Drone flying business..
Discussion
Rules are changing shortly, which is good as current laws make it hard to do legally in built up areas.
Every man and his dog at it without a license and undercutting each other.
New rules I think require newer models which may or may not exist or a different qualification.
My view is it’s good as an addon or a usp, but too many others in your target area.
Every man and his dog at it without a license and undercutting each other.
New rules I think require newer models which may or may not exist or a different qualification.
My view is it’s good as an addon or a usp, but too many others in your target area.
D1on said:
Anyone any experience of this?
Either weddings or photography flying a drone to make money?...
It will come down to how good you are at marketing and sales - and at getting high quality shots from drones of course. Unless you're only shooting stills, an element of video direction is needed too. Will your footage be edited into ground-based footage or are you going to wizz it around a bit and call it done?Either weddings or photography flying a drone to make money?...
Simpo Two said:
D1on said:
Anyone any experience of this?
Either weddings or photography flying a drone to make money?...
It will come down to how good you are at marketing and sales - and at getting high quality shots from drones of course. Unless you're only shooting stills, an element of video direction is needed too. Will your footage be edited into ground-based footage or are you going to wizz it around a bit and call it done?Either weddings or photography flying a drone to make money?...
I use a Drone as part of what I do. Part of what I do is photography and videography so the Drone is more a flying camera - a means to grab a different viewpoint rather than flying it for the sake of it just because you have it.
So as someone mentioned, if you're already a photographer or videographer then having a Drone is a useful addition to your arsenal of equipment and enables to you keep the work 'in-house'.
The same applies to survey work where you might otherwise have subbed such a service out to a provider.
Commercial (and successful) Drone Operator businesses are not exactly plentiful but then neither is demand. Those that I know of that make a decent wedge work in the Film and TV industry - but they are using top-drawer gear as well as other specialist services such as mobile boom arms (Matt Black Mercedes SUV with a camera hanging off a crane attached to the roof). These guys will have been using Drones since before Mr Mavic was out of nappies and get their work from mates they've built up over many years.
There is some opportunity out there but it's immeasurably more involved than buying a Mavic Pro 2 and running off some business cards. You also need to understand far more than how to fly a Drone: RAW processing, D-Log, Colour Grading, 4K management, Frame Rates as well as have the means to process the image files...... You have to think of it as a photography business first, Drone; second.
In your quest for further insight, I would strongly advise against joining any of the Facebook Drone groups!!
HTH
So as someone mentioned, if you're already a photographer or videographer then having a Drone is a useful addition to your arsenal of equipment and enables to you keep the work 'in-house'.
The same applies to survey work where you might otherwise have subbed such a service out to a provider.
Commercial (and successful) Drone Operator businesses are not exactly plentiful but then neither is demand. Those that I know of that make a decent wedge work in the Film and TV industry - but they are using top-drawer gear as well as other specialist services such as mobile boom arms (Matt Black Mercedes SUV with a camera hanging off a crane attached to the roof). These guys will have been using Drones since before Mr Mavic was out of nappies and get their work from mates they've built up over many years.
There is some opportunity out there but it's immeasurably more involved than buying a Mavic Pro 2 and running off some business cards. You also need to understand far more than how to fly a Drone: RAW processing, D-Log, Colour Grading, 4K management, Frame Rates as well as have the means to process the image files...... You have to think of it as a photography business first, Drone; second.
In your quest for further insight, I would strongly advise against joining any of the Facebook Drone groups!!
HTH
Edited by StevieBee on Thursday 26th November 11:37
surveyor said:
It will come down to how many beans he will work for as every man and dog will be offering it for peanuts.
We use the services of such companies from time to time, and I have to say that it's both embarrassing (compared to the fees we and every other consultant charges) and depressing (empathising with the drone company) how cheaply you can get it done these days.Last one we had done (aerial images of a car park in Barnsley for a Planning application) cost £150 for what will have amounted to half a day's work.
This is the same challenge that faces a great many industries, there's always someone offering a service for next to nothing. However, market yourself to premium clients and you won't compete with the guy who was bored and decided to film a few things with his drone for a few quid. Perhaps offer editing or production services too by tying up with a company that does that.
As said above, every man and his dog has a Mavic and shooting - often illegally - for peanuts. Adding a drone to an existing photography business is a better route, again, as pointed out above, the new rules make flying legally in built up areas simpler.
I had memorable enquiry from a school to capture some shots of the entire school as part of 50th anniversary celebrations (think kids all lined up in the number 50). My quote was roundly rejected with the words, oh that’s higher than we expected, one of the parents on the PTA has a drone, and will do it for £30
I did my PfCO 3 years ago and quickly realised that the photography side of things was never going to be a massive money spinner. As a result, I have invested heavily in enterprise grade kit, including ground and aerial thermal sensors and training - prompted by the advice received on a thread I started on here, I’ve now completed my BINDT accreditation in thermography, shortly to complete ISO 6781 in building thermography, then on to surveying qualifications. (Anyone need a thermal building survey
)
I had memorable enquiry from a school to capture some shots of the entire school as part of 50th anniversary celebrations (think kids all lined up in the number 50). My quote was roundly rejected with the words, oh that’s higher than we expected, one of the parents on the PTA has a drone, and will do it for £30
I did my PfCO 3 years ago and quickly realised that the photography side of things was never going to be a massive money spinner. As a result, I have invested heavily in enterprise grade kit, including ground and aerial thermal sensors and training - prompted by the advice received on a thread I started on here, I’ve now completed my BINDT accreditation in thermography, shortly to complete ISO 6781 in building thermography, then on to surveying qualifications. (Anyone need a thermal building survey
)Agree with the poster above, the main areas to focus on now are specialisms.
There are great strides being made in agricultural, 3D scanning, inspection, etc that are still being explored.
Photography is very saturated and lots of operators are flying illegally without understanding the huge risks they present to safety in aviation terms. The specialist kit is multiples more expensive which limits those that have it. Some kit can be £3M+ at the top end.
The U.K. is very forward thinking in terms of operations, even if we don’t necessarily lead the way in manufacturing.
The cost of entry continues to fall and training has never been more accessible, but a large number of qualified operators fall off the map at renewal time every year because they can’t make a go at it. The majority of successful ones are using drones to supplement their existing work tasks with aerial services and these tend to be the most successful.
Beyond visual line of site will be another step change in operations but I expect there will be ramifications to the airspace you fly in at this stage and the whole piece will become much more tightly controlled.
It’s always interesting to view the approved CAA operators list to see the caliber and type of major organisations that are currently trialling the technology.
You can view this list on the CAA website.
Brexit decoupling has slightly hindered the progress we may have made but this seems pretty much resolved in terms of aviation now. The coming decade is expected to be a boom for the industry but around innovation and new applications. It’s worth getting the approval in my view as you need to be in the industry to understand the trends and potential opportunities that you don’t see if your not part of it.
There are great strides being made in agricultural, 3D scanning, inspection, etc that are still being explored.
Photography is very saturated and lots of operators are flying illegally without understanding the huge risks they present to safety in aviation terms. The specialist kit is multiples more expensive which limits those that have it. Some kit can be £3M+ at the top end.
The U.K. is very forward thinking in terms of operations, even if we don’t necessarily lead the way in manufacturing.
The cost of entry continues to fall and training has never been more accessible, but a large number of qualified operators fall off the map at renewal time every year because they can’t make a go at it. The majority of successful ones are using drones to supplement their existing work tasks with aerial services and these tend to be the most successful.
Beyond visual line of site will be another step change in operations but I expect there will be ramifications to the airspace you fly in at this stage and the whole piece will become much more tightly controlled.
It’s always interesting to view the approved CAA operators list to see the caliber and type of major organisations that are currently trialling the technology.
You can view this list on the CAA website.
Brexit decoupling has slightly hindered the progress we may have made but this seems pretty much resolved in terms of aviation now. The coming decade is expected to be a boom for the industry but around innovation and new applications. It’s worth getting the approval in my view as you need to be in the industry to understand the trends and potential opportunities that you don’t see if your not part of it.
vaguelyfamiliar said:
My quote was roundly rejected with the words, oh that’s higher than we expected, one of the parents on the PTA has a drone, and will do it for £30
I might have replied 'I have an English O-Level. I'll teach your kids English for £30, much less than one of your teachers'. But they wouldn't understand.Equus said:
We use the services of such companies from time to time, and I have to say that it's both embarrassing (compared to the fees we and every other consultant charges) and depressing (empathising with the drone company) how cheaply you can get it done these days.
Last one we had done (aerial images of a car park in Barnsley for a Planning application) cost £150 for what will have amounted to half a day's work.
As an owner of a QS and PM consultancy, I find construction industry consultancy fees depressing!Last one we had done (aerial images of a car park in Barnsley for a Planning application) cost £150 for what will have amounted to half a day's work.
Edited by iphonedyou on Thursday 26th November 22:51
vaguelyfamiliar said:
I had memorable enquiry from a school to capture some shots of the entire school as part of 50th anniversary celebrations (think kids all lined up in the number 50). My quote was roundly rejected with the words, oh that’s higher than we expected, one of the parents on the PTA has a drone, and will do it for £30
Reminds me of companies who have relatives/someone's son/daughter etc. who can 'do a website' for them, despite the companies turning over hundreds of thousands or millions of pounds!Frimley111R said:
vaguelyfamiliar said:
I had memorable enquiry from a school to capture some shots of the entire school as part of 50th anniversary celebrations (think kids all lined up in the number 50). My quote was roundly rejected with the words, oh that’s higher than we expected, one of the parents on the PTA has a drone, and will do it for £30
Reminds me of companies who have relatives/someone's son/daughter etc. who can 'do a website' for them, despite the companies turning over hundreds of thousands or millions of pounds!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfprIxNfCjk
StevieBee said:
Unrealistic though, his requirements were far too detailed
vaguelyfamiliar said:
StevieBee said:
Unrealistic though, his requirements were far too detailed
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