How to Elevate Your Photography Skills, Literally

The key to elevating your photography skills is really quite simple: Invest in a drone and take flight. It's a sentiment that Da Drone Boyz understand and preach on the regular. The brotherly duo out of Brooklyn—consisting of Kellen and Riley Dengler—is at the forefront of an aerial photography movement that is switching up the game by taking to the skies and providing photographers with a viewpoint that could really only be achieved previously by hopping aboard a helicopter with a DSLR in tow. These days, things are obviously different.

As to what we can credit the rise in popularity of using drones as a tool to get that "money" shot from up above, we went straight to the source to find out.

“The technology has become within reach and has finally hit an affordable price point where people who had ever considered wanting aerial photo/video can now do so on their own,” explains Kellen. “A little over a year ago, before we even owned a drone, we had looked into booking a helicopter to film for a couple different shoots. The price point was insane, which is actually what prompted us to looking into buying a drone and doing it ourselves.”

When searching for a drone of your own for the purpose of photography, it all depends on what you plan on doing with it.

According to Kellen, “There are so many drones out now that have built-in cameras that can do pretty great things.” A prospective buyer should first “compare camera specs and pair that with reviews of the actual drone itself and see what fits for what you are looking to get shots of.”

The benefits of using an actual drone for a photo shoot should be self-apparent. They open up a whole new world of possibilities that are only limited by the user's creativity. If you're ready to take the leap—and take to the skies—here's the gear and insider tips for you to get started, as suggested by Da Drone Boyz.

We recommend: DJI Phantom 2

Buy it now: $379

There are expensive, more complicated drones out there for you to indulge yourself with, but the DJI Phantom is the undisputed champ amongst aerial photographers for its versatility, and best bang-for-the-buck. It’s an easy-to-use quadcopter designed to house a GoPro. Keep in mind that the base model does not come with a gimbal, which is a recommended add-on that allows you to rotate the angle of the camera without changing flight direction (something that can’t be achieved with the stationary GoPro housing on the standard DJI Phantom 2.

According to Kellen, the DJI Phantom 1 and 2 are both excellent choices for aspiring aerial photographers, both amateur and pro: “Both are pretty great and are at a pretty good price point for good quality. We were drawn to these ones because they seemed to become the go-to for a lot of photographers and cinematographers. They’re small, easy to transport, easy to put together, and have a pretty easy learning curve out of the box. We're still really happy with the Phantom 2, but would love to test out the DJI Inspire One.”

It just so happens that the third iteration of the DJI Phantom is currently available for pre-order.

We recommend: GoPro ​Hero 4 Black

Buy it now: $499

At this point in time, the GoPro certainly needs no introduction—at least we hope that’s the case. The revolutionary camera has opened up many different new avenues for the adventurous type to explore, and is the go-to choice for aerial photographers like Da Drone Boyz:

“We own the DJI Phantom 2 and have it paired with the GoPro Hero 4 Black,” says Kellen. “The only other camera option available for use on the DJI Phantom 2 would be the 'Vision+' model that has a built-in camera. I've never used it personally but heard it's pretty good.”

The aforementioned DJI Phantom 2 (along with many other drones on the market) is designed specifically to house a GoPro. Some drones come with built-in cameras.

We recommend: Zenmuse GoPro Gimbal

Buy it now: $350

The word "gimbal" most likely doesn't get much use in your day-to-day vocabulary. However, in the world of aerial photography, it's something that you should certainly know and understand if you want to get successful snaps from up above.

A gimbal is essentially the mechanism that attaches to the underbelly of the drone and can pivot between various angles to provide a greater range of visibility. It's what houses the camera—in this case, the GoPro Hero 4. Every quality drone needs an equally great gimbal. For the DJI Phantom 2, the Zenmuse GoPro Gimbal is the one that comes highly suggested—not just by our homies Da Drone Boyz, but also by DJI (the manufacturer of the Phantom drone). The Zenmuse is fairly easy to control and provides a stable platform that allows you take clear, crisp shots.

We recommend: FlySight FPV Kit

Buy it now: $399

The last piece of the drone puzzle is the FPV system, which is made up of components that allow you to get real-time flight information. There is no one perfect FPV setup that’s better than the next. In fact, there are ample options that allow you to customize your system as you’d like. With so many options at your disposal, it can get a bit overwhelming to pick and choose what you want and need. Even Da Drone Boyz, who use a custom-built FPV system—had a learning curve when first starting off.

Says Kellen: “We knew nothing about FPV prior to owning a drone so I watched a bunch of YouTube videos and figured out how to modify and build out a good system with RC FPV components.”

Of course, if you’re eager to get your drone up in the air you should opt for a FPV kit like the FlySight system, which consists of all the components that you’ll need, including a Black Pearl monitor, DJI AVL58 TX video transmitter, iOSD mini module, and FPV Hub and Cable. This may all sound like a mouthful, but the entire system has plug-and-play capabilities, making it very easy to install.

We recommend: Go Professional DJI Phantom Case

Buy it now: $198

The same reason why you have a case on your smartphone is why you need a protective case for your drone. OK, so maybe it’s not really the same thing, but the point is that, like your phone, your drone is an investment—one that you want to keep around for as long as possible.

Much like the drones that they’re meant to house, cases come in all shapes and sizes. For the DJI Phantom 2, this case from Go Professional is weatherproof, durable, and has more than enough room for your drone and all of its components. An alternate option is the SmatreeSmacase (try saying that quickly five times in a row). It’s not quite as spacious as the Go Professional case, but still gets the job done and is at a slightly lower price point.

Now that you've got the gear that you need to elevate your photography skills, here are some parting words of wisdom from Da Drone Boyz:

“Get super comfortable with controlling the drone is the most important thing. Practice—a lot. If you don't, it's going to show in the photos/videos. Once you're totally comfortable using it and controlling it, you can start to do better moves with the drone or operate in different conditions to get better shots or more unique points of view.”

On that note, don't forget to follow Da Boyz on all their aerial adventures on Instagram.