Mercedes or something.



Today I dropped behind a patch of trees about 1/2 mile away and lost  sight of the drone and image connection. Was freaking out.. thank god the automatic return to home function kicked in and it came back to me. 

Wasn’t even trying to drop behind the trees but I heard a helicopter coming so I was trying to dump some altitude in a hurry to give them the right of way.


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## Derrel (Jan 16, 2018)

Very neat stuff. I especially like the diagonal cutting across the first shot's frame-VERY neat photo! It's amazing how fresh and new low-altitude aerial shots look to us. I am always amazed at how cool drone pics turn out to look.


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## jcdeboever (Jan 16, 2018)

A friend of mine is a prison guard, they find downed drones occasionally around the prison.


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## Destin (Jan 16, 2018)

jcdeboever said:


> A friend of mine is a prison guard, they find downed drones occasionally around the prison.



Do they have shotgun shells lodged in them?

It actually is scary. You can buy a payload system that can drop things. Drones like mine can only carry 2-3 pounds at most, but if you were trying to drop prohibited items into the yard at a prison it wouldn’t be hard to do I suppose.


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## jcdeboever (Jan 16, 2018)

Destin said:


> jcdeboever said:
> 
> 
> > A friend of mine is a prison guard, they find downed drones occasionally around the prison.
> ...



I guess, the things people will do.


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## kap55 (Jan 16, 2018)

jcdeboever said:


> Destin said:
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> > jcdeboever said:
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From a couple of days ago:

Drone drug drop thwarted at B.C. prison


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## smoke665 (Jan 16, 2018)

@Destin saw this on the news tonight. No more "hey hold my beer and watch this" in NJ Drinking and droning is now illegal in New Jersey - CNN

Also saw this a few weeks ago. New toy for law enforcement DroneGun


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## Destin (Jan 16, 2018)

smoke665 said:


> @Destin saw this on the news tonight. No more "hey hold my beer and watch this" in NJ Drinking and droning is now illegal in New Jersey - CNN
> 
> Also saw this a few weeks ago. New toy for law enforcement DroneGun




Interesting. I'll be sure to not fly anywhere that it becomes a problem lol.


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## Destin (Jan 16, 2018)

Drove half an hour up to Point Breeze, an inlet on Lake Ontario. Captured these photos:

1.)





2.)





3.)





4.)





5.)


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## Derrel (Jan 16, 2018)

Wow! This is great stuff, Destin. What camera and lens are you using for this type of work?


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## Destin (Jan 16, 2018)

Derrel said:


> Wow! This is great stuff, Destin. What camera and lens are you using for this type of work?



This is the built in camera on the DJI Phantom 4 pro. It's a 1" backlit CMOS censor with (I think) and 8.5mm lens. The real magic in DJI drones is just how amazing the gimbal is at stabilizing the image, even in fast or turbulent flight. I can shoot an image at 1/60th of a second in pretty fast winds and it still gets me sharp images.


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## jcdeboever (Jan 16, 2018)

Destin said:


> Drove half an hour up to Point Breeze, an inlet on Lake Ontario. Captured these photos:
> 
> 1.)
> 
> ...



OK, now I'm gonna have to slap the drone out of you..... stop it!!!!! Your making me go to B & H now, your getting reflections.... WOW.... the 2nd one reminds me of my first wife....


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## BrentC (Jan 17, 2018)

Great stuff!    Really like that last set and the forest.   The forest reminded me of something I saw on tv quite a while ago and thought you might be interested.   Its truly amazing. 



.   The video from the drone is spectacular.


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## Destin (Jan 17, 2018)

BrentC said:


> Great stuff!    Really like that last set and the forest.   The forest reminded me of something I saw on tv quite a while ago and thought you might be interested.   Its truly amazing.
> 
> 
> 
> .   The video from the drone is spectacular.



Man that’s phenomenal. 

The drone is really forcing me to learn video shooting and editing. I’m working on a few video projects slowly. I’ll share them when they’re done.


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## NancyMoranG (Jan 17, 2018)

Destin said:


> zombiesniper said:
> 
> 
> > Very cool images.
> ...



Will you be changing your name to 'StealthFlyer' or such? Wow, great maneuvers!
I really like the photos especially the view of the trees!

My Mavik arrived the other day and I took it to the backyard in 'beginner' mode so it would only go 90' in any direction. Just getting started but feels like fun..


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## Destin (Jan 17, 2018)

NancyMoranG said:


> Destin said:
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> > zombiesniper said:
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Yes! Now I’m not alone! Can’t wait to see the photos you get with it! 

I am debating getting rid of my current Instagram account and starting a new one that’s 100% drone photos. They seem to be more popular.


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## ac12 (Jan 18, 2018)

NancyMoranG said:


> Destin said:
> 
> 
> > zombiesniper said:
> ...



I'm even more beginner than you.
I'm practicing controlling it in an underground parking lot, so I don't do something stupid and loose the quad/drone.  And I don't have to deal with wind.  The only problem in the parking lot is limited vertical height.  But for me the hardest to learn is L/R and F/B, cuz direction is based on the quad, not me.  So when the quad turns, so do the relative directions.


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## Destin (Jan 18, 2018)

ac12 said:


> NancyMoranG said:
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> > Destin said:
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What drone do you have? 

Mine both have navigational lights that make figuring out direction easy. As does the live feed on my screen and the map with directional indicator.


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## ac12 (Jan 18, 2018)

Destin said:


> ac12 said:
> 
> 
> > NancyMoranG said:
> ...



It isn't which is L/R on the drone, it is ME getting used to flying from the perspective of the drone, vs me on the ground.
Example, when the drone is headed back towards me, everything is backwards; the drones L is my R, and F is towards me vs away from me.  So I have to think different when working the direction controls.
A live view would make it easier, then I can see direction from the perspective of the drone, vs me.
Or being 40 years younger  

I've been practicing the copter method of learning to fly.  First flying faced away from me, then flying face towards me; to try to get used to controlling from the PoV of the copter/quad.  It ain't easy for this old man.

I have 2 Syma's; a small one that I use for garage/small space flying, and a larger one that I will graduate to for outdoor flying.
And a Blade coaxial copter.

I need to ask the AD at the local high school if I can fly in his gym.  Then I would have the vertical space that I don't have in the parking structure.  Fat chance, probably liability issues.


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## jcdeboever (Jan 18, 2018)

@Destin, the wife said she was going to buy me one, the one you linked. I told her no, because I know she has a big purchase for herself in mind. She means well but I have a feeling if she got me one, I am in for some home remodeling work, jewelery, Coach stuff, or some stupid outfit I got to wear for her.... I may soon be a drone slave....


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## Destin (Jan 21, 2018)

Got out this morning and took some photos over Medina, New York. This is going to be way more fun once the weather gets warm again, but I'm still trying to stay motivated despite the cold. 

1.) The drone is steady enough to take exposures sufficiently long to show motion in a waterfall





2.)





3.)





4.)





5.)


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## ac12 (Jan 21, 2018)

STOP it.
You are making me want to spend $$$$ on a decent photo drone.


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## ac12 (Jan 21, 2018)

Destin,
I found what you were asking for in another thread.
Sports photos: composition tips and tricks


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## Destin (Jan 21, 2018)

ac12 said:


> Destin,
> I found what you were asking for in another thread.
> Sports photos: composition tips and tricks



Sweet man! Thanks!


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## ac12 (Jan 21, 2018)

Destin said:


> ac12 said:
> 
> 
> > Destin,
> ...



The stuff that is buried in the menus, that will never be found by most people.


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## Destin (Jan 21, 2018)

ac12 said:


> Destin said:
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> > ac12 said:
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So true!


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## vintagesnaps (Jan 21, 2018)

The first couple of photos, especially the second one, are about the best drone photos I've seen. Most I've seen look about like google maps. Yours actually have -  composition. Who knew anything this good was even possible?? I didn't from what I've seen. I also particularly like the one of the ice fishing by the grain silo.


In my area there was something on the news about somebody using a drone to drop off drugs in an empty parking lot down the street. People would pick up the drugs, then pay for them by driving by the house and tossing money (in a packet or whatever) into the front yard. I guess neighbors started reporting it when they kept seeing cars driving by slow and tossing something.


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## Destin (Jan 21, 2018)

vintagesnaps said:


> The first couple of photos, especially the second one, are about the best drone photos I've seen. Most I've seen look about like google maps. Yours actually have -  composition. Who knew anything this good was even possible?? I didn't from what I've seen. I also particularly like the one of the ice fishing by the grain silo.
> 
> 
> In my area there was something on the news about somebody using a drone to drop off drugs in an empty parking lot down the street. People would pick up the drugs, then pay for them by driving by the house and tossing money (in a packet or whatever) into the front yard. I guess neighbors started reporting it when they kept seeing cars driving by slow and tossing something.



Wow, thanks! That means a lot!


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## zulu42 (Jan 21, 2018)

Killer set. #3 my favorite this round.


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## Destin (Jan 26, 2018)

Was sitting home today and the light started getting good around sunset. Went to fly the drone over an abandoned stone quarry near my house that I've been meaning to check out. Was trying to use the low angle of the light to accentuate the contour of the terrain. I'm quite happy with the results!

1.) A pile of crushed stone that was never sold or transported off site prior to closing the facility. 






2.) This one is my favorite. Love the stripes of different color and the correlation between the rocks in the quarry and the paved roadway... sort the beginning to the end of the process in one photo. 





3.) Farmer's Windmill. Sort of looked like the earth had given birth to the windmill. Found it interesting. 





4.) Not showing the contour of the terrain in this one, just testing the dynamic range. Single image that was exposed for the sky, brought the foreground back up in post. The foreground was nearly black SOOC. Not quite the performance of my Nikon cameras, but pretty impressive for a drone.


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## NancyMoranG (Feb 2, 2018)

Good stuff! I like the variations of color in 3, and like the info about #4 processing and the possibilities.
Got my Mavik flying a few times around the backyard. Just figuring it out. I have changed a setting somewhere because it stopped sending the photo or video to my app? I can see it while flying, but it stopped storing it anywhere..back to YouTube... :{


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## Destin (Feb 2, 2018)

NancyMoranG said:


> Good stuff! I like the variations of color in 3, and like the info about #4 processing and the possibilities.
> Got my Mavik flying a few times around the backyard. Just figuring it out. I have changed a setting somewhere because it stopped sending the photo or video to my app? I can see it while flying, but it stopped storing it anywhere..back to YouTube... :{



Do you have an SD card in?


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## NancyMoranG (Feb 3, 2018)

Yup. I'll figure it out, thanks. But will take a rain check on advice!


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## Destin (Aug 20, 2018)

Aright guys, its been a long while (6 months) since I posted in this thread. I have drone photos to share and figured I'd revive this thread rather than starting a new one. 

Update: I've sold the phantom 4 pro and purchased a mavic pro. I really wanted a more portable drone that I could hike with or throw in a saddle bag on my motorcycle. So far, I'm incredibly happy with the change. I honestly like the photos from the mavic better than the phantom, despite the "worse" specs. 

I took all five of these photos yesterday. The first two were in the morning at Hoyt Lake/Delaware Park in Buffalo. The last three were at hemlock lake in Livingston county, NY. 

Personally, this is my favorite set of drone images I've produced to date. 

1.) The Pedestrian Foot Bridge over the 198 in Buffalo



Untitled by Destin Danser, on Flickr

2.) Rental Boats, Hoyt Lake. 



Untitled by Destin Danser, on Flickr

3.) Part of the water intake/treatment at Hemlock Lake. Hemlock lake is a primary water source for Rochester, NY



Untitled by Destin Danser, on Flickr

4.) Another part of the water intake/treatment at Hemlock Lake.



Untitled by Destin Danser, on Flickr

5.) A small fishing boat on hemlock lake



Untitled by Destin Danser, on Flickr


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## jcdeboever (Aug 20, 2018)

Destin said:


> Aright guys, its been a long while (6 months) since I posted in this thread. I have drone photos to share and figured I'd revive this thread rather than starting a new one.
> 
> Update: I've sold the phantom 4 pro and purchased a mavic pro. I really wanted a more portable drone that I could hike with or throw in a saddle bag on my motorcycle. So far, I'm incredibly happy with the change. I honestly like the photos from the mavic better than the phantom, despite the "worse" specs.
> 
> ...


very cool. stop posting those, I want one now[emoji12]


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## Destin (Aug 30, 2018)

Got out with the drone again the other night. I feel like I'm really finding my groove with locating artistic compositions from the air.

1.) Overhead view of Buffalo's Fire Boat, The Edward M. Cotter



Edward M Cotter by Destin Danser, on Flickr

2.) Buffalo Main Light with the Edward Cotter and City Skyline behind it



Buffalo Main Light by Destin Danser, on Flickr

3.) Buffalo Main Light as seen from directly above. A rarely (or maybe never) seen view



Buffalo Main Light by Destin Danser, on Flickr

4.) The Buffalo Intake Crib "Lighthouse." This is the water intake station for the City of Buffalo, located over a mile out into Lake Erie. This is the main water source for the city, and is considered a lighthouse strictly because it has a light on top of it so that boats don't hit it.



Buffalo Intake Crib Lighthouse by Destin Danser, on Flickr


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## smoke665 (Aug 30, 2018)

Like JC said Destin, you really need to stop posting now. My wife is not going to approve me buying a drone, which is going to create an argument. So I'm limited to viewing (drooling) over your fantastic images.


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