Real Estate Photography has increased in popularity substantially over the last 6 years. Airbnb, VRBO, Zillow and more have driven that increase without question. The popularity of securing Drone Real Estate Shoots has soared since the advent of smaller, more affordable drones.
Drones that used to be prohibitively expensive became affordable for most everyone within a couple years of entering the market. Recently drone prices have crashed, pun intended, again with some drones being sold for as little as $300. I’m not talking about a unreliable unit made by an obscure company either. I’m referring to DJI drones, the “DJI Mini 2 SE” as an example. This unit has everything a professional photographer needs to complete professional Drone Real Estate Shoots. The best part about this drone is since it weighs less than 250 grams, it checks in at 249 grams, the pilot does not need to register it with the FAA or secure a license for it, UNLESS its being flown for Commercial use. That is a HUGE bonus for a photographer just starting into the business.
I shoot with a DJI Mavic 2 Pro which is a couple years old, however, works great for me. It is much larger than the aforementioned DJI, however, it is equally as stable, reliable and most importantly captures incredible images and video. The image below was shot after I launched my drone off my deck, quickly gained some altitude and shot some brackets. It’s a decent image and if it were included in a Real Estate listing it would really sell the location. That’s just one reason why Drone Real Estate Shoots are highly sought after today.
There are downsides to shooting with a drone, what a surprise everything that is fun can also be expensive. Even though the new drones are less expensive and equally as effective as older drones, like mine (I paid over $2000 for mine), they still can be expensive to repair. Trust me when I tell you its relatively easy to gently touch a branch 30 feet off the ground and send your investment crashing into a money pit. Even with crash avoidance, it’s possible.
There is also the dreaded “fly away” maneuver that strikes fear into the heart of every drone pilot. In that case the drone loses contact with the controller when it is airborne and stops responding to commands. You are trying to direct it back to you, however, the drone either gets caught up in the wind or worse, is following the last command it received. In those cases the drone may just drift off into the sunset and you’d better start hoping that it doesn’t go too high, near a plane, airport, crash onto a freeway, etc. In those nightmare scenarios the drone is traceable directly back to the pilot who will ultimately be responsible. Luckily, that’s were good insurance comes into play. We can discuss that in an upcoming blog.
Drone Real Estate Shoots are a great way to add options for your clients. As noted, it does NOT need to be expensive to get into a starter drone. If you have any questions, contact me and let me know.
Johnny Yen
Rebel Miles Photography
231.300.1010
jy@rebelmilesphotography.com
“Just Being Yourself Is A Successful Rebellion…”
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