I am new to droning, but really enjoying it. I live in a small town in the outback and we recently had new lights installed at the football field. However they were not properly aligned and some dark patches exist on the playing field. Some video has been taken at the ground and sent away to the football HQ in Brisbane, however the feedback was that the video not clear enough to properly identify the problem. The local football administration have approached me to get some aerial shots/video of the field at night with the lights on, hoping that might show the areas that are poorly lit by the new lights. I will be taking the drone over Thursday (training night) for my first attempt. I have a SPARK with RC and just purchased the ipad mini 4 for it (as my Samsung s7 is no longer compatible) I would greatly appreciate any assistance in relation to the following:

• ALTITUDE: Do you think flying above the spread of the light is the best option? I would assume so but not sure.
• CAMERA SETTINGS: Should I manually change the ISO or other settings?
• PANORAMA: Might one of the panoramas be helpful? If so would this be better from the side rather than the middle of the oval?
• QUICKSHOTS: Perhaps the rocket one above me in the centre of the oval. I think I can adjust the height but will check the manual.
• GIMBLE: Does the gimble pan to a vertically down position?
• ANYTHING ELSE you think I need to know?
  

I am aware (in Australia at least) night flying is illegal, however for this purpose I am prepared to do it. Thank you - any help greatly appreciated. (I will post some pics/video once taken and that may also lead to some other suggestions or advice.)

Thanks
Mark

spark's camera will point straight down, and a rocket clip straight up from the center of the field might capture all you need. another shot from end to end at a high enough altitude to get the whole field in the frame should reveal any areas not lit as brightly as others. others here likely have better advice re: camera settings - i'm still getting a handle on that end of things myself. i hope you're able to put your spark to work for the home team successfully - cheers!

Solestacz Posted at 2018-1-30 15:52
spark's camera will point straight down, and a rocket clip straight up from the center of the field might capture all you need. another shot from end to end at a high enough altitude to get the whole field in the frame should reveal any areas not lit as brightly as others. others here likely have better advice re: camera settings - i'm still getting a handle on that end of things myself. i hope you're able to put your spark to work for the home team successfully - cheers!

Thanks very much Solestacz. I will try your suggestions during the day to test the framing. Thanks again.

never take off with less than 10 satellites and make sure home point has been set correctly on the map

BeastMaster_101 Posted at 2018-1-30 17:02
never take off with less than 10 satellites and make sure home point has been set correctly on the map

Thank you. Will do.

I would not fly over the field if the players are on it.  You are sending the pictures to a regulatory agency don't ask for trouble.  I don't see any value in sending them movies, they need to see the lights on the field and still pictures should be just fine.  I think that you should be higher than the lights and off to one side looking down at the field.  maybe from several angles.. both sides and both end zones.
Go just at dusk and have the lights turned on so you can get pictures as soon as the field is dark enough.  Experiment with altitudes and camera settings to get what you need.
I have taken pictures of an empty football stadium from about a block away and at an altitude of around 200 to 300 feet and could get a good view of the entire field.
Yes the camera looks straight down but I can't think about how high up you would have to be to get the entire field in the picture that way.

LouisP Posted at 2018-1-30 19:09
I would not fly over the field if the players are on it.  You are sending the pictures to a regulatory agency don't ask for trouble.  I don't see any value in sending them movies, they need to see the lights on the field and still pictures should be just fine.  I think that you should be higher than the lights and off to one side looking down at the field.  maybe from several angles.. both sides and both end zones.
Go just at dusk and have the lights turned on so you can get pictures as soon as the field is dark enough.  Experiment with altitudes and camera settings to get what you need.
I have taken pictures of an empty football stadium from about a block away and at an altitude of around 200 to 300 feet and could get a good view of the entire field.

Thanks very much Louis. All very helpful.