Drone Photography Tips: Funnel’s 10 Pro Techniques

Elevate your drone photography with these field-tested techniques that are sure to separate you from other creative professionals.

1. ND filters are crucial for managing exposure, especially in harsh daylight, so you can achieve those smooth motion blurs in water or clouds without sacrificing highlight detail. Check out Adobe’s guide to long exposure photography for help.
2. Next, Use HDR bracketing for high-contrast scenes (city sunrises, dramatic landscapes). Capture multiple exposures and blend to recover detail in shadows and highlights. It can significantly enhance the quality of your images.
3. Blue hour – right after sunset or before sunrise – delivers rich color. Use manual settings, keep your ISO low, and watch your shutter speed to control noise while capturing deeper, richer tones.
4. Consider focus stacking for critical sharpness. Shoot a series of images focused at different depths, then blend for edge-to-edge clarity. It’s a bit more effort, but the payoff – especially for architecture or textured landscapes – is real.
5. Pre-programmed flight paths (waypoints) are a must to maintain consistency and replicate camera angles for time-lapses or mapping projects. It also saves you stress if a client wants repeatable results.
6. Try the Vertigo (dolly zoom) move for those hero shots. Combine forward movement with a zoom-out for that dramatic, cinematic scale. Use it sparingly; when it fits, it sells scale.
7. Don’t just rely on aerials. Blend your drone footage with ground-based shots to create a more complete narrative. It adds variety and keeps your deliverables fresh.
8. Top-down abstracts reveal patterns and symmetry clients love, making your portfolio stand out.
9. Use panorama and 360° capture modes to deliver interactive, high-resolution scenes. These formats increase client engagement and add serious value to your asset library. Check your model’s support docs for pano options and best practices.
10. Stay current on FAA Part 107 regulations if you’re operating commercially in the U.S. Know what’s allowed regarding night flights and flying over people and moving vehicles. Safe, compliant workflows are all about building trust with your clients

Looking for your next project or want to post a brief? Funnel’s platform connects skilled creators and consumers. Take advantage, and put these techniques to work on your next shoot.

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