Hello drone friends! All captured with the original Mavic Pro, here's a short cinematic reel of Autumn in the humble city of Edmonton. If interested, I have included some Quick Tips below to help you capture the best that Fall offers. Thanks for stopping by!
EDIT: Added "HSL Basics" Tip and more details to Color Conservation
Here are a few tips for shooting photos and videos during Autumn:
1. Color Conservation
Color grading has come a long way and is much easier than before, especially with free and paid LUTS that give a certain vibe to your captures. However, I would advise against adding too much color or filters that may change the natural fall colors since we want viewers to appreciate the raw beauty of mother nature. It is tempting to over-saturate the red and orange colors but these might stand out more than the rest of your frame and become distractions instead. Don't forget to correct your colors prior to layering grades or LUTS - these will help you with consistency between multiple pictures and video clips. For beginners, just play around with the basic sliders to your personal taste (whites/blacks/vibrance/saturation/white balance, etc.) so you won't get intimidated with coloring.
2. HSL Basics
Hue-Saturation-Luminance or HSL is a tab in photo/video editing software that you will most likely be experimenting with to color. Even if you're a beginner, you can easily make your photos and videos better without diving too much in it. Shifting HUE sliders left or right will make your picked color either warmer or cooler - this changes the mood you want to convey. For SATURATION, the main fall colors to treat are red, orange, yellow and to a lesser degree green. Be conservative in raising these numbers so your work remains pleasant to the eyes. Keep in mind that Vibrance increases your Saturation as well. Finally, LUMINANCE lightens or darkens the respective color you've chosen. Pick only a few colors to luminate so they become "accents" to your scene.
For Tips 1 and 2, there are a ton of Youtube tutorials regarding the editing software you prefer and how to color your shots with them. They usually have "trials" so you can test the program out and see if it suits your workflow.
3. PL Filters for Color Capture
You are probably already aware of drone ND filters that act as sunglasses to control how much light the camera takes in. On the other hand, PL or polarizing filters can increase the saturation/vibrancy of unique fall colors as well as the blue sky while reducing potential glare and reflection problems. Fortunately, there are a good variety of ND+PL filters so you get the best of both worlds. Without PL filters, you might end up with unwanted purple fringers when you increase saturation during the editing process. Stepping down the saturation after using PL filters, however, can easily and quickly be done in post if necessary.
4. Shorter Daylights
Once fall hits, daylights will slowly get shorter toward the winter season. If you are planning for sunrise, sunset or golden hour shoots, you can simply search for the specific times on the internet. I usually include the city or general area I'm in with the search to get a more accurate forecast. With shorter hours of sunlight, you have less ideal time to shoot overall but you can always spend the night time editing! =)
5. Busy Birds
You might find some activity from birds that are preparing to migrate or others that are looking to mate. Keep an eye out for these flying hazards during each phase of your drone flights. Bird flight paths are generally unpredictable so always be ready for evasive maneuvers. I personally make a headcount of birds in the area before I fly my drone.
6. Not All Leaves Fall!
Only certain types of trees will have their leaves change color and fall to the ground, so don't go sitting in a park and waiting forever for your favourite tree's leaves to turn color. There are handy lists online for common fall trees you'll most likely encounter on the road. The opportunity window for fall-colored leaves may be pretty short for certain trees as well so try to drive or even ask around (Reddit, forums, Instagram) which areas of your shoot location currently have the fall colors.
7. Ground Photoshoots
During this season, there will likely be a lot of couples and families doing photoshoots around your chosen area. Be sure to respect their privacy and space by letting them know you about your drone. Also, keep an eye for pets as they love to chase your flying camera. In general, make sure you follow your local drone regulations regarding distance from the public. Personal and public safety are always priorities during our captures.
8. Collision Sensors
I never had any collision sensor problems or issues with my drone over-reacting when fallen leaves are floating close but mileage may vary. If leaves do hit your propeller, DJI drones are pretty good at stabilizing themselves. Of course, we shouldn't be too risky with these expensive toys so plan a bit of distance from objects. Your drone's FOV is mostly good enough even if you're not too close to your subject.
9. Dressed Not to Kill
Fall means colder weather is approaching (or already here!) and a little bit of cloud covering the sun can affect your personal warmth. Kindly dress in layers in case it gets suddenly warmer/colder/windier than you'd like, even if you won't look as fashionable. Gloves come in handy when doing longer flights so you can control your RC in cold wind. Boots are recommended in case you step on muddy or wet grounds covered and hidden underneath the fallen leaves.
10. Plan then Fly
Google Earth is a good way to help you plan and frame shots while staying warm at home. Planning includes researching the specific times if you want a sunset or golden hour shot (see Tip #4). On site, I also tend to scout out how much flying space I have before I even turn on my drone - this helps to pick what moves your drone can do when filming video. These might seem like a chore but are very important when flying safely and legally in more populated locations such as a cities.
11. Latent Power
With the colder weather, be sure to carry spare batteries as your flight times may be reduced. This will help you to take multiple shots, which in turn will help you when editing. Drones are generally less flexible to edit when your shots are underexposed, so do a retake if you notice too much cloud coverage on your landscape. The extra juice would also give you time to explore the area for B-roll shots or simply spare minutes of flying your drone for fun.
12. Hand-holding
Don't be afraid to hold the drone with your hand and shoot ground footage. Those crispy golden leaves on the ground shouldn't be missed! On my video above, I have a handheld shot of walking with sun rays breaking through the trees in front. If you are more comfortable flying, feel free to hover near the ground over those fallen leaves. A flying drone becomes a leaf-blower too if you're close to the ground! So, watch out for small branches and dust particles that might reach your eyes from propeller gusts.
If you made it to this point, thank you so much for giving my article a read! Fly safe!
I’m looking at getting some ND/PL filters for my Inspire 2 asap. Already have regular ND filters but I wanna give them a try for better videos and pictures.
Inspirephil Posted at 2018-10-22 09:14
I’m looking at getting some ND/PL filters for my Inspire 2 asap. Already have regular ND filters but I wanna give them a try for better videos and pictures.
There are some Youtubers who have tested the differences between PL filters and non-PL ones. I don't know how expensive Inspire filters are so I can't say if it's worth it in your case. Do you find the colors bland or lacking to your taste and end up constantly increasing saturation/vibrancy?
Raincast Posted at 2018-10-22 15:21
There are some Youtubers who have tested the differences between PL filters and non-PL ones. I don't know how expensive Inspire filters are so I can't say if it's worth it in your case. Do you find the colors bland or lacking to your taste and end up constantly increasing saturation/vibrancy?
I just bought some ND/PL filters and I’all be testing them out on the beautiful autumn colors. The weather here is a little bit cold but that doesn’t stop me from flying my Inspire 2. Last winter I shot a great shot of a waterfall while I was standing on an ice puddle!! If I knew how to post it on here I would. Once again thanks for the tips.
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