Aerial PHotography with Drones in 2015

Launch your drone, Take a pic, Edit with Adobe. So easy in 2015

Things Are Changing!

The landscape for aerial photography businesses has changed since I first started doing it a few short years ago.  Gone are the days of tinkering and shop time to get flying.  Now you can have an amazing aerial platform ready to go out of the box within a week.  This has created opportunity as well as challenges as the barrier to entry has gotten so low anyone can now fly a drone and get amazing footage.  There are two types of people usually interested in making money from their drones - those who want to get a toe hold in a fast new industry and hobbyists who want to justify the purchase of fancy toys.  I still believe there is opportunity for both currently and if this is something you want to do professionally, I think it is important to get started as soon as possible.  

The FAA has released their proposed rules for commercial drone use and it actually is a good thing for those who want to seriously pursue aerial photography as a full time gig because it creates some legal / regulatory barriers to entry.  I am keeping close tabs on all of these developments and will let you guys know when things get finalized and how best to deal with that stuff.  

With the new Phantom 3 which costs $1000, just about anyone can take aerial pictures now.  This has created some downward pressure on aerial picture pricing but it will never eliminate the need for professionals and semi-professional operators.  One of the most timeless parts of my aerial photography business book is the part that talks about getting and keeping clients.  Customer service and acquisition will never change and now that you don't have to solder anything you can spend more time building profitable relationships with those people who need aerial work.

I think the current going rate for simple aerial pictures is $100-150 which is still pretty good.  I think you can get $200-500 for video but you really need to be able to deliver and I think you need to be adding in shots from the ground as well as the air if you are seriously going to offer this service.  

As always, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask!

I finally got my Inspire 1 back from DJI and I am really excited to start flying it again.  I decided to cancel my order for the Phantom 3 because I felt it was a bit excessive to have both.  I am a huge fan of the Phantom 3 and I still think it is the rig to get for getting started.  It is about 95% Inspire 1 after all!