Intro To Drone Photography

Did you get (or get yourself) a new drone for the holidays? Do you have one sitting around the house but are unsure how to fly it safely or capture images creatively? Are you interested in buying your first ‘serious’ drone for photography?

This comprehensive 7 week course will take you from zero to 400 feet before you know it. You will learn to safely fly a quad-copter; learn the regulatory structure and laws affecting the flying Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS, the government term for drone); obtain your TRUST drone license for recreational flyers and learn about options for obtaining an FAA license for commercial flying; learn the basics of flying in hands-on practice sessions; learn a bit about the history of aerial photography; dip our toes (briefly) into aerial videography; and practice photography composition and other techniques using your drone and typical tools such as Lightroom. By the end of the class you will have learned a set of skills to practice with your drone out in the world, flying safely and creating great images.

Additional info

• You will need to have access to a relatively modern quad-copter drone in good shape. A month before the course commences, we will get together in an optional session to discuss purchasing a suitable drone for those of you waiting to dip your toes into drone photography, or for those who are interested in upgrading to one of the better ‘flying cameras’ out there.
• Several sessions will be ‘hands on’ flying. These will not be held at the School but rather at locations around the area. We will need to be flexible with scheduling as these require reasonably good weather to fly, so weeks may be swapped around in the calendar based on conditions.
• Given that this class will involve hands-on practice, Zoom is not suitable for those classes.
• If you have further questions about the class and expectations, please email Matt Gallagher matt@teamgallagher.net

Course Outline

Looking to purchase a drone for the class?  Attend the optional session –  Tuesday March 11 – 11:00 – 1:00 pm or 7:00 pm – 9 pm to get all of the information about an appropriate drone to purchase.

Classes Tuesdays 10:30 am – 12:30 pm

Intended course topics:

May 6 – Introduction
May 13 – Rules & Regs – TRUST Exam
May 20 – Hands on Session 1
May 27 – Basics & history of aerial photography
June 3 – Hands on Session 2
June 10 – Composition
June 17 – Intro to aerial videography / conclusion

(Note that due to weather we may be fluid with classes from May 20 through June 10)