An Interview with the drone pilot Davide

Questions and answers about the drone flying directly from the drone pilot

an-Interview-with-the-drone-pilot-davide

Short introduction

My name is Davide Scio.

I’m a graphic designer, photographer and videomaker, based in Genoa (Italy) but usually from November to May you can find me in Phuket (Thailand) or around Asia.

I’ve developed an increased interest in photography since 2014, and this passion has grown so strong that this is the art I have chosen to express myself in and i’ve found it to be an excellent complement to my love of travel and seeing the most beautiful locations in the world.

At first, I dedicated myself to landscape photography, combining traditional shooting techniques with the study of the most recent post-production techniques.

Since 2017, I have also become passionate about aerial photography and videos and, to my great satisfaction, Dji, a world leader in drone production, has chosen and published one of my photos on its worldwide website: https://www.dji.com/flyingtips/th

Apart from traditional photography, I also like to make timelapse, hyperlapse and videos in order to capture the essence of the most evocative places I visit during my travels. What else can i say about myself?… I’m just trying to seek and capture the beauty of the world around us and i aim to shoot images that can induce a peaceful and serene state of mind.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I do taking them.

On my website: www.davidescio.com you will find a selection of my favorite images.

 

How long have you been using the drone and for what purpose?

I’ve always been attracted to aerial photography, but I decided to dedicate myself actively only in 2017 after the release of the Mavic Pro which I believe has revolutionized the world of drones thanks to its photo/video quality and small size, ideal for those who like me must already carry all the photographic equipment. So I started using it to take photos and videos of the places I visited to do landscape photography.

What types of drones do you use? Can you recommend a model according to your observations?

As I was saying I started with the DJI Mavic Pro which is still the Drone I mainly use, especially during my travels, but I also use a DJI INSPIRE when I need professional shooting.

 

When you're not shooting professionally, what do you like to shoot?

In my free time I love to shoot mainly at the sea, boats, beaches, small islands, these are my favorite subjects. I think the sea gives movement to the shots making them more interesting, also flying over the water adds a little more adrenaline during the flight.

 

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Was it difficult to learn to fly a drone and did you have a fatal mistake?

My opinion is that today’s drones are very easy to control, the real difficulty lies in making fluid shots taking care not to make sudden movements, to achieve good results it takes a lot of practice and careful planning of shooting.

What do you think about the regulations in your country? Is there anything that can be improved?

Until a few months ago the rules in Italy were very controversial, that’s why I rarely flew and always with a certain apprehension, but fortunately with the entry into force of the new European regulation I believe that the legislation has been greatly simplified, this gives me well to hope for the future.

In Thailand on the other hand, where I spend most of the winter, the rules have always been much clearer and the legislation simpler, in this regard I also made a video on Youtube where I explain how to get the registration to the CAAT needed to fly in Thailand https://youtu.be/gFPjLDuO8_k

An interview with the Drone pilot Davide 1

Is the information on our site helpful and what would you recommend us to do?

I think the informations that can be found on your site are very useful,the world of drones just blew up and is constantly evolving, this is the reason why I think it is important to have a reference site in which to find all the information regarding the news in the sector, regulatory updates and where to compare with other fans of drones.

What do you think is the hardest to shoot and why?

My opinion is that the worst situation to shoot with the drone is in low light conditions, because not being able to increase the exposure time to avoid blur, you are forced to increase the ISO, this results in a noise that often makes the result poor.

What is the hardest accessible place you've ever shot?

I really like to photograph at sunrise or sunset, and for this reason I frequently have to travel at night; one of the experiences I remember with the greatest satisfaction was to do a photo shoot in Phang Nga Bay in Thailand that turned out to be a very difficult place to reach: after more than an hour drive from Phuket, it was necessary to travel for another hour by boat plunged in total darkness to reach the destination before down, and this was the greatest difficulty: to find a boatman willing to lead me in the dead of night, but definitely it was worth it.

 

An interview with the Drone pilot Davide 2

You prefer photos or videos and why?

When I work in the field I prefer to shoot video, but since I started as a photographer I am more familiar with editing photos, video editing takes much more time to achieve appreciable results.

What can drones do to society?

Nowadays there is still a lot of distrust towards drones but I believe that in the future they will find application in many other sectors, especially in agriculture and for safety / security.

Do you think this is a well-paid profession?

I think so, because the cost of a drone is rather low compared to traditional photographic equipment, this allows for amortization of the initial investment in a shorter time.

Is there much competition and at what pace are drones developing in the business?

The sector is growing strongly, especially in real estate, agriculture and topography and this determines competition, but for those like me who are involved in landscape photography this is not a big problem since in most cases the choice of a work by the client is predominantly emotional.

Is it difficult to work with clients and do they properly understand drone work?

My business is mainly based on online sales, so I usually have no direct contact with customers, but I happened to face the topic and often customers don’t understand all the work that is behind a shot and tend to minimize . When it happens I like to explain that behind a “click” that lasts a second, there are hours of editing, planning and study and this apply to photography in general.

Drone pilot photography - from Davide

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What do you think about drone filters? If you use them - what types, which brand and for what most?

For those like me who love to shoot on the sea it is very important to use polarizing filters to reduce reflections and ND filters to extend exposure times and give a more cinematic effect to the shooting, I personally use with satisfaction the PolarPro ND and ND-PL series.

Do you have a specific place or object you want to shoot?

I don’t have a subject in particular, but as already said I like to shoot on sea or lakes.

What extra is missing on current drones? What manufacturers should keep in mind for new models?

In the current models I think there is still a good margin for improvement in the quality of the images, I am waiting to try the Mavic Pro 3 that from rumors is coming out.

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