While I’ve experimented with drones more than once in the past decade, my efforts were frustrated by the difficulty of learning to fly and the imprecision of aerial photo composition. Crashes were inevitable and the image quality from small camera sensors were unrewarding in my hands. Until now. DJI, a leader in the global drone marketplace, released the Mavik 2 Pro drones creating a new benchmark with sensors that almost prevent crashes and a new camera from a partnership with Hasselblad. This morning it all made leaving bed at 5a worthwhile. My goal was to image an Atlanta billboard displaying my work selected for ArtPopStreetGallery Atlanta 2020 (see my previous post).

“My” Clear Channel vinyl (traditional) billboard is located in the Stone Mountain area for the time being. Dawn light rarely disappoints and I was excited once on site as the sky came to life. You might think flying a drone is boring or the pursuit of only true tech geeks, but let me explain. When you don DJI googles paired to your drone, the high resolution color view of what the drone sees in flight becomes your personal magic carpet ride. Lifting away from the ground can be both dizzying and exciting as you “rise” into the sky. Sunday morning was my first flight beyond familiarization trial runs. As I hung in the air, high above Georgia pines wrapped in morning fog with Stone Mountain in the distance, inspiration was inevitable. I’ve created innumerable presentations during my photo journey. The best seem to involve a bit of magic as elements come together unexpectedly, in retrospect destined to compliment each other and the end result. Take 60 seconds and see if you feel it too.