Do you want to become better at piloting your drone? Or be certain you’re not overlooking the small things that could make a major difference to your drone-flying experience? Either way, this guide will highlight some steps you can take to not only gain experience, but also help you avoid making any serious mistakes.
Fly as Often as Possible
The first thing you should do is fly your drone as often as possible. Practice makes perfect at the end of the day, but if you fly aimlessly and don’t focus on where you want to go, then this can work against you.
It’s important, while focusing on safety, to make sure you are not pushing yourself too far beyond your comfort zone. If you do, then you may find that it’s harder for you to not only gain confidence, but also to feel good about your equipment. Yes, it’s important to go out with the purpose of trying to fly and get better. However, if you are just starting out or beginning to push your limits, consider using private fields and woodland areas to your advantage. You don’t pose a risk to others doing things like this, yet still gain valuable knowledge.
Some people also like to fly no higher than 10ft, as even though you will be facing things like branches and obstacles, it is a good way to keep your equipment safe.
Buy Drone Filters
If you want to get better with your drone, then you need to experiment with preparing to fail. Work on controlling your drone so that it is smooth and not jerky. Keep in mind that this only comes with practice. Controlling the total output makes you fly more smoothly.
This is a great skill to have, but make sure you’re taking the time to get it right so you can get the best possible result out of your flight. If you have never tried to fly with any of these settings before, or even given them much thought, then you should probably give it a go as it’s a major game-changer. Another big improvement is to use drone filters. You can get away without them in photography, but if you intend to use them in filming, then you should get some. Especially if your drone has a fixed aperture.
Pay Attention to the Weather
Modern drones can handle wind, but if you want to capture film footage, it’s wise to avoid the windiest of days. It will be easier to get a good result out of your footage and a better outcome overall.
The best time for you to take your drone out is during the morning at sunrise or at sunset. You should try to make sure there’s a good amount of clouds, while avoiding bright blue or overcast skies.
Getting Slow Panning Shots
Slow panning shots are always a good thing, but try not to focus on just getting one type of shot. Panning shots are great, but at the same time, you need to monitor stuttering. Stuttering often happens when you pan too fast, or when you go too close to your subject. The closer you are to a scene, the slower you have to go.
If you can increase the distance between you and the subject, however, then this will allow you to pan faster, and you can do so without any clutter as well. If you have a good quality drone, like the DJI Avata 360, then issues like this may not be as prominent, so be mindful of that. You can learn more about the DJI Avata 360 here.
Learn some Moves
Another good thing to do would be for you to try to learn some moves. You can easily search online for drone videos, and when you do, you will find that people do some brilliant work to try to get footage.
Once you are confident with a few basic commands, you can then try to push yourself with a few different moves at a time. Practice does make perfect at the end of the day, so if you can keep this in mind, it will help you a lot later down the line.
Avoid Automatic Modes
Whether you are using a standard DSLR or a smartphone camera, you should avoid any kind of automatic mode. There are various things you can use to your advantage here. If you have a camera, then you can let that decide your aperture, ISO, and exposure.
Drone moves are also good. They have options for things like drones, and this makes more complicated moves more accessible. If you choose automatic modes, then this lets the camera do all of the work. That’s its purpose and although this can be a good thing when you are just starting out, try to avoid relying on this too much. Over-reliance on auto may cause you to find that things become more difficult for you to control and that you can’t quite get the result you want out of the effort you’re putting in, which will hold you back on your journey.
Photo by Diana ✨
