Drones: My Foray Into Aerial Videography and Photography

Several months ago, I purchased a DJI Phantom 2 Vision from a friend. Since then I've logged about 40 hours flying it, and at this point I can honestly say it's one of the best purchases I've ever made. The Phantom's size and manuverability make it the perfect solution to capture dozens of shots that had previously been rendered impossible without lots of expensive equipment and/or a helicopter rental.

I've been having loads of fun taking it with me and finding opportunities to get a cool shot.

A video posted by Conner Swann (@swannairlines) on

St. Marys College, Moraga, California

Diablo Shadows Park, Walnut Creek

Fish Ranch Road, California

Lake Havasu, Arizona

In addition to simply capturing single-frame photos, once the quadcopter is in the air, it's trivial to capture multiple stills and stitch them together with the magic of Photoshop. The results never fail to impress:

Lake Havasu, Arizona

NAU Sky Dome, Flagstaff, Arizona

Buffalo Park, Flagstaff, Arizona

All in all, I'm incredibly happy I got my hands on this wonderful piece of equipment. I've gotten way more than my money's worth, it was worth every penny!

If you'd like to see more pictures or video, or keep track of my aerial adventures, Follow me on Instagram!