I’ve now written three blogs about the value of videos in marketing tourism businesses, how to create those videos and exactly the tools you need to achieve close to ‘professional’ quality and I want to explain how to use readily available, low-cost drones to add the ‘wow’ factor to your armoury of content for your location, products and destination.

Drones offer a spectacular perspective for capturing aerial imagery that will enhance the visual appeal of the products and experience you’re offering. Here’s how to set up and shoot breathtaking images using a drone.

The first step is choosing a drone suited to your needs. When weighing up the options, there are four things to consider:

  1. Camera Quality: Your drone should shoot in 4K for crisp video and high-resolution still images.
  2. Flight Time: You need your drone to fly for at least 20-30 minutes per battery.
  3. Stabilization: make sure it has a 3-axis gimbal. This stabilises the camera, especially in windy conditions.
  4. Range: Measure the drone’s range against the scale of the locations you want to capture.

To give you an idea of the cost and capability of well-reviewed drones have a look at the DJI Mini 2 at under $500 or with more features, the DJI Mavic Air 2 or DJI Phantom 4 Pro. But do your research to find the best drone for you at the best price.

Now, importantly, before launching your drone, check your State’s drone aviation laws, regulations, and safety rules. The best starting point is here at CASA https://www.casa.gov.au/knowyourdrone/drone-rules who have created a good video explainer. To keep you out of trouble, here’s your checklist.

  • Review local regulations for drone use in your State and local Government area. There will certainly be different rules in various locations. Make yourself aware of them or you could cop a fine.
  • Comply with local ‘No-Fly Zones’ such as airports, national parks, or sensitive tourist sites. Apps like Airmap or DJI Fly can help you identify no-fly zones.
  • Only fly at night if your drone has navigation lights.
  • Obey local and national altitude limits, nationally a maximum 120 meters but this will vary locally for specific sites.

Do your research, including physically scouting the area you want to capture before flying. Identify the visual attractions or features that will look impressive from the air, such as your property or tour route in its scenic landscape, your geographic destination, features like historic buildings, beaches, gardens, wildlife etc.

Make sure you check the weather forecast to avoid high winds or rain, which could damage or lose your drone or affect the quality of your images.

A tip on lighting that I’ve mentioned before, it’s always best to shoot during the “golden hour” (within an hour of sunrise or sunset), when the light is soft and warm.

Plan your drone shots with a shot list or storyboard to ensure you capture the most stunning visuals and do so efficiently. The types of shots you’ll want when you go to edit are:

  • ‘Wide’ landscape shots that capture expansive views to highlight the beauty and desirability of the area.
  • ‘Reveal’ shots are created by starting low, or behind an object, and slowly rise to reveal the target object, landscape, or landmark.
  • ‘Top-down’ views are great for showing patterns in nature or structures such as gardens, entries to your property or tour location etc.
  • ‘Tracking’ shots fly your drone alongside a moving subject (like a boat or person) or at POV (eye level) to show an entry in a dynamic way.

Use drone apps like Litchi or DJI Fly to pre-plan flight paths and get consistent shots.

Remember to keep your drone’s firmware up to date for optimal performance.

Once ready to fly and you’re on-site, prepare your drone by ensuring all batteries (drone and controller) are fully charged. Bring spares if possible. Make sure your SD card has enough space for shooting video and stills. Format it before flying to avoid storage issues. If you’re in a new location, calibrate the drone’s compass to ensure smooth, stable flight.

Now to the camera set up for shooting images. Set the resolution to 4K for hi-res images. Use 24-30 fps (frames per second) for regular video, and 60 fps or higher for slow-motion shots. If you’re taking still images, shoot in RAW format to preserve more detail and flexibility during editing. Assess the lighting conditions (daylight, cloudy, etc.) and set the white balance accordingly to maintain contrast and accurate colours.

So, you are now ready to launch!

The two things you don’t want are a ‘drone crash’ or to watch your drone fly away never to be seen again. Neither of which I can guarantee to prevent, but follow these four safety guidelines to minimise the risk:

  1. Start by flying at a lower altitude for initial shots to get comfortable with the area.
  2. Watch for trees, power lines, or other obstacles that could interfere with your flight.
  3. Always keep your drone in sight.
  4. Many drones have an automatic return-to-home feature that brings the drone back to you if it loses signal or runs low on battery.

To be able to create the most visually compelling video or photo series, you’ll need to capture a mix of different types of images, namely; static shots (hover and shoot), dynamic ‘shots by moving the drone while filming to add motion, such as flying backward, upward, or panning across the horizon and 3600 panoramas by manoeuvring the drone or by stitching together multiple photos.

In my last blog I mentioned the importance of editing. Start the editing process immediately after the flight, by reviewing your footage while you’re on-site to ensure you’ve captured what you need.

Then you can use editing software like Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro or for stills Lightroom or Photoshop.

You may need to ‘grade the colour’  which simply means adjusting the colours to make the scenery more vibrant or to match your aesthetic expectations and stabilise some shots.

We’re now at the stage where your amazing exploits as a drone pilot and editor are ready publish on your website and social media platforms.

I’ve been through this in greater detail in earlier blogs but remember upload videos in 1080p or 4K resolution for platforms like YouTube, Instagram, or Facebook, add captions or music to make your videos even more compelling, and use hashtags, geotags, and share your videos in relevant tourism groups or pages to reach your target audience and beyond.