5 Essential Tips to Elevate Your Drone Photography By Aadarsh Tiwari on March 19th, 2017 The New York Institute of Photography is one of the world’s largest photography schools and because we are, we often publish fun and useful photography tips on our photography blog. Please enjoy! Just out of reach of the longest selfie stick and the lowest hovering helicopter, drones can capture what no other technology is typically allowed or capable of capturing. That's particularly liberating in a world where 350 million photographs are uploaded to Facebook daily. 1. Fly Prepared Find a location worthy of your drone’s battery life. Start from a place of inspiration – for example, follow aerial photographers on Instagram (I have a pretty good drone photography feed if I do say so myself). Then, make a list of nearby locations and regional points of intrigue. Utilize tools such as Google Maps to examine the feasibility of each of your ideas. If you were to go there, think about what the backdrop of your image might be and how the light would interact with your subject at different times of the day. 2. Light Your Way Endeavor to fly when the light is most tantalizing. Golden hour refers to the soft yellow-tinted light that fills the skies as the sun begins and ends its journey across the horizon. Blue hour is another special stage in the day when vibrant blue hues take over the sky before sunrise in the morning and after sunrise in the evening. Light is a crucial ingredient to every photograph and these special times of day offer visual opportunities for artists both on the ground and in the air. 3. Composition with Intention Lines, patterns and geometry are some of the most potent compositional elements in this new, high-flying medium. Lines have incredible implications for the compositionally aware as they have the power to direct the human eye from the foreground to the background of your photograph. Patterns are of paramount importance in drone photography as height allow pilots to discover visual rhythms that can easily go unseen from the ground. Lastly, geometry is a pillar of thoughtful framing because shapes, particularly ones that interact with one another, keep our eyes moving throughout the frame. 4. Effective Perspective Obviously, the main compositional advantage that you control with your UAV is perspective. As a result, seek out visual drama that a different angle can bring to life. Remember that the best photographs aren’t necessarily taken at maximum flight altitude. Usually, the drone photography sweet spot exists just a few feet above your head. At about 10-100 feet high, you can create clean but nuanced imagery with foregrounds, middle grounds and backgrounds capable of guiding your viewer through a unique visual experience. It’s also at this height where you can best capture the unseen. 5. Charged Up Snag multiple drone batteries for the best photographic experience. With one battery, you can explore the entirety of your environment and envision a shot list of notable perspectives, compositions and frames. Sometimes, you can also venture to distant scenes that show visual promise and begin to discover the unexpected. Then, you can devote your entire second battery to executing your shot list to perfection. If you aim to capture moving imagery as well, snag a third battery in which you can fully devote your efforts to captivating cinematography. There’s new technology hovering on the horizon and with the right knowledge, you too can be on the frontlines of this burgeoning industry. For more practical tips and helpful information on how to get started with drone photography, you can order my newly released book, The Handbook of Drone Photography. Chase Guttman is an award-winning travel photographer and drone photography expert (featured in NYIP’s Travel Photography Course) who three times won Young Travel Photographer of the Year. Guttman was also named a 3 Best Travel Photography Blogger by USA Today and a Rising Sta





Photographing Candlelight By Michelle Ecker on November 20th, 2015 It’s Photo Fact Friday at NYIP! Every Friday afternoon, tune in right here on our photography blog for a new piece of advice from NYIP’s photography mentors, a team of successful photographers that works with our students to help them grow. Here is today’s tip: It can be difficult to capture the spirit of the holidays in one sweeping shot. Family togetherness, excited anticipation, festive coziness- these are all things we’d love to remember about such a special season. So rather than trying to force a bunch of different feelings and moments in one perfect image, it might be more effective to create a photo series – a collection of meaningful photographs that showcase what the holidays feel like in your home. Décor can be an easy place to begin. The subjects are inanimate and can be worked with and photographed in silence and privacy as a fun personal project to get started with. For many people, candlelight is a comforting symbol of festivity and holiday decoration. If you’re interested in including some glowing flames in your photo series, here are some things to remember: Try using a higher ISO- you’d be surprised at your camera’s advanced ability to adapt to that increased setting without adding any significant noise. Experiment with a little increase until you find a balance you’re satisfied with. Add some extra light- Unless the room you’re photographing is flooded with a ton of candles, you might not want to shoot in complete darkness. If you’re working in a room with a dimmer, now would be a great time to take advantage of that. If not, try turning some lights on in neighboring rooms to provide you with a little extra glow. Consider focusing manually- when you’re working in such a low lighting scenario with moving, flickering flames, your camera might have trouble catching a sharp focus on its own. Once you’ve established a unique collection of holiday photos, consider experimenting with our DIY project to turn them into some special, personalized gifts for family and friends.