Quick Shot: Aerial Manassas Battlefield
NOTE (July 2014): These photos were taken BEFORE the US National Parks System instituted a ban on all drone photography in the parks. Please follow the laws!
Today I took my new arial camera, a DJI Phantom Vision 2 Plus, out to the Manassas Battlefield for my first flights. I really wasn't choosing a location based on scenery, rather based on a big wide open area to learn to fly in....
I was very happy with how the flights went - no crashes and the controls are very fluid and smooth. The best part is being able to let go of the controls and have the GPS enabled drone keep it flying in exactly the same spot.
In the 30 minutes of flying I did this afternoon, I also played around with the camera to get a sense for how well it worked. I am quite pleased with the quality from such a small camera and just need to now spend some time on the composition..... it's hard to make a big grassy field look interesting!
Here's a few sneak peaks of my first aerial photos. I'll be working to continue to improve my results with the camera and am looking forward to taking it to some more interesting locations soon.
One of the canons at the battlefield. I am maybe only 60ft off the ground for this photo, but it helps give a different and unique perspective - which is why I got it! Edited in Adobe Camera RAW and Nik Silver Efex 2.
Two canons overlooking the battlefield - edited with Adobe Photoshop and Nik Software
A cluster of trees in the Manassas Battlefield
Looking straight down on one of the canons. The DJI Phantom Vision 2 Plus has a rotating camera so I can pan up or down while in flight.