Using a drone for photographing had started way back during the World Wars. The purpose was of course, to understand the position of the enemies and to determine the strength and strategies. The process was a complicated one and the images were often blurred. There was also the possibility of losing signal from that height as the wireless communications systems were yet to become foolproof. As time went by, advancements in technology gave us greater opportunities for using drones for photography, and we are where we have arrived today. The technology of using drones for aerial shots have never been better and it is now possible to get crystal clear, high definition shots of distant lands from great heights. It does take a degree of ability to be able to do that perfectly but there are lots of passionate photographers who would go to great lengths to get that perfect shot with their drones.

How is Aerial Photography being Used today?

Apart from the military and disaster management uses, Aerial photography is being used extensively for commercial purposes today, and the clients are not unwilling to pay for the best work. Aerial photography prices are determined solely on the level of difficulty of capturing a shot, and to what effect it has to be done. Do you want to provide an aerial shot of the lovely resort you have on the sea beach? Or do you want your next clients to have a look at the most extravagant stage show you had organized for your earlier event management assignments? Do you want to launch your own travel website where travelers can experience the ambience of some of the most adventurous parts of the world, or do you want your wedding video to show how the city looked liked from the top of the Eiffel Tower when you had proposed to her? All of this requires a most efficient photographer, and an amazing drone that will help you capture the best shots that you have ever dreamed of. With technology more easily accessible than ever before, this is not a problem anymore.

360 degree virtual tours are also the newest in the line of the aerial photography and already, most of the world's top tourist destination sites have been captured. The view of Rome, the Himalayas and the Balkans, the view from atop the Empire State Building or Burj Khalifa, the aerial view of the Amazonian Ran Forests, a 360 degree tour can do more for you than any other kind of photography and you are never going to get that kind of range anywhere else. It is also one of the reasons why travel websites are now making it a point to include these tours in their websites, so that the clients can feel excited about actually experiencing that view in person. The technology is also being used extensively in survey and mapping services, and it has become possible to give more accurate measurements and details than ever before, making these services almost foolproof.

While using drones for photography, the photographer himself can apply a variety of techniques. One of the most common one is to create a panorama by stitching various shots taken side by side from all directions. It gives a wide angle look and it seems like the picture has been opened up. It can be tricky to give such an effect and yet even smartphones these days seem to have this technology of creating a panorama with various camera apps especially built for this purpose. By shooting with a drone, one can be sure that these same images would be captured in high definition and that the details would be a lot clearer. At times, images which have to be shot for technical purposes are shot as orthphotos, where the photos are later geometrically corrected. The nuances are multiple, and one would need a thorough understanding of the technicalities to deliver the best- a job best left to the professionals.

Drone photography is here to stay, and it will only evolve from here, giving the photographer to capture new heights and new panoramic vistas and keep amazing the audience.