Photographing from the Sky

Since becoming FAA Certified for commercial drone photography, I haven’t had as many opportunities to go flying as I used to.  I can accomplish most of my aerial photography requests with the drone. But last week I had an assignment for Trident Construction that was going to require flying above 400 ft, and flying too near the Charleston International Airport…both of which were beyond the legal limits of commercial drone flight.

So I reached out to Hayden and Kris at Holy City Helicopters. Hayden is not only a great chopper pilot, but also an avid photographer. So he “got it” when it came to waiting for the right weather and the right light. Finally, a beautiful blue-sky day opened up to us! Kris was my pilot that morning.  He did a fantastic job of getting me good angles of the projects I needed to photograph.

It was a pleasure flying and photographing with these fine gentlemen. I highly recommend calling Hayden if you’re interested in photographing from the sky!

Aerial Assignments

More and more corporate clients are turning to us for our new Aerial Drone Photography. Why?

EXPERIENCE:
Much like buying a nice digital camera doesn’t instantly make one a great digital photographer, simply buying a drone doesn’t make one a great aerial photographer! Just because someone can fly a drone doesn’t mean they know how to capture a compelling image. Mastering the tried and true techniques of lighting, exposure, composition, color, (and the list is a mile long) takes time! Cami and I have professional photography degrees, which means we’ve truly studied the finer nuances of beautiful art and imagery. Plus we’ve been photographing professionally for over two decades! That’s a priceless amount of experience and training that you just can’t pick up in a weekend workshop. Think about the revolutions and changes that have taken place in 20+ years. From medium format to 35mm, from film to digital, from crop sensors to full-frame sensors, from megabytes to gigabytes…we’ve seen it all! Which is why our clients feel confident in our abilities to deliver more compelling images.

EQUIPMENT:
Sure, the latest drones are easy to fly and take descent photos in their dumbed-down-out-of-the-box settings. It takes a lot of studying and experimenting with the deeper nuances and internal settings to eek out that NEXT higher level of quality and detail. I wonder how many new drone pilots never even read the manual?!? Flying the latest quadcopters on the market, and setting them up to take full advantage of every pixel they offer, we’re able to deliver a superior quality product.

EDUCATION:
Everyone has seen one news story or another about crashed drones or near collisions with other aircraft. Unlike a highway where you can only go one of two directions, airspace is a wide open fronteir. For the safety of other aircraft, and the safety of people below, the Federal Aviation Administration has implimented strict rules and regulations. Unfortunately, very few UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) pilots have taken the time to study, train, and pass the FAA certification process. We are proud to have passed the exam with the highest grade in the class, on our way to obtaining the FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Licesnse! This means we are legal to fly our drones commercially, and will do so with safety as a primary concern.

For more information, check out https://chrisandcami.com/gallery/aerial/.  When it’s time for YOUR aerial photography assignment, please don’t hesitate to contact us! You’ll be in good hands…and you’ll be glad you did.

Kristin & John’s Family at Runnymede Plantation

If you’ve never heard of A Perfect Balance Bookkeeping, you need to!  They have saved us countless hours of nashing-of-teeth and pulling-of-hair when it comes to all the taxes, licenses, and forms it takes to run your own business.

Kristin Diggett has been a god-send to us. Not only is she our GIFTED book-keeper, she’s also an AMAZING mother, and TALENTED tennis player. But the best part is, she’s also our dear friend…as is John by extension!!!

Yesterday we were excited to photograph updated family portraits for Kristin and John’s blended family. And what better place to do that than the STUNNING Runnymede Plantation?!? Many thanks to our good friend Tim for the privilege of working with such beautiful, elegant, lowcountry backdrops.

Congratulations Kristin & John…you survived yet another crazy photo shoot with Cami and I!!!  🙂