The importance of hiring a professional drone operator.

So you just completed a commercial construction job and you want to take pictures of the new roof your company installed. You call a few local drone operators for quotes and realize you can buy your own drone for the cost of hiring someone. This might seem like a good time to buy your own drone so you can perform these tasks in house. This is most likely a bad idea and will be a waste of your money and time. Here are some reasons and advantages of hiring an experienced, licensed pilot.

Legally, you must be licensed to take drone photos or video if you intend to advertise the work on your website or social media. The test needed to become licensed is difficult and will take a good amount of preparation to pass. If you don’t fly drones for a living it’s probably not worth going through this process. The test has been made by the FAA and they treat you similar to real commercial pilots, which makes sense considering you’re sharing the same airspace. There are a lot of important things to learn with airspace when flying drones to ensure you’re flying safely. Licensed pilots have this knowledge and can ensure your company is doing everything by the books. The FAA doesn’t mess around and can fine your company for breaking the law, costing you thousand of dollars.

Just because you have a drone doesn’t mean you can automatically take professional video or photos. Drones take a lot of practice to be able to fly smoothly for video, this can take years to master. Do you have a previous background in video and photo? If not, there are a lot of settings involved for both, video and photo to create professional work. Some of the things you will need to know include: what filter needs to be used for the condition you’re flying, understanding basic camera settings (aperture, shutter speed, frame rates, ISO). All of this can take years to master if you don’t have a background in video and photo

Another challenge is the large files that are produced by drones. To be able to view and edit these files you will need a fast, expensive computer. The editing software involved for video and photo can take years to master and is another cost. Converting these files for your website or social media properly is another task. Bottomline, it takes years of practice and will be a large financial investment to be successful in taking professional video and photos with a drone. This all takes time away from doing your job- what you know best and what makes you money.

Here are some important questions to ask the drone company you’re considering hiring:

• Are they 107 licensed and does their company carry insurance?

• How many years experience do they have and what type of equipment do they use?

• Do they have experience operating a drone within a similar job setting as yours?

• Can they share past work and do they specialize in video or photo?

• Do they perform the work themselves or subcontract it out?

• What will be the quality of the final delivery- resolution, printable picture size, etc.

• Are they allowed to fly where your video and photos need to be taken?

• What is their turn around time on the final delivery?

Bright Sky Productions has been flying drones for over five years and we have logged, thousands of successful flight hours. We know all of the laws involved in flying drones to keep your company and everyone safe. We operate small to large drones depending on each job needs. We are located in Austin, TX and will travel wherever needed. You can contact us today for a free consultation, we hope to hear from you soon!