Bring On The Photo Drones
Though camera-equipped drones aren’t about to put any of the photographers I work with out of business, I look forward to their ongoing technological evolution. That has nothing to do with the costs involved, though hourly helicopter prices continue to get steeper, or the photo work itself. It comes down to one issue.
Safety.
The longtime chief photographer for speedonthewater.com, Pete Boden doesn’t mince words. Though he accepts the inherent danger involved in shooting from a helicopter flying close to the water at 80 to 90 mph, he readily admits it exists. He’s honest with himself.
As he should be. A few years back during a photo shoot off Southwest Florida, a helicopter carrying Boden crashed in the water. No one died, but the pilot sustained significant injuries and Boden lost all his camera gear.
A couple of years before that while shooting the now-defunct Four Horsemen Poker Run in Wisconsin, the helicopter carrying Boden crashed into the Fox River immediately after dropping him off on the shore. The pilot was killed.
Closer to home for me, Powerboat magazine photographer Tom Newby died during a shoot on September 11, 2007, when the helicopter carrying him first-day videographer Mark Copeland, crashed into the waters off Sarasota. Copeland also perished, and though the pilot survived he sustained severe, life-changing injuries.
Newby and I traveled together on assignment for Powerboat for years. We were close friends. And though I know I’m being overly cautious and superstitious, I haven’t flown in a helicopter since his death. It’s not that they “scare” me. I just don’t see getting in one unless I need to.
And this is coming from a guy who flew 175,000 miles on commercial carriers for work last year. But work is the key word. Flying isn’t my profession. Nor is it my hobby. The risk may be tiny, but I see no reason to assume it for a joy ride.
So yes, much as this may rankle some of my current photographer friends, I look forward to the day when they don’t have to put themselves in harm’s way—however small or large the dangers may be—to capture pretty pictures.
Plus, I enjoy water-angle perspectives as much as aerials, sometimes even more. And they can capture those from a boat.—Matt Trulio
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Source: https://www.powerboatnation.com/bring-on-the-photo-drones/
