Articles

There’s a Drone for You: For Photography, Selfies and Iceberg/Whale Watching

Aerial drone used to videotape Naples Zoo. (Image from its YouTube video.)

Aerial drone used to videotape Naples Zoo. (Image from its YouTube video.)

Life can present situations wherein you want to take photos/videos but you did not bring your camera or your subjects are too far away or moving too fast for you to shoot great, unique photos.

Now, there are drones to do your bidding 24/7 such as shooting selfies. And, it is not necessary to own a drone to make your photography wishes come true because there’s an app for that.

  • And there are drones at your service in certain USA cities for now.
  • They will be coming to your city soon.

For drone entrepreneurs, the sky’s the limit. But for drones, the sky is not the limit as shown in these videos as follows.

  • This video presents “Drones on Demand: Behind the Scenes at Gofor.”
    • Learn more about the Gofor app and the multitude of tasks Gofor drones are capable of.”

  • The following video presents “Iceberg near Cape Spear NL.”
    • CBC News reported that a drone camera captured its flight through an iceberg arch which was located just off Cape Spear and St. John’s harbour, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

…this video takes viewers on a one-of-a-kind flight.

Ben Davis posted the video to YouTube showing the drone’s point of view as it approaches the berg. After a false start, the drone successfully navigates the arch, which has subsequently crumbled.

CBC News: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/flight-through-iceberg-arch-captured-by-drone-1.2669252

  • The following video presents “Aerial drone used to videotape Naples Zoo.”

    • This was the first time a drone was used for aerial photography at the Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens.
    • The use of remote controlled drones has become more and more popular in Naples and Fort Myers, especially for aerial photography and videography.
    • SWFL-TV uses the latest technological advancements that include a quadcopter and a hexacopter.
      • The 6 rotor hexacopter features a state of the art GPS navigation and autopilot system as well as a 3 axes gimbal camera mount for optimal image stabilization.

  • The following video presents “Video of 70 foot WHALE raises alarm | Is whale watching with drones next big trend?”
    • Endangered fin whale is videotaped via unmanned aircraft off Southern California, raising questions and concerns about how this might affect the mammals.
    • Captain Frank Brennan on Tuesday uploaded a YouTube video showing an endangered fin whale, captured via drone from more than 50 feet above the surface off Dana Point, California.
    • The beautiful and unique footage was widely shared and questions immediately surfaced.
      • Is whale watching with drones the next big trend?
      • Is it appropriate, or even legal?
      • Do the drones pose any danger to the protected mammals?
    • Brennan, who works for Dana Wharf Whale Watch, is believed to be the first employee of a California whale-watching operation to launch an unmanned drone to capture footage of a large cetacean.
      • Given the fiercely competitive nature of the business, he won’t be the last. (At least one other Southern California whale-watching business has purchased a drone.).
      • He said the device was never close to the whale and that he was “lucky” to have captured such clean footage of an estimated 70-foot fin whale as it leisurely stole breaths at the surface.
    • Time will tell whether the use of drones will, indeed, become widespread on commercial vessels for videotaping not only whales and dolphins, but sharks and other creatures.

Also, drones will be used in dangerous search and rescue operations.

Maybe, soon enough there will be rental drones made to look like pet dogs to perform aerial stunts such as catching a frisbee and fetching a thrown stick.

As more drones become available to the public, there will be issues of privacy. Maybe, soon enough, there will be a drone-detection app to alert you of an approaching drone so that you can take appropriate steps to maintain privacy!