There are no limits to your creativity using new payloads being offered with the Draganflyer X8 aircraft.
One of the many new camera payloads being offered this year is the Olympus Pen EP-2. The EP-2 is an interchangeable lens, micro four thirds, 12mp sensor with the TruePic V Image Processor. The Olympus processor offers excellent dynamic range, accurate color and reduced noise, all the way up to ISO 3200. Combining this powerful new payload with the recently announced Draganflyer X8 helicopter and the new auto-leveling camera mount, this system yields a very high percentage of “vibration free” images over lesser cameras.
The expanded artistic filters of the Olympus Pen opens the door to new innovative aerial shots and by simply pushing the shutter button expands upon your creativity.
Diorama filter:
The filter featured in this article is the “Diorama” filter, an integrated “tilt-shift” technique performed in real-time creating the illusion that your subject matter is that of a miniature model.
Benefit:
The ability to quickly get an aerial perspective and capture this high quality imagery in one single step is a tremendous benefit to Professional Artistic Photographers, Real Estate photographers, Wedding and event photography, architects and community planning/design.
How this was done:
To get the best effect often you need the right subject matter and as you’ll see lighting also plays a significant factor. In the example images you’ll see a shopping center cafe, new building construction and rail switch yard.
Lighting:
To get a flat lighting model, you’ll see that in many of the photos, the shots were captured just before sunrise. There is ambient light in the scene, but local lighting from signs and street lights plays a factor. The combined smooth flight characteristics of the Draganflyer X8 with the new auto-leveling camera mount yields excellent results even in these low-light conditions.
Subject matter:
If you’re going for that scale model look, it’s best to select a subject that can be realized by the viewer as a model. For example trains, buildings, trucks, cars or bridges that could be perceived as models. These are but just a few example shots using this technique.
Helicopter altitude and position:
The angle and altitude is also something that needs to be considered when creating this illusion. You want to position the helicopter and frame the shot in the same perspective as a viewer would see the model. For example, if you visited a friend with a scale train set-up – what is the angle and overall field of view you would experience. When you’re viewing an architectural model of a new building, how would you be positioned and in what type of lighting would you expect to view the model. The more you can closely create the same atmosphere and perspective of the shot the more believable it will be.
In most of these photos the helicopter was only flying between 14 and 35 meters AGL in an effort to find that viewing angle needed.
Please take some time to look through sample images below and if you’re interested in learning more, contact the team at Draganfly to talk with their experts and request full size image samples.
Draganfly Innovations will be participating in the 2011 Annual Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police conference. This years event takes place in Windsor, Ontario and will feature speakers from police services across Canada. The conferences theme is “Strategic Partnerships for Effective Policing: Making the Right Connections for the Right Reasons”, and will focus on how Canadian police must be armed with the knowledge and training in order to maintain the level of professionalism demanded by the Canadian public.
