Confessions of a Total Drone Newbie

If you have kept up with me at all on Instagram lately, you may have noticed my recent obsession with aerial photography. That is because I bought a drone, the equivalent of an adult remote control airplane, and it is awesome.

Aerial photography has been something I wanted to explore for the past few years. Once the realities of Covid set in, I decided to pull the trigger and take on this new hobby, which I hoped would elevate my photography as well.

When researching the best drone to buy for beginners, it can be an overwhelming and intimidating rabbit hole of options. DJI is known as the brand to trust, but part of me was tempted to go with a cheap, low quality drone that I wouldn't mind accidentally crashing. However, I had watched so many 'how to' videos and sat on the idea for so long that I ultimately decided I wanted to invest in a drone that was good quality, affordable but not cheap, and relatively easy to use for beginners.

This landed me on the DJI Mavic Mini, and so far it has delivered exactly what I was looking for. My full kit is pictured below which includes the equipment bag, charging station, remote control, drone, and the cable to sync the remote and phone.

Despite the title of this post, I really only have one confession. I was out on the road one day taking photos of the PCH and decided to charge the drone with my car outlet. After flying and grabbing some aerial shots, I packed up and got in the car to head home, only to quickly discover my battery had died from the drone sucking up too much energy.

I was stuck there for about 2 hours waiting for roadside assistance, but honestly, there are worse things than being stuck at the beach. Plus, making fun of myself on Instagram kept me entertained.

At least the shots were worth it!

The PCH stills are below and video here.