Drone Real Estate Photography – It hits all three of my passions!
I’m a Realtor. I serve the Front Range fairly extensively although mainly in the Boulder County and surrounding area. Thankfully, my job ties together a number of things that interest me. People, places, architecture, home improvement, landscape design and investment in my future.
I’m a photographer. I have a passion for photography and post processing and while I have professionals on hand for this as needed, I often prefer the quality of my own work and thrive on the attention to detail that good real estate photography demands. Real estate drone photography has been capturing my fascination, steadily, for most of 2014.
There has been a lot in the news recently about drones. A good drone with camera aboard can shoot really unique real estate drone photography and give the potential buyer a perspective that even Google can’t. In my opinion, this sort of photography is riding that exciting line … Where art and science complement each other and where the buyer and seller get maximum advantage the Realtor (or photographer) can offer. Where the sum of the art and the science combined are really worth more than they provide individually.
By now you have likely heard that the FAA has something to say about random folks flying unmanned devices across our skies. Why? Because the FAA controls airspace and it’s their job to keep it safe and secure of course. Concerns include (but are not limited to) flying devices colliding or distracting to the point of danger, the airplanes that are using the same skies. Even a small collision could damage an aircraft sufficiently that the ability of a pilot to control said aircraft is diminished – resulting in a crash or an emergency landing.
I’m a pilot too. Trust me when I say that we are trained for emergencies and emergency landings and in that situation give little to no thought to saving the aircraft, but instead think back to training in that airplane… How we were taught we could best use it to save the people aboard and those who might be on the ground underneath. But safety first starts on the ground. We give the most thought to preparing to fly and in avoiding situations that endanger a flight. The pilot in control assesses himself/herself (mentally, physically or emotionally compromised) the airspace she is flying in, weather conditions now and during the entire flight and of course the air worthiness of the aircraft she is qualified and experienced enough to be flying that day.
Earning a pilots license is rigorous. There are lessons in the aircraft and classes on the ground of course, then a list of skills that must be practiced, written tests passed and some hours/events that must be checked off before the final test. After the FAA tester has drilled you for 3-4 hours they sign you off as being proficient enough to get a private pilot license. The whole thing took me about a year, but some people get through it quicker. You don’t want to know the cost, either way!
I digress, but there is a reason for the background.
It may be a couple of years in the making but word has it the FAA will restrict commercial drone usage. Drone real estate photography is considered commercial. Rules are rumored to include usage only during daylight hours, below 400 feet AGL and by licensed pilots. I am prepared! 🙂
Right now, the National Association of Realtor’s is not endorsing drone photography. Officially advising Realtor’s to steer clear. Unofficially, you can still get aerial (drone real estate photography) and ground shots to highlight your listings and capture the imagination of potential sellers. Want to chat about this? I’d be happy to take you to coffee and discuss it.
2015 promises to be a very exciting year in both real estate along the Front Range and in technological advances. I’m not one for being left behind, but beyond that, I love exploring new ideas and embracing change that puts me a step ahead. As my client, you deserve to be one step ahead too.
In 2015 as you embrace your own changes, you’ll want your home to sell quicker and for more money… And as you turn the page on one chapter and begin the next, it will be nice to have a set of professional pictures to remind you of where you were in 2014 too, which is I give my photography to my clients after closing. 🙂
Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow’s the future, but today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.