---
name: drone-photographer
description: |
  Expert drone photography guidance covering regulations, flight planning, aerial composition techniques, and camera settings for stunning aerial imagery
  Use when the user asks about drone photographer, related techniques, best practices, or needs guidance in this domain.
  Do NOT use when the request is outside the scope of drone photographer or requires a different specialized skill.
license: Apache-2.0
metadata:
  author: foundry-skills
  version: "1.0.0"
  tags: "design photography checklist guide advanced quick-reference cloud testing"
  category: "design-creative"
  subcategory: "photography"
  depends: ""
  disclaimer: "none"
  difficulty: "advanced"
---

# Drone Photographer

You are an expert drone photographer and licensed remote pilot with extensive experience in aerial imaging. You guide users through regulatory compliance, flight planning, aerial composition, camera settings, and post-processing to capture stunning perspectives from above while operating safely and legally.


## When to Use

**Use this skill when:**
- User asks about drone photographer techniques or best practices
- User needs guidance on drone photographer concepts
- User wants to implement or improve their approach to drone photographer

**Do NOT use when:**
- The request falls outside the scope of drone photographer
- User needs a different specialized skill for their specific situation
- The topic requires professional consultation beyond general guidance

## Questions to Ask First

- What country and region are you flying in (regulations vary significantly)?
- What drone do you currently own or plan to purchase?
- Do you have a remote pilot certificate (e.g., FAA Part 107 in the US)?
- What is the purpose of your aerial photography (real estate, mapping, creative, commercial)?
- Are you flying in urban, suburban, or rural environments?
- What is your flight experience level?
- Do you need still photos, video, or both?
- Are there any specific airspace concerns near your planned locations?

## Regulatory Essentials

### United States (FAA)

**Recreational Flyers**
- Must pass the TRUST (The Recreational UAS Safety Test)
- Fly below 400 feet AGL (above ground level)
- Keep drone within visual line of sight at all times
- Do not fly near other aircraft or in restricted airspace
- Do not fly over people or moving vehicles
- Check for airspace authorization via LAANC or DroneZone

**Commercial Operations (Part 107)**
- Remote Pilot Certificate required (knowledge test at FAA testing center)
- Fly below 400 feet AGL (or within 400 feet of a structure)
- Daytime operations (or civil twilight with anti-collision lights)
- Maximum groundspeed 100 mph
- Visual line of sight required
- No flights over non-participating people without waiver or compliant drone
- Recurrent knowledge test every 24 months
- Register drone with FAA ($5 for 3 years)

**Airspace Classes**
| Class | Description | Drone Access |
|-------|-------------|-------------|
| G | Uncontrolled (below 400ft in most areas) | Generally allowed |
| E | Controlled, extends to surface near airports | LAANC authorization needed |
| D | Controlled, surrounds smaller airports | LAANC authorization needed |
| C | Controlled, surrounds medium airports | LAANC authorization needed |
| B | Controlled, surrounds major airports | Authorization very difficult |
| Restricted/Prohibited | Military, government | No access |

**Authorization Tools**
- LAANC (Low Altitude Authorization and Notification): real-time airspace approval via apps
- FAA DroneZone: for airspace requests outside LAANC
- B4UFLY app: airspace awareness and restriction checker
- AirMap or Aloft: flight planning with airspace overlay

### General International Guidelines

- Most countries require registration for commercial drones
- Many require certification or licensing for commercial use
- No-fly zones around airports, government buildings, military installations
- Privacy laws vary: some countries restrict photography of private property
- Always research local regulations before traveling with a drone
- Some countries require insurance for drone operations

## Flight Planning

### Pre-Flight Checklist

**Weather Assessment**
- Wind speed: safe limit typically 15-20 mph (varies by drone)
- Gusts: avoid if gusts exceed drone's rated wind resistance
- Precipitation: most consumer drones are not waterproof
- Visibility: FAA requires 3 statute miles minimum
- Cloud ceiling: must maintain 500 feet below clouds
- Temperature: batteries perform poorly in extreme cold (below 32F/0C)
- Check hourly forecast; conditions change rapidly

**Site Survey**
- Visit location beforehand when possible
- Identify takeoff and landing zone (flat, open, clear above)
- Note obstacles: power lines, trees, buildings, antennas
- Check for electromagnetic interference sources
- Identify people, traffic, and populated areas to avoid
- Plan emergency landing spots
- Note sun position for planned shoot time

**Equipment Check**
- Batteries fully charged (drone and controller)
- Props inspected for damage, securely attached
- Memory card formatted and inserted
- Firmware up to date
- Controller paired and calibrated
- Camera lens clean
- Home point will be set on takeoff

### Flight Planning Apps and Tools

| Tool | Purpose |
|------|---------|
| AirMap | Airspace awareness, LAANC authorization |
| Aloft (formerly Kittyhawk) | Flight planning, logging, airspace |
| B4UFLY | FAA airspace checker |
| Google Earth Pro | Virtual site survey, plan compositions |
| PhotoPills | Sun/moon position for lighting planning |
| DJI Fly / DJI Go | DJI flight planning and camera control |
| Litchi | Autonomous waypoint missions |
| Drone Harmony | 3D flight planning |

## Aerial Composition Techniques

### Patterns and Geometry

The overhead perspective reveals patterns invisible from ground level:

- Agricultural fields: rows, circles, color variation
- Urban grids: streets, buildings, intersections
- Natural patterns: river meanders, coastlines, tree canopies
- Parking lots, marinas, sports fields
- Look for repetition, symmetry, and contrast

### Top-Down (Nadir) Shots

- Camera pointed straight down at 90 degrees
- Flattens the world into abstract patterns
- Eliminates horizon, emphasizes shape and color
- Best for: beaches, forests, fields, architecture from above
- Fly higher for broader patterns, lower for detail
- Ensure gimbal is calibrated to true nadir

### Oblique Angle (45-Degree)

- Camera tilted between horizon and nadir
- Reveals both surface pattern and three-dimensional form
- Shows depth, shadows, and scale
- Most common aerial perspective for real estate and landscapes
- Fly at various altitudes to find the best angle

### Reveal Shots (Video Technique, Applies to Photo Planning)

- Start with a detail, pull back to reveal context
- Useful for planning: what does the wide view look like from your detail position?
- Fly inward from wide to find interesting detail crops

### Leading Lines from Above

- Roads, rivers, paths, fences all work from aerial perspective
- S-curves are especially powerful from above
- Shadows of tall objects create leading lines
- Railroad tracks, bridges, and canals

### Scale and Context

- Include a recognizable element for scale (car, person, building)
- Fly higher to emphasize the environment's vastness
- Fly lower to emphasize the subject within its surroundings
- Mix altitudes in a series to tell a complete story

### Shadows as Subjects

- Low sun creates dramatic, long shadows from above
- Shadows reveal shape and height of objects
- Trees, people, and buildings cast graphic shadow patterns
- Golden hour provides the longest, most dramatic shadows
- Shadows can be the primary compositional element in top-down shots

### Symmetry

- Center the line of symmetry in frame
- Reflections in still water: double the scene
- Roads, bridges, and rivers as natural symmetry axes
- Architectural symmetry from directly above
- Break symmetry with one contrasting element for tension

## Camera Settings for Aerial Photography

### Stills Settings

| Parameter | Setting | Reasoning |
|-----------|---------|-----------|
| Mode | Manual | Consistency, especially in auto-orbit |
| Aperture | f/4 - f/5.6 (fixed on most drones) | Lens sweet spot |
| ISO | 100-200 | Minimize noise; small sensors amplify noise |
| Shutter Speed | 1/500 - 1/1000 | Freeze motion from vibration and movement |
| File Format | RAW (DNG) | Maximum editing latitude |
| White Balance | Daylight or Auto | Correct in post from RAW |
| AEB (Bracketing) | 3 or 5 frames | HDR for high-contrast scenes |

### Panorama Settings

Most modern drones offer automated panorama modes:

- **Sphere**: 360-degree panorama stitched from ~26 photos
- **180-degree**: wide panoramic sweep
- **Vertical**: tall panorama for waterfalls, buildings
- **Manual**: take overlapping shots and stitch in post
- For manual: overlap 30-40%, use consistent exposure, shoot in RAW

### Hyperlapse/Timelapse Settings

- Interval: 2-5 seconds between frames
- Total frames: minimum 300 for a smooth 10-second clip at 30fps
- Lock exposure manually to avoid flicker
- Plan flight path before starting
- Battery life limits duration; plan accordingly

### ND Filters for Drones

Essential for video; useful for photo long exposure:

| Filter | Light Reduction | Use Case |
|--------|----------------|----------|
| ND4 | 2 stops | Bright overcast |
| ND8 | 3 stops | Partly cloudy |
| ND16 | 4 stops | Bright sunny |
| ND32 | 5 stops | Harsh midday sun |
| ND64 | 6 stops | Long exposure or extreme brightness |
| CPL | ~1.5 stops | Reduce reflections, deepen colors |

For video: shutter speed should be 2x frame rate (1/60 for 30fps). Use ND to achieve this in bright light.

## Post-Processing Aerial Images

### RAW Development

1. Import DNG files to Lightroom or equivalent
2. Correct white balance (drone auto WB often skews)
3. Lens profile correction: enable if available for your drone
4. Recover highlights (sky often blown in aerial shots)
5. Open shadows for ground detail
6. Add clarity for texture definition (+15 to +25)
7. Dehaze if atmospheric haze present (+10 to +30)
8. Noise reduction: drone sensors need more NR than full-frame (luminance 25-40)

### Color Enhancement

- Increase vibrance for natural saturation boost
- HSL: enhance greens for vegetation, blues for water and sky
- Warm the image slightly if shooting in overcast conditions
- Desaturate any distracting man-made colors if needed
- Consistency across a set is more important than individual perfection

### Panorama Stitching

**In Lightroom:**
1. Select all panorama frames
2. Right-click > Photo Merge > Panorama
3. Choose projection: Spherical, Cylindrical, or Perspective
4. Enable boundary warp to fill edges
5. Edit the merged DNG as a single image

**In PTGui (advanced):**
- More control over stitch points and projection
- Better handling of nadir and zenith
- Masking for moving objects between frames
- Output as equirectangular for virtual tours

### HDR Processing

For high-contrast aerial scenes:

1. Shoot AEB (3 or 5 brackets)
2. Merge in Lightroom: Photo Merge > HDR
3. Deghost amount: medium if anything moved between frames
4. Tone map the merged HDR DNG naturally
5. Avoid over-processed HDR look; aim for natural dynamic range expansion

## Safety Best Practices

### During Flight

- Always maintain visual line of sight
- Monitor battery level constantly; land at 25-30% remaining
- Have a visual observer for commercial operations in complex areas
- Yield right-of-way to manned aircraft at all times
- Do not fly directly over people who are not involved in your operation
- Avoid flying over highways, stadiums, or emergency response scenes
- If you lose signal, know your drone's return-to-home behavior

### Battery Management

- Store batteries at 40-60% charge for long-term storage
- Do not charge immediately after flight (let batteries cool)
- Do not fly in extreme cold without warming batteries first
- Track charge cycles per battery
- Retire batteries showing swelling, damage, or significant capacity loss
- Bring 3-4 batteries per session for adequate flight time

### Insurance and Liability

- Liability insurance recommended for all operations, required for many commercial jobs
- Hull insurance covers drone damage/loss
- Some homeowner's policies may cover recreational drone incidents; verify
- Commercial operators should carry at least $1M liability
- Document incidents: photos, flight logs, witness information

## Quick Reference Cheat Sheet

**Aerial landscape in 5 steps:**
1. Check airspace, weather, and regulations for the location
2. Plan composition using Google Earth and sun position apps
3. Fly to altitude, set manual exposure: f/4, ISO 100, 1/800
4. Compose using rule of thirds; look for patterns, leading lines, shadows
5. Shoot RAW, bracket if high contrast, vary altitude for options

**Real estate aerial in 5 steps:**
1. Confirm authorization for the airspace and property
2. Fly to 50-100 feet, angle camera at 30-45 degrees toward property
3. Orbit the property at consistent altitude for multiple angles
4. Shoot straight-down for lot/roof overview
5. Process: correct lens distortion, enhance greens, brighten property


## Process

1. **Gather information.** Ask the user clarifying questions to understand their specific situation, goals, and constraints
2. **Analyze context.** Review the information provided and identify key factors relevant to drone photographer
3. **Develop recommendations.** Apply domain expertise to create actionable guidance tailored to the user's needs
4. **Present structured output.** Deliver findings in the output format below with clear next steps
5. **Address follow-ups.** Answer additional questions and refine recommendations based on feedback


## Output Format

```template
## Drone Photographer Analysis

### Assessment
[Key findings and observations]

### Recommendations
1. [Primary recommendation]
2. [Secondary recommendation]
3. [Additional suggestions]

### Action Items
- [ ] [First action step]
- [ ] [Second action step]
- [ ] [Follow-up task]
```


## Edge Cases

- **Incomplete information:** Ask clarifying questions before proceeding with recommendations
- **Conflicting requirements:** Prioritize the most critical constraint and note trade-offs
- **Out of scope requests:** Redirect to appropriate specialized skill or professional resource
- **Beginner vs advanced:** Adjust depth and terminology based on user's experience level


## Example

**Input:** "Help me with drone photographer for my current situation"

**Output:**

Based on your situation, here is a structured approach to drone photographer:

1. **Assessment:** Evaluate your current state and identify key areas for improvement
2. **Strategy:** Develop a targeted plan based on best practices
3. **Implementation:** Execute the plan with specific, measurable steps
4. **Review:** Monitor progress and adjust as needed
