DJI Drone Tutorial: Best Camera Settings for Landscapes
photo by guenterguni via iStock
Going over the DJI drone tutorials we’ve published on PhotographyTalk, I started thinking how capturing landscape photography with drones fits in well with photography trekking, capturing landscape photos while touring on a bicycle.
Photo Trekking is the main focus of the Trek website #GoByBike campaign, which showcases photos and videos from around the world of photographers using bicycles to travel, or cyclists using cameras to capture great images, whichever way you want to look at it.
Drone Landscape Photography
Drone landscape photography is a great way to capture high quality unique views of the beautiful landscapes and cityscapes we encounter while photo trekking. DJI Mavic Air 2 is the perfect drone for photo trekking since it’s quite compact and has an extremely high quality lens and sensor, plus some fun features such as an auto tracking flight mode that will follow you as you move.
Adding a DJI Mavic Air 2 to the gear bag is pretty easy due to the compact size and the ruggedness of the build of all DJI drones. You can carry the drone in a backpack, a pannier style bag or a large sling pack photo bag.
A pannier bag is a good choice on a bike like my new Trek Remedy 9.9 trail bike. Ever since I got this bike, I can’t stop admiring how good it is. It’s super rugged yet extremely comfortable with the full suspension ride. It is made from lightweight and amazingly strong carbon fiber. Even the wheels are carbon fiber!
A landscape photography gear kit including a drone paired with a superior bike means that there is little to get in the way of our opportunities for capturing amazing images and video on our next photography trek. You could get featured on the front page of the #GoByBike campaign website.
Landscape Photography Settings for Drones
As part of a basic drone photography tutorial, we can confidently let you know that the best landscape photography settings for drones are generally the same as the best settings for landscape photography in general, though there are some specific drone photography tips that will result in better images and video.
To capture good drone landscape photography, you will use the features of whatever drone you have to maximize good exposure and sharp images. In addition to shooting through ND filters for extended exposure control, intelligent flight controls will also help ensure good video and still images.
Some of the features of the Mavic Air 2 that result in high quality landscape photography are the ½ inch image sensor providing 48mp images, enhanced HDR, and an intelligent mode that enables i flight panoramas. You can find a free DJI drone tutorial on all of the functions and features on the DJI support website.
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Add Action Cam for More Fun
Photo trekking is a rewarding way to combine your love for photography with your love for bike riding, both of which are excellent for the health of your mind, body, and soul. We’ve discussed some gear choices which will maximize your landscape imaging potential while photo trekking.
An essential gear choice is an excellent bike like the Trek Remedy 9.9 or any other high quality bike that allows for safe, comfortable, and long term riding. A compact, full featured, high quality DSLR or mirrorless camera such as the Canon EOS R5, Sony a7R IV, or Nikon Z7ii offers superior still images and 4K video when paired with the excellent lenses designed for them.
The addition of a DJI drone increases your ability to get still images and video footage. One more piece of photographic gear that is useful for photo trekking is a water proof, shock proof action cam.
An action cam like the GoPro HERO 9 Black has the features, functions, image and video quality, and durability to match up with a Trek bike, Canon mirrorless camera, and DJI drone. Being waterproof and shockproof means you can mount it one the bike itself, even in extreme weather conditions and capture stills and video.
DJI Drone Tutorial Resources
You will want to practice with your drone before taking it out on an extended photo trek in order to gain the most benefit from its features and quality. We have published several general DJI drone tutorials that will give you great information on subjects such as the best settings for landscape photography and videography with a drone.
Another excellent resource for drone photography tips and instruction is the DJI video support website. These DJI drone tutorials cover everything from the exposure settings to the intelligent flight modes.
Photo trekking has transformed how many photographers are capturing landscape and cityscape photographs and video footage. Riding a fine bike to a beautiful area and then capturing that beauty with quality photography equipment is rewarding and fun, plus it has benefits to our health and to the environment. Join us and see how great it is for yourself.
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