Camera settings help!

[Adamborz]

Everything said above but also utilize your histogram. It will help with getting the correct exposure. Keep your points in the middle as best as you can, and you will achieve a good shot

+1. Most helpful advice.

 

[MrMagus]

The reply above are right on target. Just remember to have the light behind you if possible and make sure the focus is set properly. Sometimes AUTO makes sense due to changing light and and weather conditions. My advice is to follow some photographers on social media such as Tony Northrup on YouTube. Lots of great information on photography that translates to the drone.

 

[dronesky]

View attachment 114280

What settings did you use for that shot please

 

[Not A Speck Of Cereal]

My advice: If you're thinking of getting into the drone real-estate photography business, go for it -- you've got some great advice already. Practice, practice (also practice with a ground camera). You'll get there some day.

If this is for a realtor that's wanting pro photography for advertising NOW and they are paying money, you should advise them to hire a drone photographer that already has photography skills. Meta4 gave you the reason already.

If you're the realtor that doesn't want to hire a pro, or the realtor you're working with doesn't really want to pay money for pro photographs, or you're just a hobby / recreational flyer that's shooting property of your own or a friend/family member, that's another thing. Again, go for it.

But if they're a paying client that wants the pro results they see in other RE advertising, expect them to turn down your results.

Chris

 

[MrMagus]

What settings did you use for that shot please

ISO 100 / f/5.6 / 1/500
I was hovering above the house with the sun at high overhead and minimal wind.

 

[MaxE1955!]

What settings did you use for that shot please

Shot during start of “Golden hour” around 7:15pm.
ISO 100
F/8
1/60th
Polar Pro ND/4 filter. (Almost always use a filter.... almost)
Phantom 4 adv in Tripod mode.
Hope that helps. Practice practice practice because every outing is different. And definitely use your histogram panel to keep your exposures correct.

 

[Meta4]

Polar Pro ND/4 filter. (Almost always use a filter.... almost)

Why ??

 

[MaxE1955!]

Why ??

Using something like the PolarPro ND filters can enhance your exposures. The term that is currently in vogue is ‘Cinematic” look. Using an Neutral Density filters Increases your exposure time to create a more natural blurring effect more akin to how the human eye sees the world. There are dozens of explanations and tutorials out there to help new users to understand the science and use of filters. YouTube has some great tutorials on UV and Polarizers. Both can help when the lighting conditions aren’t perfect. Like shooting when the sun is high or when shooting over snow or water to reduce or eliminate reflections.

 

[Not A Speck Of Cereal]

Using something like the PolarPro ND filters can enhance your exposures. The term that is currently in vogue is ‘Cinematic” look.

Yeah, but you said you always use ND filters and the subject was still photography. (You didn't say anything about polarization or video.)

For still photography, you only want to purposefully slow down the shutter for specific occasions, such as waterfall motion, or sports panning. Otherwise, you want sharpness (with landscapes, portraiture, wildlife, etc.), which requires a fast shutter, especially if you open the lens wide for shallow depth of field.

Chris

 

[Meta4]

Using something like the PolarPro ND filters can enhance your exposures. The term that is currently in vogue is ‘Cinematic” look. Using an Neutral Density filters Increases your exposure time to create a more natural blurring effect more akin to how the human eye sees the world. There are dozens of explanations and tutorials out there to help new users to understand the science and use of filters. YouTube has some great tutorials on UV and Polarizers. Both can help when the lighting conditions aren’t perfect. Like shooting when the sun is high or when shooting over snow or water to reduce or eliminate reflections.

That's a confusing reason to use ND filters for still photography from a drone.
It's the reasons some flyers use them for video ,(hinted at when you used the word cinematic) but completely irrelevant to still shooting.
Unless you have a particular reason to slow the shutter speed, there's nothing to be gained by using an ND filter in drone still photography.

 

[MaxE1955!]

That's a confusing reason to use ND filters for still photography from a drone.
It's the reasons some flyers use them for video ,(hinted at when you used the word cinematic) but completely irrelevant to still shooting.
Unless you have a particular reason to slow the shutter speed, there's nothing to be gained by using an ND filter in drone still photography.

Well, I could go into the reasons and details for using both filters for still photography, but obviously you have a better understanding of still photography than I do, so I won’t waste your time explaining it. I’ve only made my living as a professional photographer for 30+ years. So I guess your right. Please forgive my intrusion and disregard the STILL IMAGE I submitted.

 

[MaxE1955!]

There seems to be some confusion regarding my response to the original posters question. My answer was a generalized one that was not intended to be “the definitive” prose on using filters in aerial UAV photography. My response even pointed the poster to other sources of information on the subject of using filter. Entire books have been written on the subject by those I’m sure who are much more adept at explaining the uses and application of filters in both video and still photography. The example still image I posted was of a Immediate Care medical facility and I did indeed use an ND 4 filter, if memory serves, to compensate for the exposure I wanted. It was taken (obviously) just before the sun was starting to set and the shadows are a giveaway. The poster obviously was new to photography as he admitted he wanted some direction on what settings to use for his particular application (real estate). I saw no need to go into a detailed explanation as it wouldn’t have made sense to the poster. That is why I pointed him to tutorials on the subject that could be more attuned to the level he needed. Additional followups were asked regarding my photograph. My intention was to be helpful, in a general way, and not to further confuse the poster. You can read the entire post, the poster seemed grateful for the information.

Now what bothers me is I had hoped this forum would be a bit more tolerant of those participating in posts, but it seems like all other public forums that there a those, like in almost every other forum I’ve seen who want to prove their mental superiority by trolling responders answers. I would expect that from th simply passing through the forum, not from a staffer/moderator. Even f I had been totally off base, I would have thought a someone would offer their opinion, rather then troll a responder. The answer “every situation is different” is obvious, but didn’t help the original poster find a solution to his legitimate plea for some help. Maybe my answer wasn’t perfect, but I hope I at least gave him some direction to finding a better answer than could give on this format. I usually don’t feed the trolls! So I’ll just not respond further on the forums and keep future opinions to myself and not participat.

 

[Meta4]

Well, I could go into the reasons and details for using both filters for still photography, but obviously you have a better understanding of still photography than I do, so I won’t waste your time explaining it. I’ve only made my living as a professional photographer for 30+ years. So I guess your right. Please forgive my intrusion and disregard the STILL IMAGE I submitted.

Despite your experience, you have a strange understanding of what ND filters do and it's likely to confuse flyers who are new to photography.
The only thing an ND filter does, it to reduce the light reaching the sensor, forcing you to use a longer shutter speed or open the aperture to get a proper exposure.
It does absolutely nothing to enhance the image and doesn't improve it in any way.

By all means stick with what you are used to doing, but don't get offended when incorrect advice is pointed out.
That is not trolling, it's just being helpful to others that could be confused.