11 Tips to Step Up Your Drone Photography

Mavic Pro photography

Before we ever took photos with a drone, we were inspired by the aerial images taken by the pros. Even today, great photos make us wonder how people could think of such imaginative, eye-opening shots. Our friends COOPH, an online photography magazine and YouTube Channel, demonstrate unique tips & tricks in their video.

All photographs by Lorenz Holder using the DJI Mavic Pro.

Let’s keep the 11 tips list:

1) Flip the perspective

Drones give a point of view that no other camera can give: from above! Take full advantage and use that aerial view to create marvelous illusions below. Ask your friends to lay on the ground and strike whatever pose you can imagine. Using the Mavic Pro (learn highlight features about Mavic Pro), something as ordinary as a park bench or wall could look like the ledge of a building to give the illusion of leaping from one to another. Use this eye trick to do the impossible!

Flip the perspective-Mavic Pro

Flip the perspective-Mavic Pro

2) Look for symmetry

A bird’s eye view also lets you find the beauty that you just can’t recognize from the ground. A park or town square may reveal incredible symmetry. Capture it with a shot that makes a perfect mirror image.

Look for symmetry-Mavic Pro

 

Look for symmetry-Mavic Pro

3) Find dividing lines

In any photo, sharp lines shape the composition of your shot, directing the viewer’s gaze. You can do the same! With a road or trail, frame your shot to make the line extend from left to right, top to bottom, or even corner to corner. Play with these angles and see what takes shape!

Find dividing lines-Mavic Pro

Find dividing lines-Mavic Pro

4) Capture unique patterns

Take out your Mavic Pro, fly, and look for unique locations. You’d be surprised to find the kinds of interesting shapes and patterns that exist out there. The weirder, the better!

Capture unique patterns-Mavic Pro

Capture unique patterns-Mavic Pro

5) Take an aerial panorama

Never underestimate the Mavic Pro’s panorama feature (learn how to shoot a panorama)! With a wider landscape, you can give the viewer an entire view of beauty, rather than an incomplete picture. Fly high, choose your spot, then shoot, rotate, and shoot again!  Take an aerial panorama-Mavic Pro

6) Find contrasting colors

I love shooting objects rich in color, and you will, too! Bright, vivid hues look stunning from above. The higher the contrast, the more dramatic the shot, so make sure you play brights and darks together, and even play up complementary colors.

Find contrasting colors-Mavic Pro

Find contrasting colors-Mavic Pro

7) Reinvent the selfie

With the Mavic Pro in your hands, ditch the selfie stick for good! It doesn’t matter what kind of backdrop you use because you’ll look on top of the world anywhere with an aerial perspective. I think selfies look best when you stick out from the sky, so don’t forget to wave, and always make the shot look easy.

Reinvent the selfie-Mavic Pro

8) Look for repetition

Some places provide a great opportunity for repetition. Carefully arranged objects can form precise, formulaic lines. A place like a shipping yard or train station can have a huge collection of identically-shaped objects. Even your ordinary neighborhood has a character with all its houses in a row. Appreciate the repetition with a great picture.

Look for repetition-Mavic Pro

Look for repetition-Mavic Pro

9) Shoot abstract

We all can’t be Picasso with a paint brush, but we sure can make abstract art with a drone! Pilot the Mavic Pro and look for curvy lines or irregular shapes. Frame up your shot in as many ways you can think, and capture every unique view. Everywhere there’s a visual story. You just need to see it.

Shoot abstrac-Mavic Pro

Shoot abstrac-Mavic Pro

10) Capture shadows

Shadows can be the key to unlocking your wildest imaginations. When the sun is low, just before sunset, our shadows stretch out into gigantic silhouettes, projecting our every move and activity. Although you might not look like much from above, your shadow can tell the whole story.

Capture shadows-Mavic Pro

Capture shadows-Mavic Pro

11) Shoot the horizon

After playing with your shadow, it’s time to get a view of the horizon. Here, you can combine any of the previous tips to create a breathtaking view. Find symmetrical lines or weird shapes, high contrast or fantastic shadows. With a unique perspective and hard-to-reach angles, a photo of the horizon gives a kind of depth and life to an image that few others can.

Shoot the horizon-Mavic Pro

Shoot the horizon-Mavic Pro

BONUS: Always bring spare batteries!

With these tips, there’s no doubt you’ll want to be out flying all day, looking for the perfect mirror image, the strangest curves, or the perfect selfie location. Make sure your Mavic Pro is always in the sky with extra batteries. The more, the better!

About COOPH:

The Cooperative of Photography is a community-focused photography online magazine and YouTube channel, demonstrating awesome tips and tricks to up your photography game. Visit COOPH

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Creativity is at the heart of every dream. At DJI, we give creators the tools they need to bring their imagination to life. Our products push visionaries to go beyond the limits of possibility, inspiring them to see the world from a brand new perspective.