THE PROBLEM WITH DRONE PHOTOGRAPHY

From miniature lines to full cinematic beasts, the acceleration of the drone industry and our interest in these machines shows no signs of slowing down. Whereas once we eagerly awaited the next marvel from DJI with their flagship Mavic line, now the company can very much be compared to Apple (and their drones to iPhones) with several releases per year becoming the norm as they seek to appeal to the market and consumers’ varying demands. So with an interest in technology, a passion for visual media, and a portfolio that includes images like those below, you might think drones are an integral part of my kit and overall workflow.

However, having only recently 'upgraded' to the Mavic Air 2 (released in April 2020), I'd say I'm pretty apathetic to the whole field of aerial photography, and on an off day the genre can actually make me quite uncomfortable for a few reasons. Let’s just consider today as one of those off days – so bear with me while I have a quick moan or at least try to justify why I prefer to go down the traditional route with a camera in hand.

Cheap Clout

Now perhaps this is too negative of a phrase when talking about the 'art' of drone photography, but I do feel this whole discussion centres around the barrier of entry to what makes a good photo. Arguably since the invention of the camera, an effective image is most often a representation of several months/years of training in which the creative has mastered the amalgamation of elements such as aperture, shutter speed, composition, and many more. This is perhaps why photography never fully consumed the craft of painting/drawing, as the latter requires an immense amount of skill and individuality that we’re able to admire, appreciate, and pay heavily for.

When it comes to drone photography though, at least to the majority of those who participate in it, the story is rather different in both technical and creative regards. With a fixed aperture and steady nature akin to a tripod (therefore eliminating the need for a precise shutter speed), alluring results can be captured automatically just as well, if not better, as those dialling in the commonly used settings on a handheld DSLR or mirrorless camera. Nevertheless, us 'boots on the ground' shooters capitalise on features such as the ever-improving auto focus abilities of modern releases, so we can't get too high and mighty about this point - especially those of us who do take photos from the sky on an occasional basis too.

Instead my annoyance so to speak comes from the often lack of real creative flair required to garner praise or plaudits from aerial shots. The beauty of 'camera photography' (you get what I mean), is that to evoke a reaction we have to find magic in the views around us that so many may see but don’t fully take in. Perhaps the greatest example being the field of street photography in which either a moment is captured instantaneously, or the shooter waits in a spot hoping for that envisaged moment and composition to become a reality. Another field to discuss could be that of landscape/adventure photography which although some cynics -admittedly me at one point - may reduce to arriving at a beautiful location and shooting the environment in front of their eyes, at least the goal is rather to convey the sense of adventure (hence the name) that led up to the image we’re viewing.

Conversely, due to the fact that aerial perspectives aren't a norm for us, photos and videos taken from the skies are almost always guaranteed to receive at least some level of positive intrigue. We may have a few photos of clouds after copping the window seat on a flight, but only for a few years have we been able to see our hometowns, beaches, and parks both from above and in detail. This is of course great for the casual drone flyer, but perhaps not those like myself who after many years are still trying to distinguish themselves in a growing and already highly saturated field. Now whilst I don't want to rain on anyone's parade, it's because of these points that I feel we do need to confront the reality that the barrier of entry to this genre of visual media isn't perhaps skill but, at least in my opinion, money and roughly around half an hour to simply work out how to control the drone.

Want to save that half an hour - assuming you're eyeing up a DJI drone? Press the sticks inwards to launch, go up, down and rotate with the left stick, while pressing accordingly on the right stick to go forwards, backwards, left, and right. All set and ready to take the photo? Just spin the wheel on the back of the remote to control the angle of the camera, and voila, you're on your way to the average person thinking you've become a photography god out of nowhere.

The Solution

So what's the solution to this issue that’s probably a lot smaller in reality than it is in my head? Well the answer might be different from what you think.

After complaining about saturation, in fact this post was partly inspired by a recent boat trip in the Philippines in which seemingly every other person was flying a drone, the remedy may in fact be for more people to either own one or witness the results from them. Let me explain.

I know this may not make sense given what I just said, but bear in mind that Coron (where I took the boat trip) is a hotspot for flyers, photographers, and content creators in general. In everyday life still the majority of people harbour little to no interest in owning one, until perhaps shown a drone photo or video, and even then they're quickly put off making the purchase due to the relatively high price point. Combine this with the points already raised, and once again we can realise that our perception of what is 'good' (at least at this point in time) simply reflects a set of limits not associated with creativity, or dare I say talent.

Whilst I'm of course not suggesting they're equal, the fact that mobile cameras are as accurate as they are nowadays means that even the average person, regardless of taste and style, is able to distinguish what makes a good photo. Rightly so, we understand that its one's ability to push the technology to its limits, in combination with an artistic mind, that garners the most praise and attention. Unfortunately as we’re still in the infancy of mainstream drone technology, hard to believe I know, I’d theorise that the lines between technology and art will only become less blurry upon seeing our thousandth top down photo a few boats in the sea.

Thus, although rather dystopian, perhaps the most realistic way to clearly separate the hobbyists (there's nothing wrong with being one) and the artists is for us to live in a world in which drones became as commonplace as your dad taking an Olympus digital camera on holiday in the late 2000s.*

* I don't actually want this to happen as there are already too many idiots with drones who will happily break airspace regulations in order to get 'bangers' - but that's a conversation for another time.