The Photographer’s Guide to Drones

398 Pages·2016·54.42 MB·English

by  Colin Smith

THE
PHOTOGRAPHER’S GUIDE
DRONES
TO
COLIN SMITH
The Photographer’s Guide To Drones
Colin Smith
photoshopcafe.com
Project editor: Maggie Yates Project manager: Lisa Brazieal Marketing manager: Jessica Tiernan
Copyeditor: Scout Festa Layout and type: WolfsonDesign Cover design: Charlene Charles-Will
Indexer: Maggie Yates
ISBN: 978-1-68198-114-7
1st Edition (1st printing, October 2016) © 2016 Colin Smith
All images © Colin Smith unless otherwise noted Rocky Nook Inc.
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San Rafael, CA 94901
USA
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Distributed in the U.S. by Ingram Publisher Services Distributed in the UK and Europe by
Publishers Group UK
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016930697
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Printed in China
CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1
SAFETY AND REGULATIONS
Safety
Preflight Safety
In-Flight Safety
Propeller Guards
Attacks by Seagulls
Other Safety Concerns
Regulations
Registration
Commercial Use
Part 107
Conclusion
CHAPTER 2
DRONES AND GEAR
Different Platforms
DJI
3D Robotics (3DR) Solo
Firmware Updates
Filters
First Person View (FPV)
Batteries
CHAPTER 3
FLIGHT SCHOOL
Pre-Flight Check
FPV App
Control Basics
Controllers
A Dozen Exercise Patterns to Fly Like a Master
Time to Yaw
Framing Exercise
Master of Movement
Advanced Flight Modes
GPS Assist
ATTI
Course Lock
Home Lock
Self-Flying, Robotic Flying
POI/Orbit
Selfie
Cable Cam / Waypoints
Follow Me
TOAL: Takeoff and Landing
Auto Takeoff and Land
Manual Takeoff and Land
Handheld Launch / Catch Landing
Which Which?
CHAPTER 4
SHOOTING PHOTOGRAPHS WITH A DRONE
Foundational Rules of Photography
Rule of Thirds for Composition
Change Your Viewpoint, Change the Photo
Try Flying Lower
Fill the Frame with the Subject
Foreground Elements and Interest
Leading Lines
Control the Background
Shoot During Good Light
Golden Hour
Special Types of Photography
Panoramas
Bracketing: HDR, Capturing the Full Range
Panoramic HDR
Burst of Shots to Get the Action
Bird’s-Eye View
CHAPTER 5
SHOOTING VIDEO WITH DRONES
First-Person View in Video
Video Basics
Frame Size
Frame Rate
Best Settings for Video
ND Filters
A Word on Compelling Video
Video Movement
Static Video
Dynamic Video
Single-Axis Moves
Aerial Camera Moves
CHAPTER 6
BASIC PHOTO WORKFLOW IN LIGHTROOM OR ACR
Media Downloading and Tips
Dumping Your Data
Where Are You Putting It?
Where Is It?
Asset Management in Lightroom
Catalog
Collections
Keywords
Finding Images in Lightroom
Basic Edits in Lightroom
Basic Lightroom Workflow
Fix the Lens
Crop and Straighten
Color Correction
Tonal Corrections
Enhancements
Local Corrections
Adjustment Brush
Dehaze
Fixing the Bad Stuff
Noise
Chromatic Aberration
Finishing Techniques
Radial
Vignette
Creative Use of Dehaze
Sharpen
Sharpening Workflow
Conclusion
CHAPTER 7
ADVANCED PHOTO EDITING
Panoramas
Panoramas in Lightroom
Panoramas in Photoshop
High Dynamic Range (HDR) Images
Photoshop Masking
High Pass Sharpening
HDR Panorama
Recovering the Entire Image
Removing Distractions
Finishing
Special Effects
Tilt Shift
360-Degree Tiny Planet