There’s something almost surreal about seeing the world from above. Familiar places become abstract, patterns emerge, and moments gain a new sense of scale. In this article, I share why drone photography has become such a valuable part of my visual storytelling, and what I look for when I take to the sky.
The first time I flew a drone, I wasn’t chasing a big cinematic shot. I was hovering above a quiet stretch of coastline, watching the waves create patterns I’d never noticed from the ground. That moment changed the way I look at landscapes, and the way I tell visual stories.
Drone photography isn’t just about height. It’s about perspective. The ability to step back, way back, and see how a person fits into a space, how architecture interacts with nature, or how a winding path tells a story all on its own. It reveals patterns and contrasts that are often invisible from eye level.
But it also adds emotion. There’s a sense of solitude in a tiny figure walking across a vast field. A sense of calm in a boat floating through open water. And sometimes, there’s just beauty for the sake of beauty, symmetry, texture, rhythm.
Of course, there’s the technical side too. Working with light, avoiding overexposure, respecting no-fly zones, timing wind and weather. It’s a balance of patience and preparation, and occasionally, a bit of luck.
What I love most, though, is how drone photography complements my other work. It doesn’t replace the intimacy of a portrait or the emotion of a close-up, it expands the context. It gives room to breathe, space to feel. And that’s often exactly what a story needs.