I recently got back out with the Yuneec Typhoon Q500 4K drone in Cambria, California. My mom and dad have a home out there, and I’ve been wanting to shoot him surfing for a while. Shooting with the drone is a real treat, and I jump on the opportunity whenever it arrises. I really feel alive when flying the drone, as it offers a vantage point that is simply impossible without a helicopter. Modern day technology is fantastic, and it’s really great to live in a time with technology like this.
With my luck, the entire weekend ended up being extremely foggy and relatively cold. The waves were also basically nonexistent. However, he and his friend, Rock, are troopers. They obliged and still got in the cold dark water to allow me to get some quick shots of them. The following short video is the culmination of those shots. I shot this in 4K, and graded it slightly, but not heavily. I hope that you enjoy. Pictures from the drone and also the Canon 5Ds with 70-200 are below the video.
I also shot some images with the drone that day, which was really interesting. I’ve been focusing mainly on video with the Yuneec Typhoon Q500, but shooting images is really special. While it is only equipped with a 12mp camera, shooting in scenes that provide a good amount of contrast makes the images really pop. While the quality is nothing like a camera with a larger sensor, the distinct vantage point allows you to get some truly spectacular images.
The following shots weren’t shot with the drone, but instead from the shore using the Canon 5Ds with the 16-35 f/4L IS and the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II on a carbon fiber GTT204 tripod with BHM2S ball head. I personally don’t own a lens with a longer focal length than 200mm. However, with the enormous sensor of the 5Ds (50.6 MP), the cropping abilities are fantastic, while still retaining a ton of detail.
