Drone Aerial Video & Photography For Weddings

Attention future Brides and Grooms. Have you hired a professional photographer / videographer to provide you with high quality media of your most cherished memories? If you would like to enhance that image look no further than aerial photography and video by use of a drone. Drones are all the craze and makes for a fun side show at a wedding. The men love it. Makes an excellent addition by providing a unique perspective to any wedding video.

Here is a sample of our work. Keep in mind this is NOT the final video the bride and groom will receive. This is ONLY a mix of some the aerial shots that will be used by the videography in the final edited video.

Wedding Drone New York The Bride Arrives At Oheka Castle Long Island

How NOT to hire a drone pilot for your wedding.

Google around and you will see many accidents of people getting hit with drones at weddings. Do you know why? Simple. Experience matters. If you look at these cases 8 out of 10 times they hired a "low budget" drone pilot, or found one on craigslist who would do it for $200 or for a few beers at Brooklyn Brewery. RED FLAG ladies. If your photographer cost a few grand why would you pay so little for a flying camera? That would be putting everyone at risk. Its like spending the least on the weakest link in the chain. You need to secure it. One video on youtube shows the groom being hit in the head by a drone! I even have a friend who said he would do a wedding for a family member and he crashed it into a tree during the ceremony. Gee I guess he didn't get the shot...lol.

Another RED FLAG is the friend or family member who just bought a drone and wants to do it for you for free. OMG. Not only will it come out like crap, but it will be uninsured, unlicensed, unsafe and illegal. Family and friends have no real incentive and responsibly to  do their best. Here's why. Not only do they lack the experience needed but they also don't have a professional photography reputation to uphold. A friend can RUIN your wedding by accidentally crashing into a loved one turning your special day into a nightmare. Or by being so personally vested in what's going on, miss key moments on the video. Hire a licensed experienced pilot with insurance. Take a look at one famous wedding drone fail video on YouTube.

The following video is on YouTube showing someone with little to no experience flying at a wedding and literally crashing these peoples wedding. Don't let this happen to your wedding.

Another possible RED FLAG is to let your normal ground based videographer or photographer do your drone shots. Chances are they are experts at photography and filming not flying. Its the same as above, don't cut these corners I am a professional take my word for it. It also takes your video guys time and attention away from the ground based work they need to accomplish on the day of your wedding. Ask him how long he's been flying drones? If he has a license? How many times has he crashed? You wouldn't call a plumber to fix your cable TV would you? Let the pros do what they do best. Hire a licensed experienced pilot with insurance ONLY. Here at SkyDroneUsa we are licensed and fully insured with over a decade of real world experience.

Ok last RED FLAG I can think of on how not to hire a drone pilot for your wedding. Don't let your videographer "bring someone" for you. Its the same thing. You don't know who your going to get for sure. If the videographer or photographer don't due their due diligence in providing  you with a legal, experienced, insured drone operator you can end up with legal issues on your hands should their be an accident.  The thing is these drones are available to anyone willing to dish out the cash and its making an environment of inexperienced so called "I know what im doing" sorta people out there flying who will do anything for a buck. Stay away from this and please call us if you have any questions or need free advice.

How to hire a drone pilot for your wedding and safety.

There are some very simple questions that you can ask to "filter" the drone pilot you are considering. If you are using a company you still must talk to the actual pilot at some point not just a third party. The FAA has required drone pilots be licensed and insured.

7 Questions to ask while hiring a drone pilot for your wedding..

One thing to keep in mind while shopping is all pilots are do not have equal flying / video / photography skills. You are not shopping for a product which all are created equal. You are shopping for a service by an individual who's skills and experience vary far and wide in flight safety and filming capability. In the service industry you always get what you pay for.

1. Do you have a pilots license? Send me a copy.

2. Do you have valid drone insurance to protect me and my loved ones? Send me a copy.

3. How long have you been a drone pilot?

4. How many weddings have you done?

5. How many times have you crashed the drone? Have you ever hurt anyone or damaged anyone's property?

6. Do you have any aerial photo and video samples flown by you. Not some other persons from the company? (be aware many companies show a reel that maybe flown by other persons from the company or outside the company)

7. What kind of airspace is my venue under? Tell the potential pilot your wedding venue location and ask them to check the airspace to make sure its legal to fly in that area. Ask for a detailed answer to this question. (Possible answers are B,C,D,G Airspace. If they have no idea what your talking about RED FLAG + HANG UP THE PHONE. Call us if you need help determining what is legal and safe)

(For example you don't want to be next to any major airports)

SkyDroneUsa Professional Aerial Photography Committed To Safely & Excellence

Our chief pilot here at SkyDroneUsa has been flying for 15 years in manned aircraft and has a commercial pilots license. In other words the most qualified drone pilot in the New York, New Jersey, Long Island, Connecticut tri-state area. He has literally tens of thousands of hours operating drones safely for clients all around the world. SkyDroneUsa is the first drone company in New York City since 2006. We have been a leader in professional aerial photography and have worked on countless high end productions. There is no one more qualified in the tri-state area to operate the drone on the day of your wedding. Before that David was a wedding photographer and media provider for a decade. Our unique experience has yielded insights into the flying drones and wedding photography that we share with you ladies for free. If you wish to call upon our many years of experience please contact us.

Key moments for drone aerial shots at weddings:

Best Drones For Weddings 2016

For the more technical side of you. Here are the suggested drones for weddings. The first choice would be the DJI Inspire. Its sleek, fast, sexy and has the most camera movement versatility. Followed by the DJI Phantom 4. All shoot in HD or 4k and take high resolution digital photographs. We also offer ground based video and photography work and can handle all the video for your wedding.

-DJI Inpsire 1 Quadcopter
-Footprint size Small - Approx 1.6 foot diameter / weight approx 6.5 lbs / Indoors or outdoors
-This is a small sized drone and can be operated indoors or virtually anywhere
-Same camera as the DJI Phantom 3 on a more advanced copter
-LIVE HD Video streaming. Support for live television, live news or YouTube
-We have 2 of these drones available for rent. Simultaneously if desired.
-This drone is flown exclusively with the Inspire 1 camera and lens made by Sony
-Sony EXMOR 1/2.3” Lens 20mm (35mm format equivalent/2.8 focus at ∞ Anti-distortion)
-Recording Formats: MP4 / MOV (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264) / 720p / 1080p / 4k ( 24,30,60 fps )
-Typically flown for LIVE TV, LIVE Sports, real estate, independent films, university projects
-3 axis gyro stabilized video / Live SD video downlink or live HD downlink
-Single operator controls. Pilot controls the aircraft and the camera or..
-Possible dual operator controls. With separate controls set up for camera operator
-Flight time approx 15 min per battery. Many batteries available. Recharging as needed

-DJI Phantom 4 Professional - aka "The Phantom"
-Footprint size Small - Approx 1.1 foot diameter / weight approx 4 lbs / Indoors or outdoors
-This is a small sized drone and can be operated indoors or virtually anywhere
-Same camera as the DJI Phantom 3 on a smaller copter - films at 4k
-We have 2 of these drones available for rent. Simultaneously if desired.
-This drone is flown exclusively with the DJI Phantom 3 Professional lens made by Sony
-Sony EXMOR 1/2.3” Lens 20mm (35mm format equivalent/2.8 focus at ∞ Anti-distortion)
-Recording Formats: MP4 / MOV (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264) / 720p / 1080p / 4k ( 24,30,60 fps )
-Typically flown for LIVE TV, LIVE Sports, real estate, independent films, university projects
-3 axis gyro stabilized video / Live SD video downlink
-Single operator controls. Drone Pilot controls the aircraft and the camera
-Flight time approx 15 min per battery. Many batteries available. Recharging as needed

-Hand Held 3 Axis Gyro Stabilized Camera Mount
-Can be used in hand for ground based shots that are fully stabilized on 3 axis.
-Can also be mounted on a vehicle or boat. Can be used to shoot from helicopter or airplane.
-Supports ANY CAMERA and ANY LENS below 12 lbs. Red Epic, Red Scarlet, Alexa
-Recording Formats: Based on camera but typically 1080p, 4k, 5k, 6k resolutions
-Typically used for feature films and high end productions
-3 axis gyro stabilized video / Live SD or HD video downlink
-Single operator controls. Camera man controls the camera tilt, roll, ect. or..
-Possible dual operators. With separate controls set up for a remote camera operator
 

See that old school helicopter and the huge camera SONY EX1 mounted?
Yea we been doing this long before the recent drone craze.
Experience does matter.

Contact SkyDroneUsa today for your wedding aerials.