So, I jumped headfirst into the world of drones, armed with all the gear and ready to capture some epic footage of city life, protests, and rallies – only to hit a wall of regulations. If you’re like me and love street photography, the reality of drone restrictions in urban areas is a huge let down. I mean, what’s the point of having this amazing piece of tech if you can’t use it where the action is?
After spending time and money getting alit of photography gear not just a drone, it’s frustrating to realize that most cities are off-limits for drone flights. The dream of capturing aerial footage of a protest or getting a unique perspective on a city rally suddenly feels out of reach. Sure, I get the safety and privacy concerns, but it doesn’t make it any less annoying when you’re itching to experiment and create something special.
It feels like drones are all about wide-open spaces and scenic landscapes – which is great, but it’s not why I bought mine. I wanted to document the pulse of the city, the energy of people coming together for a cause. Instead, I’m left wondering: Is this thing just going to gather dust, or am I stuck only using it when I’m far away from the real action?
If you’ve been in the same boat, I’d love to hear how you’ve dealt with the limitations. Are there ways around this that I’m missing? Or is it really just about finding new, less exciting ways to use the drone outside the city?
For now, it feels like I’ve got all this gear with no idea how to make the most of it in the context I really care about.
Not all drones are equal - just like a 300mm lens v a 50mm prime are not equal.
You will find that drone photographers / videographers will have more than one drone in there toolkit. Like how a photographer will have more than one body and lens depending on the situation.
As others have said a sub 250g drone would suit your needs or if you do have a larger drone maybe the A2 CofC will enable you to fly within the rules.
Well, a Mini 4 Pro will certainly get you further, but you still won’t be able to fly over crowds, which sounds like one of the main things you’d want to do, or in close proximity to the densities of people you find in city centres and at events / rallies. That is one of the exclusions that still very much applies to any UAV with a camera, sub-250 or not.
As other people have mentioned, the Avatas are a bad choice for public flying, for the reasons mentioned and because of the noise they make, which very much alarms the public - far more so that the non-ducted Cine-drones.
Ye bad choice ive just been and bought the mini 4, to be honest i suffer with Bi Polar and OCD so i see things and jump in. I was playing airsoft for 5 month i have 4k worth of equipment. So ive become a member on here so the advice i get may help me not make stupid choices. Cheers Chris very much appreciated
Well ive just taken the Mini 4 pro out and streight off the bat its flippinb unreal, i think way harder to fly from my first go but ye very happy and compact so way easier to throw in with my cameras
my reply to Milk man my bipolar and ocd takes over
