10 Ideas for Better Drone Photos of Cars

#dronephotography #dronephoto #dji
In the last few years, I’ve learned a lot about taking different types of photos with drones, and integrating this tool into my photography workflow. Today I will share some ideas, and findings, and tips with you for how to take drone photos of cars that stand out.
Alfred Hitchcock, ‘North By Northwest,’ MGM Pictures, 1959.
archive.org/details/northbynorthwest_202101
Some stuff used in this video (commissions earned):
DJI Mavic Air 2 amzn.to/4aRsTq7
Aputure Amaran 100d S,100W Daylight Led Video Light amzn.to/4hbUg26
Nikon Z 6 II FX-Format Mirrorless Camera Body w/NIKKOR Z 24-70mm amzn.to/34lWB9B
Nikon NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.8 S amzn.to/49uLPtx
NIKON NIKKOR Z 70-200mm f/2.8 S Telephoto Zoom Lens amzn.to/3P1FT24
Music from Epidemic Sound: www.epidemicsound.com/referral/q3g7l3
Thank you @danielsloan for some footage!
0:00 Intro
1:44 1
3:43 2
4:40 3
5:33 4
6:32 5
7:24 5
7:50 7
8:24 8
9:01 9
9:56 10
11:05 Conclusion
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[@robertwcharlton]

The slice of light on the yellow 911: beautiful. Good advice, too. Thanks!

[@capturingthemachine]

thanks!

[@vl7852]

You are my favorite car photographer by far. Your elegant perspective, especially when playing with shadows, is exceptional.

[@peterfritzphoto]

Spectacular images, Kevin. Loved this. Tonnes of inspiration, here! Greetings from another car shooter in Australia. 🇦🇺🦘

[@capturingthemachine]

Hello Peter, thanks for the kind words, cheers! 🍻

[@lordhoss5702]

I just got a drone a few months ago, and have been battling with what angles will work. Great video

[@capturingthemachine]

thank you - good luck!

[@GeneFever]

I don't have a drone but it's still interesting to get the thought process of setting up the shots with them. Good stuff.

[@capturingthemachine]

Thanks! 👍

[@blakec489]

Have only had limited time with a drone while shooting cars but would love to do it more. The shots you showed here are incredible, definitely going to explore drones more now

[@capturingthemachine]

good luck, thank you for watching!

[@TimFilmsCars]

Another good one! Some newer drones also have an underside LED light, which can help with lightpainting overhead at night or blue hour. It's not very diffused, but in my experiments, it's workable in some scenarios.

[@capturingthemachine]

ooh that sounds very cool, I'd love try that

[@Rattles02]

I've been shooting cars for years with a DSLR. I have developed my own style over the years. I mainly just shoot at car shows but have had a couple jobs over the years. Living at a Great Lakes port, I also get the opportunity to shoot the freighters (I love shooting them at night!). I recently bought a DJI Mini 4 Pro. I was inspired by a friend to purchase one after seeing his amazing freighter photos with his Mavic. That has been a fairly easy transition and it is just a matter of getting more familiar with the Mini 4's camera. I was just thinking the other day about how I could incorporate shooting cars with the drone. This video has given me some great ideas! I absolutely love that parking garage sliver shadow BTW!

[@CarShowFOMO]

Nice video with some great advice! Good to see you at TAWA.

[@capturingthemachine]

thank you, it was great to catch up!

[@AUGMotorSport]

As always I await your videos , plenty of useful information, thank you !!!!

[@capturingthemachine]

Glad you like them!

[@Marcio2024-of2tb]

Great video, as always! I discovered your channel yesterday. Really good content, now I really want to start to take some car photos. Thank you for the inspiration!

[@capturingthemachine]

My pleasure, I'm glad you found the channel!

[@Twobarpsi]

Interesting POV 😎

[@Pjmedia77]

Love the video! I will definitely use these tips the next time I take my drone out! Just be aware of local and federal drone regulations before flying. Like having to register your drone if it is over 250g and having completed a TRUST course or have your part 107 drone license. I definitely recommend getting a part 107 that way you can fly at night if you put the right strobe on top of the drone. Also you need it for commercial work.

[@capturingthemachine]

Thank you, this is great info - I didn't touch on the legal aspect or regulations, but you're absolutely right. 👍

[@thecoreelementsmoto]

Timely video. I just got my drone recently and have been practicing on finding new ways to capture things.

[@capturingthemachine]

hope it helps!

[@SlaughterHausD]

Good perspective on using wide angle to your favor. Switch up to an Air 3, 2 lenses. It has a way to do 48m photos too. Wide-Angle Camera FOV: 82° Format Equivalent: 24 mm Aperture: f/1.7 Focus: 1 m to ∞ Medium Tele Camera FOV: 35° Format Equivalent: 70 mm Aperture: f/2.8 Focus: 3 m to ∞

[@capturingthemachine]

wow, good to know! I am not up to speed on the latest stuff but it sounds like an upgrade will be in my future 👍

[@SlaughterHausD]

@@capturingthemachine Air 3S may be coming soon. Rumor mill 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@capturingthemachine]

@@SlaughterHausD 😮

[@caplephoto]

Great tips, but I think you missed a big one. If you have ND filters, these DJI drones are really good at capturing rolling shots at crazy shutter speeds. Highly recommend trying.

[@RJ100]

great video! love the intro. what font is it?

[@gregmiller98]

Can the drone be used to make long exposure shots? like the ones we take of curvy mountain roads with the taillight line and so on?

[@capturingthemachine]

that's a great question, I'm not current on the latest features. It might be possible to overlay a bunch of images or apply an affect to video somehow (from a Hyperlapse maybe) but I don't think any drone can hover stable enough to get a true long exposure. Definitely worth exploring...

[@danielsloan]

🚨 M3baru mentioned 🚨

[@drakenelsoncomedy]

Shotgun mic in the shot? This channel is bullshit! 🎉

[@capturingthemachine]

nah that’s a hypercardioid mic in the shot, thanks