Cost

If I’ve sent you this, there is no cost. I switched careers from photography and do this as a personal project because I enjoy creating. This is a unique portrait series where I can create my way, which is why I do it.

Drone portraits are pretty fun, but they have a few quirks.

I've mostly discovered these by trial and error, but they're important things to review before we shoot.

Timing

So the first thing is we only have the first two and last two hours of the day. Photographers typically refer to this as the golden hour because the lighting is best for regular portraits during this time. I tried to shoot one of the first AirPortraits after this time and discovered that if a subject is lying on the ground and looks up when the sun is out, it will blind them since the sun is overhead. Because of this, I plan all my shoots for sunrise and sunset because the lighting is even and won't blind you. 

I have had exceptions to this rule, mostly when there is shade for the subject to work in, but that is completely location dependent.

Wardrobe - Colors / Contrast

I'm going to be honest and say that if you ask me what to wear, for the most part, I will be this emoji: 🤷🏻‍♂️. However, I've learned a couple of things that are important when it comes to wardrobe. The first is the colors and the contrast against the background.

So this would be an example of a dress that didn't contrast well against the grass. Generally speaking, sand or earth tones are a bad idea because the backgrounds are usually grass, cement, brick, or wood. They will blend with a lot; generally, it works out better if the wardrobe contrasts against the background. 

Here are some examples of good colors/contrast:

Wardrobe - Stuff that doesn't work

Because of the fact you'll be lying flat against the ground, there are just certain wardrobe choices that don't work in that setting. Here are two examples of what doesn't work.

So her dress, because it's rigid and boxy, isn't loose enough to see her form. Because of that, she disappears from the waist down. If you're going to wear a dress, make sure the material is either loose and flowy or form-fitting.

While a fur coat can look cool in regular portraits because it's bulky, it makes her look bigger than she is even though she's in shape. 

Wardrobe - Recommendations

Outside of wearing colors that contrast well, the go-to advice I usually give subjects is to wear a loose/flowy dress, a top/shirt, and skinny jeans or a swimsuit. I don't have a particular preference in terms of what I need for the shot, and you're always going to know what looks better on you than I would. 

Regular Portraits vs. Drone Portraits

In a regular portrait, the photo typically breaks down to 80% facial expression and 20% body language. In a drone portrait, it's usually 90% body language and 10% facial expression. Confidence in the forms you're hitting is key, and in many photos, your facial expression isn't super visible. These are some good examples of subjects hitting confident poses:

If you have any more questions or need more clarity on anything, feel free to reach out to me.