How To Register Your Drone In Panama Before Trip

Drones provide a unique mode to photo dive destinations, Socorro, Mexico

Never before has it been and so easy to enter the speedily evolving globe of aerial photography, and many underwater photographers now consider a drone an essential part of their camera kit. Only a decade agone, to have photographs from the sky would have required the employ of a helicopter or plane, just now it is possible to visit your local electronics store and walk out with an aircraft that can capture professional person quality aerial images and video footage at a very reasonable price.

With that in mind, what amend time to publish the first part of our guide to drones for underwater photographers, which focuses on nonetheless images and hopefully provides some useful advice about how to make the nearly of your new equipment on your side by side dive trip.

Choosing a Drone

Underwater photographers already have to deal with bags of expensive swoop and camera equipment and contend with airlines always-evolving weight restrictions, so size is one of the most important things to consider when choosing which drone to purchase. In that location are many different units on the market place to conform a variety of levels and budgets, but the most popular models are all manufactured by DJI, a Chinese company with years of experience producing reliable and innovative products.

As camera and battery technology has progressed, so as well has the paradigm quality and flight time of their latest quadcopters, and with the launch of the Mavic Pro 2 in 2019, it is now possible to capture 4K video and high-resolution images with an affordable unit that folds up and fits in your pocket—a game changer for travelers, filmmakers, and underwater photography journalists.

While this commodity is not intended to become a review of one item product, the Mavic Pro 2 really is the perfect drone for the vast bulk of people who wish to purchase an shipping that shoots loftier-quality images and video while remaining portable enough for overseas travel. What makes this model so highly-seasoned is its one-inch 20-megapixel sensor, which results in the highest-quality images 1 can expect to capture with a drone of this size. The bigger the sensor, the better the low-calorie-free performance, and the Mavic Pro ii'due south Hasselblad photographic camera is as good as it gets without using DSLR cameras attached to a much bigger shipping.

As well the unit itself, yous will besides need to purchase another accessories to become the most out of your new toy. The average flight time of most drones is between 20 and 30 minutes, so information technology helps to have multiple batteries and a charging hub to plug them all in at in one case. Another essential extra is a number of different neutral density (ND) filters to help block out unwanted low-cal when shooting in tropical conditions and during the brightest hours of the day. Also, don't forget, for most drones in this class, you lot will also need a smartphone with an application installed to operate the aircraft with its standard controller.

For those unable (or unwilling) to spend close to $2K for all of this equipment, DJI recently released the Mavic Air 2, which comes in at half the price just has a sensor half the size of its big brother. While this is still a good option for those new to drone photography, anyone serious well-nigh including their video footage in loftier-resolution movies—or editing photos in RAW for publication—should consider the Mavic Pro 2 every bit the entry-level unit of measurement.

A promotional shot of the business firm reef and swoop center, Wakatobi Resort, Indonesia

Shooting down provides an entirely new perspective of a beautiful beach in the Dominican Commonwealth

Taking Flight

Although information technology may audio obvious, the key to getting excellent aerial images is start learning how to properly wing the aircraft and knowing how to access the important information and settings on the controller while doing then. Almost drones are piece of cake to fly with a bit of practice, but don't presume y'all can go out and buy the latest piece of equipment and be an practiced at flying it straight out of the box.

Understanding how your item model functions is an of import first step. Most consumer drones accept flight with a camera attached to the unit by a powered gimbal which counteracts vibrations and helps to capture stable images and video. They also have multiple sensors to preclude crashes and a return abode role that brings the aircraft back to its takeoff point if you get lost or if there are whatever connectivity issues. These features mean you can concentrate on getting epic footage without spending every infinitesimal of each flight worrying nigh crashing into unknown objects or losing the aircraft.

Once y'all are familiar with the nuts of your new equipment, have it out to some local spots close to domicile and practice flying in different weather condition conditions, and experiment with camera settings earlier taking it abroad. You don't want to arrive at your destination and miss out on killer shots because you are struggling to operate the shipping. More importantly y'all don't want to crash or lose the brand new piece of equipment you only paid lots of difficult-earned greenbacks for!

In many means, underwater photography and aerial photography are very similar. When scuba diving, you are restricted by your air supply and bottom fourth dimension, but when flying drones information technology is the battery life of the system and your flight skills that are the limiting factors. In either case, fourth dimension is against you, so the ameliorate you empathise how to use your equipment, the more probable you lot are to come away with excellent images.

Flight a drone results in images that would exist impossible to capture any other way, Azores, Portugal

Photographic camera Settings: Where to Start

Like all photography, many factors volition decide the camera settings you employ when working with a drone, only here are some general guidelines yous can commencement with before making smaller adjustments depending on available calorie-free and the scene y'all are trying to capture. Starting time of all, always shoot in RAW for the best image quality and to maximize editing potential in programs such every bit Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop.

While nearly drones are incredibly stable in flight, you will still need a relatively fast shutter speed to get sharp images so try not to go below ane/100s and make sure the aircraft is stationary before pressing the shutter. Its no good snapping away while traveling at high speed if you desire the images to be in focus! Older models used to come with fixed discontinuity cameras, but with the Mavic Pro 2, you now have control over the discontinuity, too.

Sadly, even the best aerial cameras do not compare to handheld cameras in regards to depression-light performance, so try to keep the ISO to a minimum whenever possible. The Mavic Pro's 1-inch sensor handles shadows and low light much better than previous drones, but you still demand to be careful not to push it likewise far to avert unwanted noise. I continue the ISO at 100 and rarely push it in a higher place 400 unless absolutely necessary.

In reality, unless shooting at nighttime or in very cloudy conditions, this shouldn't be an effect, and a lot of the time you volition be faced with the reverse problem. Even when shooting at high shutter speeds and discontinuity settings, flying the drone in the middle of the mean solar day, particularly on expert weather days, will require the employ of ND filters to cake out some of that excessive brightness and sunlight.

The Galapagos Master framed perfectly by the iconic landmark of Darwin's Arch, Galápagos Islands

Advanced Tips and Tricks

Although it is fun and standard practise to transport the drone into orbit when you lot first buy it, this doesn't always produce the greatest images. Some of the all-time drone shots are taken just to a higher place the range of normal cameras, then recollect of the aircraft as a tool to open upwardly new angles on existing subjects—it doesn't always have to exist hundreds of feet away to get a good shot.

When you are high up in the heaven, shooting directly down provides a unique view that can be very highly-seasoned if y'all choose the right subject. This technique is also a skillful manner to shoot abstract images of everyday scenery from a new perspective, such as a forest of copse, a field of lowers or the surface of the sea. Go creative and run across what happens.

When shooting large landscapes, it can sometimes be difficult to become far enough away to become everything in the frame. Sometimes, I volition take multiple notwithstanding images of a scene and so stitch them together later in the editing suite to create a big panoramic. Another benefit of doing this is it results in super-loftier-resolution images that are slap-up for large posters or billboards. I also use the bracketing setting often, equally it can be difficult to see the screen of your phone and fix the exposure perfectly in brilliant conditions. You can also and then combine multiple images to create high dynamic range (HDR) photographs if you lot happen to similar that event.

Finally, go used to launching and catching the drone alone and by manus, as this will be of import later when taking off or landing on moving objects. Flying from boats in rough conditions is the most hard matter to exercise as a drone pilot and is much more probable to exist a required skill for scuba divers who spend about of their fourth dimension at sea.

While drones come with many other boosted features such every bit active tracking and hyperlapse settings, I rarely apply these due to the nature of my normal shooting surround. I rarely utilize the return-to-home setting either, every bit I desire to take total command of the unit of measurement the entire fourth dimension information technology is in the air, and when "domicile" is on a boat, information technology is not a good thought to let the aircraft endeavour and land in the middle of the body of water! Normally, I programme my flights in advance and travel to the furthest point first, before slowly making my way back closer to dwelling equally the battery depletes. Often I will desire to take shots close to where I took off anyway, then I save these until terminal when the bombardment is low, then I don't accept far to fly once its time to land.

The only style to fully appreciate this cute sandbar in Palau is from the sky

Dive Resorts and Marine Life from Above

Earlier traveling anywhere with your drone, you volition demand to check the rules and regulations regarding modest aircraft in the destination you are planning to visit. Often you volition need a special permit or license, and sure places may even endeavor to confiscate your equipment or request that y'all sign a certificate agreeing not to use the shipping, and so be sure you lot know the rules well in accelerate.

Consider purchasing a specially designed pocketbook for carrying the drone that y'all own. I have a Lowepro backpack for my Mavic Pro 2 that is perfect for travel, and comfortably holds the drone, iii batteries, all the accessories, my laptop, headphones and a DSLR camera I use for shooting topside, while still being modest enough to pass as a 2nd carry-on purse aslope my Recollect Tank roller containing all my underwater photographic camera gear.

Although information technology is more compact than e'er, hauling this actress gear around the earth can withal be a pain, but the good news is that many of the globe's most popular dive destinations just happen to be surrounded by stunning tropical beaches or deserted volcanic islands that will provide you lot with enough of awesome landscapes to photograph in one case you go at that place.

If you are visiting a liveaboard dive boat or resort on assignment, information technology goes without saying that the company y'all are working for will appreciate y'all featuring aerial images of the resort and/or the boat in your article, and so talk over this with them when you arrive, and practice your best to showcase their dive functioning in all its glory—from higher up and below the surface.

Tracking whale sharks at the surface in Isla Mujeres, Mexico

Combining shots from above with underwater images adds variety to your portfolio

Using a drone you tin get closer to noon predators than you would dare to venture while on foot!

You can also capture special marine life encounters on moving-picture show using a drone, so always have your aircraft ready when you are out diving, as you never know what you might find swimming effectually the gunkhole. This is much easier when traveling on a liveaboard every bit you lot will be at sea for a week or more, but many day trips will notwithstanding allow it under the right circumstances. Combining aerial photographs with underwater images is a very constructive way of showing how divers interact with sure subjects. And this works especially well with bigger animals that spend time at the surface such equally whale sharks, whales and manta rays.

It also allows yous to become images of dangerous animals that would never be possible with a normal camera. The to a higher place image of Tito the giant saltwater crocodile, a resident of Coiba National Park in Panama, was taken when he made an unexpected appearance at a tourist beach one 24-hour interval! I would never have dared to go so close to him on foot, but by quickly launching the drone, I was able to capture a few shots of this rare event from the safety of the ranger station.

Let's be honest, we all want to come dwelling house from a dive trip with cool stories and images like this to add to our portfolio, and the all-time mode to practise that is to purchase the best drone you can afford and never leave home without it. Surface intervals volition never exist the same again!