Aerial Photography How To

Drones are becoming an increasingly popular tool among photographers looking for a unique aerial perspective that in the past was only possible from an airplane or at least a very tall building. The images you see here are 10 of the most incredible drone photos of 2016.

Drones are becoming increasingly popular among photographers because they enable us to capture images from a perspective not typically possible otherwise. We say “typically” because Polish photographer Kacper Kowalski is what you might call a “human drone” who shoots amazing images while paragliding.

My flights in helicopters, small planes, and hot-air balloons are often provided by clients as part of my assignments; if I’m shooting for stock, I’ll pick up the hire fee. Aerial tours are widely available to tourists and photo enthusiasts alike, and there’s certainly no limit to spectacular locations you can photograph from above.

Because of the “this is why we can’t have nice things” antics of several idiots flying drones, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) now requires every drone (and RC aircraft) weighing more than 0.55 pounds to register their craft and have an identification label. Pilots are also required to carry Flight ID.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officially refers to quadcopters as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) but they obviously have more in common with the kind of hobbyist’s radio-controlled aircraft that have been around since I was a member of the Poly Aeroneers in high school. Yet tech blogs and social media endlessly refer to quadcopters as “drones” when the only thing a General Atomics MQ-1 Predator and a DJI Phantom 1 have in common is that they’re capable of flight. But they’re not without some controversy.

Aerial photographer Chris Dahl-Bredine was one such dreamer, and while he’s not sure how big a role the flying dream played in his eventually becoming an ultralight pilot, he’s certain it was a significant factor. And, once he began flying, he reports—as do other pilots (the author included)—that the dream simply stopped. He considered becoming a licensed private pilot so he could fly light planes but once he experienced the thrill of ultralights, he realized it helped him recapture the dream: flying like a bird, wind in his face, view unencumbered by a cockpit.