There was a time when you needed one of these to get the killer aerial photo or video. Rent one for $1,200 per hr with a gimbal mounted to the bottom of helicopter or $600 per hr for a shaky ride with three of the four doors off while you hang out the side praying the very flimsy seat belt holds! This was the fall of 2013. 

The following spring we planned another aerial shoot and it was time to rent another one - this time with a gimbal  - Then the client said a drone company had sent them a bid and there was no need for a helicopter - What? A drone? A drone company?? So then our aerial journey began… first flight August 2014. 

I found this article and it sold me. I said to Kate  - we “need” this (every guy looking to justify a new toy always starts with the “need” part… well I was right we needed it and we haven’t stoped buying them. We have had 10 drones to date. (One Phantom 1 , One Phantom 2, Two Inspire 1, Two Inspire 1 Pro, One Mavic Pro, Two Mavic Air, One Mavic 2 Pro - so far…)

These drones have given us lots of stories of great video and images, as well as some stories behind the stories - some are tragic, some are funny, some are silly… So, maybe a few vague titles will give you a hint. “Sinking at Sunset” “Lost and Found in LA” “That Shot Was Great - Let’s Try It One More Time…” “The Audrey Emerson Resume” “The Woods Hole Lighthouse Incident - When Prop Locks Don’t Lock”…

Our newest drone is the Mavic 2 Pro featuring  a Hasselblad Camera with a 1" CMOS Sensor, Adjustable Aperture, 10-bit HDR Video image quality… the list goes on and on. I look back at out first one with a GoPro (and the process of having to physically turn the GoPro on before flight) the fact that you had to buy special antennas and wireless transmitters and receivers to rig up makeshift monitors, or just fly blindly… it was a challenge for sure plus you had to look at all that footage of the GoPro wide angle footage of your face as you turned on and off the camera! 

Over the last four years and 10 drones we have flown nationally over several states and Internationally in Ireland, England, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Finland, Malta, Spain, France, Denmark… and so on.

We have certainly come a long way in a short amount of time and look forward to what comes next - maybe it’s personal drones which can combine the advancement of today’s photographic and cinematic abilities with the thrills of a helicopter flight of the past! Uber’s ‘flying taxis’ will be built by these five aerospace companies.

-John Lavall