Why People Build and Fly Drones

This article is an excellent overview on drone technology.  If you have any interest in technology, you'll understand just how cool they are by reading this article! 

If you were ever into radio control (R/C) flying, this will make you want to get back into the hobby because all of the cool stuff including FPV (first person video), autonomous flight, and return to home are available with fixed wing aircraft, 

http://paulstamatiou.com/getting-started-with-drones-quadcopters/

DJI Phantom 2 Vison: Sunny Winter Day at Chicago's Belmont Harbor

I took nearly 15 minutes of video Friday.  This is my first conscious effort to remove the boring parts and piece together something that will hold interest.  I used Microsoft Movie Maker to trim and add transitions.  The FC200 camera's white balance was changed from AUTO to "cloudy" because I didn't want it confused by the snow and breaks in the clouds.  I added music with YouTube after upload.  Enjoy!

DJI Phantom 2 Vision Composition and Picture Edit Example

I've been a photographic hobbyist since junior high school (decades ago).  Now that I'm getting comfortable with flying my Phantom 2 Vision I want to start taking great still photographs with it.  The examples below were taken during a late afternoon January flight near Chicago's Belmont Harbor.  Click either picture to enlarge.

FC200 Camera, no edits, 4384 x 3288

The picture to the left is the unedited JPEG as it came from the Phantom's FC200 camera.  Note the blades are visible at the top of the picture (camera alignment issue) and the horizon is is slightly tilted because the quad was compensating for the westerly wind.

This resolution is acceptance for printing to 22.7" x 15.1" at 200ppi according to Urban 75's photo printing guide, much bigger than I'm likely to print.

FC200 Camera:  Cropped, Straightened, color enhancement, 2708 x 1624

The picture to the right is the result of my edits:  The horizon was leveled and the golden light emphasized by adding minor color correction (auto color in GIMP) and cropping out much of the area in the shadow.  The editing was very quick and dirty, perhaps 10 minutes in GIMP, but it captures the feeling I wanted it to.

The crop reduces the 200ppi print size to 11.4 x 8.5" which is still larger than I'm likely to print and still fine for web viewing.  It's good to know the 14 megapixel FC200 provides resolution to crop as needed.

I was taught photography with a fixed lens.  You move closer or further away from your subject to frame the picture how you want it to be viewed once printed.  Maneuvering a drone mounted camera to frame the picture offers some challenges which I look forward to learning.

Welcome Post

I'll be using this blog to share more about my hobbies, currently learning about my DJI Phantom 2 Vision.  Look for more to come!