Roll your own aka DIY drone work

I have been asked a question this week that I want to go into. The question is why not do my own drone work for real estate/advertising? Well, a couple of things come to mind.

First, the legal stuff. The FAA has issued part 107 (which is commercial drone regulations). They have specifically said that realtors need to have a license to take the photos, even if they are not paid directly for the photos. Their view is that “commercial” means anything that anyone uses to make money, even ads for non-profit organizations. That means that even if you don't get paid for the work, if it goes on a website to make or raise money, it's commercial.

Now I am well aware that the odds of getting caught are minimal, but if you do the fines can get steep fast at $10k per flight. In this case “flight” means that it took off and landed, not a job. I make 3-5 flights on an average job... it can add up. Also, if you have never had the pleasure of dealing with your local FAA Flight Standards Office, heads up. The FAA knows they can't catch every violation, so they tend to be punitive. I would honestly rather deal with an IRS audit than an FAA inspector. The FAA can use “proof” from your website, advertising or anything they wish. If it is an aerial, you might need to explain it.

So past the legal stuff as that is generally well understood. You could go get a 107 license. It would involve at least a couple of weeks intensive study on airspace, flight characteristics, weather, aviation mapping, radio work... starting to sound fun, right? Well, they expect commercial drone pilots to know the rules the same as any other pilot. Basically it is the private pilot ground exam.

If you take the 107 and pass (or add on if you have your regular pilot's license) you now need the equipment. The drones aren't cheap, and trust me, batteries are even more (you will want at least 4 batteries at $100/ea). There is considerable effort needed to keep the software in the drone and on the controller up to date and working. If you just update away it can get you in trouble too as some releases aren't really stable. So add in time to do the updates and research what they fix, how stable they are, and any oddities that pop up (they happen – last week's updates have been causing havoc with video transmission).

So you have the drone, updates, and your 107 so we are good to go, right? Well, sort of. You have now bought an expensive point and shoot camera. Would you film a house or ad with photos from your cell phone? Maybe, but you sure get better results from a professional. It takes some know how to run a flying SLR camera and where all the settings are. HDR, bracketed shooting, Photoshop for enhancing the images, rules of composition are all things that need to be learned too. If we can't discuss f stops, golden light and rules of thirds, you still have some learning to do.

Now we have the knowledge, equipment and licensing together. Sweet! Well, let's not forget insurance. Fixing an error that breaks a window or damages a house is the cheap stuff. If you have a problem and that drone hits the dog (who tend to want to “fetch” it at landing) get ready for bills. Hopefully it will never be the neighbors kid who is fascinated by it.

So is it possible to do it well? Sure. In fact, flying the drone is pretty simple - I have taught people in 5 minutes. But keep in mind that the drone is a flying camera. You hire a professional photographer for a reason – same applies for the drone. Getting the best results are a combination of skill, training, learning and practice – and you need to keep working at it to keep sharp. If you are willing to put that in, then you can do it.

Is that the best use of your time? I doubt it, otherwise we would never hire

photographers and videographers. We would shoot our own weddings and newborn photos with our cameras and phones if it were that easy.