Aerial photography is full of a man's romance!
Recommendations for drone beginners

Hello, this is Kawarazaki from the design department.

Recently, we often see aerial photography on television and in other media.
When I see scenes of natural beauty or hidden places being photographed from the air, I feel an indescribable sense of excitement.
It's like the excitement of a roller coaster taking off or watching the opening of a classic movie.
As I saw these scenes, my admiration for aerial photography gradually grew into a desire to try it myself, and finally, in April of this year, I purchased a drone!

I'm still a drone beginner with little pilot experience, but today I would like to share with you what I feel is the appeal of aerial photography as a beginner!

The road to buying a drone

Why did I decide to buy a drone?
I think the original trigger was that I had always loved games and movies since I was a child, and I had always dreamed of flying.
As a Japanese man, I was excited by the high-flying aerial battles in Star Wars (I love the race scene in Episode 1) and the spectacular scenes of airships racing through the sky in Final Fantasy.

In recent years, aerial shots have also started to be used in programs showcasing stunning scenery overseas, so opportunities to see it have naturally increased.
"How on earth are they taking these photos?" "I bet they're using expensive equipment that would cost enough to buy a car or a motorcycle..." I wondered, and after doing some research, I discovered that most of the aerial shots are taken using something called a "drone."

After further research, I found that some of the machines used in TVs can be purchased for around 100,000 yen, so it's not an unaffordable price. I thought to myself, "If I hold off on replacing the washing machine we were planning to buy at home, I can somehow buy this!" and persuaded my wife. I promised to buy a washing machine by the end of the year, and somehow we managed to make the purchase.

I will never forget the childlike joy I felt when it arrived, and the look on my wife's face as she looked at me and said, "I really bought this one..." as she looked at me with such excitement.

The drone I actually purchased is the Mavic Pro.

First flight after a business trip to Kamiyama

While researching drones before deciding to purchase one, I learned that there are various rules, including aviation laws, in order to fly them in Japan.
In addition, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications has issued a regulation banning drone flights in densely populated areas, which means that flying is almost entirely prohibited in the Tokyo area where I live.

On the website of DJI , the company that sells drones, there is a map showing where the "densely populated areas" are. The red areas are "densely populated areas," and most of Tokyo is designated as prohibited areas. (It seems that there are some areas in the suburbs of Tokyo, such as Okutama, that are OK.)

Just when I was thinking that there would be no place nearby where I could fly it even if I bought it, an offer came up for a short business trip to the Kamiyama satellite office in Tokushima. (Actually, it seems like I volunteered to go.) Since Kamiyama has a small population, it seems like there would be a place where I could fly it!
When I checked the map, I found that sure enough, most of the locations were not in the prohibited areas of densely populated areas, which was one of the deciding factors in my purchase.
I remember that even though I was on a business trip, I was more interested in flying the drone than in working. (Sorry...)

Kamiyama is a wonderful place surrounded by nature, with many picturesque spots, so for a first-time shoot I was able to enjoy a much more satisfying experience than I had imagined.

This is a video I took when I went to Kamiyama, and edited it to look like a promotional video for a satellite office. Please excuse the rough image quality and shooting in places.

Use of drones in various scenes

Here, I would like to talk about the possibilities of drones from a designer's perspective.
In the past few years, one of the trends for websites has been to display the main visual in full screen. As a result, the quality of photos and videos has become more important than ever, and it seems that there are now more situations in which aerial footage can be incorporated.
In addition to event announcement sites and local tourism sites, we are now seeing sites using aerial photography even from B2B companies. As you can see from the reference example below, by using it prominently as the main visual, it is easy to differentiate from other sites and make an impact, drawing in the viewer.
Another thing that made the popularity of drones so apparent in my work as a designer was the sudden increase in the variety of aerial photography materials available on stock photo sites such as iStock Photo.

An example of a site that makes good use of aerial photography.

Drones are also being used in a variety of other situations, and I'd like to introduce some wonderful works that particularly inspired me to purchase one.

Music x Drone

OK Go - I Won't Let You Down

The music video was shot in one long take with aerial shots by drone, and the filming idea is excellent. The music is by an American band called OK GO, but the video director is Japanese Kazuaki Seki, who has worked on music videos for Perfume and others.

Travel × Drone

Honeymoon around the world with a drone in hand - 400 days of spectacular views in the sky

This video shows the Yamaguchi couple, who spent 400 days on their honeymoon traveling to 48 countries with a drone in hand. It's a wonderful piece that shows new ways to enjoy travel and the potential of drones for personal use. Watching it really makes you want to go abroad.

Art x Drone

ELEVENPLAY x RZM "24 drones"

Rhizomatiks, one of the earliest artists to incorporate drones into the world of art and design, has collaborated with Eleven Play to present a performance piece featuring 24 small drones and three dancers. This beautiful piece incorporates machine learning into the drones to ensure collision-free flight while linking them to the movements of the dancers.

Recommended aircraft for beginners

I've only been using drones for about six months, but as a beginner myself, I'd like to introduce three series that I recommend for beginners when it comes to aerial photography.
Incidentally, all of the drones are made by a Chinese company called DJI , which is said to currently hold over 70% of the industry share (just like Google in the Internet industry!). DJI is a popular, trustworthy, and proven company with a proven track record, so when it comes to drone-related products, you can't go wrong with DJI.
All of them have built-in cameras and are equipped with functions necessary for aerial photography, such as obstacle avoidance and GPS functions.

Mavic Series

When folded, it becomes as small as a 500mm plastic bottle, and the camera function is compatible with 4K shooting, making it a very popular drone that has the three advantages of being small, lightweight, and highly functional. The first drone I bought was from this series.
There are some concerns that the light weight of the aircraft means it is slightly vulnerable to wind, and that image quality may be slightly lacking for people who are used to single-lens reflex cameras, but it is an easy-to-handle and very attractive aircraft for drone beginners.

Spark Series

This is the smallest drone we are introducing this time, and it is also affordable and allows you to enjoy aerial photography. It is like a cheaper version of the Mavic we introduced earlier. When folded, it is small enough to fit in your pocket.
It also has many functions perfect for taking selfies, such as being able to control the flight and take photos with hand gestures while flying.
The camera performance is not great for professional use, but it is good enough for travel and personal use.

Phantom Series

This has been DJI's signature series since the first model was released in 2013.
Although it is larger and heavier than the other two series, it makes up for it with its excellent camera performance and wind resistance, making it the most professional model of the ones we are introducing here.
The latest model, the Phantom 4 Pro, is expensive and difficult for beginners to afford, but older models can be purchased for a cheaper price.

Comparison Table

Generally, the more expensive the aircraft, the better the camera and flight performance, while the cheaper the aircraft, the lower the performance but the lighter and easier to carry.

One thing I want you to pay a little attention to here is "wind resistance." My impression after actually flying one is that drones are heavily affected by wind, and the aircraft can be blown around during flight. Furthermore, the wind resistance can be completely different between the ground where you are operating it and the air above it.
In fact, I once got carried away and flew my drone along the seashore on a windy day, but the wind blew the drone away and it almost couldn't return to the takeoff point, which was a terrifying experience.
So before purchasing, it may be a good idea to keep in mind that a light aircraft is not necessarily the only advantage.

Even for the Phantom series, which is the heaviest of the ones introduced here, the recommended wind speed resistance is said to be below 10 m/s.

A social networking site specializing in aerial photography is amazing

DJI (the company that sells the product I introduced earlier) runs a social networking site called "SKYPIXEL" that specializes in aerial photography and videography, and drone pilots from all over the world upload high-quality footage every day.
For someone like me who loves aerial photography, there are so many fascinating videos posted on this site that I could spend the whole day just looking at them. The photography techniques are also very helpful to see.

SKYPIXEL

You can also sort and view the footage taken with the aircraft introduced this time.

Mavic series footage

Spark series video

https://www.skypixel.com/tags/spark?type=popular

Phantom 4 series footage

https://www.skypixel.com/tags/phantom-4?type=popular

The appeal of drones as felt by actually flying them

Since I bought it, I have flown it several times on weekends, often to the suburbs, even though the locations where I could fly were limited. Flying it really showed me how advances in technology have made aerial photography so easy and enjoyable.

I also felt that drones were surprisingly easy to use, even for beginners, to take compelling photographs.
I feel that the advantage of shooting from the sky is that it is easier to capture attractive images than with a camera shooting from the ground, because it can capture an "unusual" perspective that humans cannot normally experience. (Of course, even with drone shooting, there are many points to be careful of, such as lighting, ISO, and tips on operating the aircraft.)

During a business trip to Kamiyama, the view of Kamiyama was photographed from above the old house where the staff lives. Drones are unique in that they can take photographs from places that would never be reachable by human power.

At the coast of Miura Peninsula. Shooting from a direct overhead view allows you to discover new topography that you normally can't see.

The nature-rich Amami Oshima offered spectacular views no matter where you photographed it.

Recently, he has been engaging in what he calls "meddlesome drone travel," in which he gets permission from the owners of the accommodation where he stays while traveling to take aerial photographs of the facilities, and then edits the videos he takes and sends them to the owners at a later date.
Although awareness of drones is spreading, there are still not many people using them personally, so I was truly happy to see how much they enjoyed the video I sent them later.
As a thank you for letting me stay, I took some photos.
Although it may be a little one-sided, I think one of the attractions of drones is being able to connect with local people through this kind of equal exchange.

This video was taken during a visit to Amami Oshima in May, and shows the container house we stayed in. It was later used on the store's official website.

A scene taken at Mt. Shakushi in Yamanashi in November. The autumn leaves were beautiful, the weather was good and we could see Mt. Fuji.

It is said that in the future drones will be used to assess the situation at fire sites and for home delivery, and they will become even more popular among ordinary users like me. At the same time, I think that the rules will become clearer than ever before, leading to a polarization of places where drones can and cannot be flown.
Currently you can fly it without a license, but the day may come when a licensing system will be implemented.
Furthermore, with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics approaching, there will be more opportunities for people from overseas to bring drones with them while traveling, and tighter regulations are likely.

Despite these concerns, advances in drones have added the option of aerial photography to the previously available footage taken from the ground, broadening the range of expression for designers, and I believe they will become a very interesting tool.

As a creator, I hope there are fascinating ways to use drones while following the rules, I thought as I looked at my newly purchased washing machine.

I hope I was able to convey at least a little of the appeal of drones.
Drone experience events are also held in Tokyo, so if you're interested, be sure to give it a try!