Category: Aerial Photography Services Dubai Blog

Property advertising has significantly changed in the digital age – forever. Today, it has never been easier for house hunters to gather significant information about properties they’re interested in. A simple online search of local or national estate agents and you’ll find a wealth of homes listed for sale in your price range.

The online era does give house hunters a greater choice than ever before when searching for a new home, some property marketing strategies have been somewhat slower to evolve. We are, of course, talking about the way properties are marketed locally and nationally to prospective buyers.

A quick online search and you’ll find that static text descriptions of homes, full of clichés and euphemisms and amplified statements dominate online property marketing. So abundant are they that potential buyers have grown wise – and, as such, their ability to be effectual is significantly diminished.

So, how can you give your listings the edge? What can you do to imprint property listings on buyers? Use drone companies in Dubai to take immersive videos and photographs of listings you have for sale.

Sky Vision offer top aerial drone photography services like in this video:

The Advantages of Capturing Rea Estate Images Using Drone Photography

Potential buyers want to see themselves in a property prior to purchase. Creating an immersive video or series images will do just that. Drone photography and videography for that matter will give your listing that competitive edge, something that is essential for high-end listings, or even for affordable prices in areas with steep competition.

Dynamic images, or those that create an ambiance of luxury, will ‘sell’ the property to potential buyers and convince them that they must schedule a viewing. Think of it this way: our eyes have almost become conditioned to looking at property listings in a certain way. Give house hunters a new and better listing and you’ll surely grab their attention!

Not only that, a sweeping swooping drone’s eye view of a property will enhance a sense of space and highlighting the unique selling points of the property effortlessly – something that is especially important for properties that have an expansive garden, exterior annexes or outbuildings.

Perhaps most importantly, immersive property aerial drone photography in Dubai will capture a 360-degree view of the property and focus on specific elements of the property which is certain to appeal to buyers, allowing you to capture property features that traditional photography may miss.

Private Property Sales and Drone Footage

You may have noticed a growing trend of homeowners using alternative means of selling their homes. From marketing on social media to raffling their house in an auction, homeowners are increasingly using non-traditional methods when they sell their home.

Why? Costly estate agent fees can be avoided, and homeowners can have complete ownership of the project. But, without significant experience, how do you market your home in a tantalizing way, sure to appeal to buyers? Search drone companies in Dubai and find one that can take breath-taking footage of your home.

High-quality drone footage can be filmed easily, quickly and is much cheaper than hiring a helicopter to take aerial footage or images of your home. You can even upload the content to social media channels and appeal to a wide range of buyers from across the globe.

All too often, private property sales marketing lacks the polish of estate agent marketing. Use a reputable drone company in Dubai and this certainly will not be the case. Drone photography adds an air of professionalism, authenticity, and sophistication to your property listings. This will appeal to buyers.

How to Get the Right Footage

To maximize the sale potential of your property, you’ll need to make the extra effort to get the marketing just right. Professionally produced real estate drone video using the latest unmanned aerial rigs is essential. This is exactly what you’ll get when you employ the services of an astute drone photography company in Dubai.

Rigs equipped with a rig and cameras that can be remotely controlled and rotate around a gimbal give photographers and videographers a wealth of choice when composing aerial photography of properties. Despite being able to compose interesting shots, static cameras mounted on a drone do not afford the same degree of flexibility as remotely controlled rigs.

Passing shots and videos of a property can be completed with ease. You can take shots of the approach of a property and then rotate the camera to capture the property as the drone fly’s past. This mirrors how we would look at a property and creates an immediate association in the minds of buyers – which is more like to help them remember property specifics and leave them with a clearer impression of whether the property is right for their needs.

This is just one example. The truth is that drone companies in Dubai can create a wealth of engaging and immersive shots and footage that will thoroughly convince buyers of the individual merits of any property they are interested in. The more that buyers begin to see themselves in the property, and the easier you make it for them to achieve this, the better chance there is of the house being snapped up.

The potential for drone companies in Dubai to completely revolutionize property marketing is clear. It’s easily understood when you consider this one simple fact: drone photography and videography is simply better, cheaper and affords more options than the alternatives.

As was highlighted in late summer last year by a top official in the municipality of Dubai, drones are the latest tool to make sure environmental safety. A clear sign that drone services in Dubai are evolving – and becoming integral to a wide breadth of sectors, this acknowledgment reflects how far the technology has come in the last decade – and its potential to drastically improve commercial operation in the years to come.

Originally employed in military application, the prevalence of drones in Dubai’s skies has soared in the last few years. Today commercial operations and keen civilian hobbyists fly drones, using their remote capabilities to gather data and swiftly and efficiently deploy goods in hard to reach areas.
The environmental has used drones to great effect – and will continue to do so in the coming years. Let’s look at how drones have revolutionized the environmental sector.

Effective Deployment of Drone Photography

So, how are drones used in the environmental sector? Well, they have proven vastly effective in monitoring and controlling pollution emanating from industrial sites and other projects. The data they have gathered is used to enhance environmental protection opportunities. This has been clearly stated by the director of the environmental department, Alia Al Harmoudi.

Clearly advocating for drone companies in and around Dubai to continue to play a prominent role the environmental services sector, Alia Al Harmoudi stated the advanced specifications and capabilities of Dubai drones save time and other resources when looking to obtain accurate information.

With flight capabilities improving all the time, and the ability to equip drones with professional HD cameras capable of providing panoramic day and night-time video and images, drone companies in Dubai provide a vital service to a wealth of clients in the environmental services sector.

Drone Photography Inspection Teams

Effective monitoring of industrial sites is essential to safe and secure operations – and public confidence in the activities performed by a business. Inspection is paramount to ensuring that potential issues are identified and resolved. However, on occasion, inspection teams face a challenge readily identifying potential hazards, for example.

Using drone services in Dubai to remotely view specific areas of an industrial site has grown exponentially over the last few years. The environmental sector in Dubai has borne witness to steady growth over the last few years, however, monitoring of sites using drones equipped with HD cameras has seen an even greater rise in popularity. There is a reduced need to use inspection teams to monitor very specific areas – drones can complete this. The impact this has had is easily quantifiable – and keeps workers safer.

An Expansion of Aerial Services

The success of using drones in Dubai within the environmental sector has led to an expansion of the services provided. Developmental projects, central cooling stations, and fuel supply stations are now remotely monitored, with fully trained and learned professionals using drones to gather data.

Areas of focus have shifted, thanks largely to the capabilities of drones. Air control and compliance and meeting the highest standards of environmental safety, adhering to strict regulations, is now easily achievable. This includes the safety and storage of hazardous materials.

One Specific Environmental Area Explored

Cement manufacturing facilities have committed to installing air pollution monitoring stations. These are then linked to Dubai’s air quality database. This increases procedural reaction in the event of a facility violating environmental legislation by exceeding permissible environmental limits – with findings recorded through drone services in Dubai.

Those industrial plants that generate large quantities of air pollutants and pungent odors, resulting from operational processes, have committed to installing pollution and odor control units to demonstrate that they operate within permitted environmental parameters.

Safety Operations

Another area within the environmental sector that benefits greatly from deploying drones is safety operations. Drone companies in Dubai have co-ordinated operations with leading security companies to deliver efficient monitoring of environmental sites.

This is a process that will undoubtedly grow in the coming years – primarily due to its continued effectiveness. Leading proponents of the technology believe that security companies in the emirate should aim to adopt a unified mechanism for the import and storage of hazardous materials. It is hoped that this will enhance environmental safety operations, minimizing any risks.

All warehouses that contain dangerous goods will be listed on a database. This is part of a strict control plan to make sure that goods are efficiently stored. Not only that, it will then be easy for inspectors to examine and conclude that all environmental parameters are met, thereby enabling businesses to confidently achieve permits – and operate within environmental parameters.

With such widespread use of drones within the environmental sector already, it seems only logical that when examining the contents of such warehouses, drones will be deployed to make sure that all storage complies with recognized legislation.

Drone services like Sky Vision in Dubai have already revolutionized the environmental sector. With such broad capabilities – and the ambition to create safer, more efficient work processes, it seems only logical to assume that the prevalence of drones in the environmental sector will only grow in the years to come.

The undeniable aerial feats of photography that drones capture have completely revolutionized the way that we view the world. Immersing us in a world unlike anything we’ve ever seen before, images of sun-drenched sand dunes or urban metropolises from high above can be achieved through skilled piloting and an eye for composition and detail.

However, you might be surprised to learn that the history of aerial photography Dubai – and across the globe – broadly dovetails the last century of human history more broadly than you may think.

The First Recorded Aerial Photographs

Not too long after commercial photography was first invented, aspirational amateurs began launching cameras into the sky using balloons, kites, and even rockets.

The first successfully recorded aerial photograph was taken by Gaspar Felix Tournachon in 1858 from a hot air balloon which was tethered 262 feet over Petit-Clamart, just outside of Paris. In 1860 James Wallace Black used the same process to take capture Boston 2,000 feet in the air. This is the oldest surviving aerial photograph.

Great Photographic Strides Forward

Fast forward into the 20th Century and George Lawrence perfected a method of taking aerial panoramic photographs by affixing large-format cameras with curved plates to kites. The 1906 earthquake in San Francisco provided the setting for his most famous photograph.

Using 17 kites to suspend a camera 2,000 feet in the air, George Lawrence used electric current for exposure which was carried through the insulated core of the steel cable. The moment the shutter snapped, a small parachute was released. At this signal the picture was taken, the kites pulled down and the camera reloaded. This process was to pave the way for the future – and eventually to cutting-edge services, such as drone shooting services in Dubai.

The Wright Brothers Present an Opportunity

Just a few short years after the Wright Brothers’ first flight in 1903 at Kitty Hawk, piloted and powered aircraft was first employed for aerial photographic purposes.

The first such image was captured by cinematographer L.P. Bonvillain in 1908. The image was captured from an airplane over Le Mans, France – and the aircraft was piloted by none other than Wilbur Wright.

WW1 and WW2

Shortly after this WWI commenced. Military commanders used the advent of this emerging technology to capture cutting-edge (for 1914) aerial imagery of battlefields. Cameras were mounted on aircraft, and the wartime practice of aerial reconnaissance. This allowed nations to discover enemy movements and strategize for the future – and is a practice that is still employed to this day, alongside hobbyist and commercial drone shooting services in Dubai – or more aptly – across the globe.

During WW2 wartime aerial and video become commonplace in newspapers, magazine and movie theatre newsreels. Famed LIFE photographer Margaret Bourke-White became the first woman to fly with a US combat crew over enemy soil when she photographed the U.S. attacks on Tunis. Her images were printed in LIFE’s March 1st, 1943 issue.

This conflict also served as the first time that the U.S. would experiment with rudimentary drone aircraft, like the TDR-1. Its purpose? To be an imaging platform.

Into The 1980’s and 1990’s

The drones that we’re all familiar with – and that provide such breath-taking aerial photography Dubai – and throughout the world – began to first appear in the 1980s. Although nowhere near as technologically advanced as even the most basic of drones are today, their arrival heralded a clear signal of what was to come and the dawning of drone technology.

Israeli engineers were the first to develop what we think of as modern drones. They were equipped with a video camera and deployed to monitor persons of interest. The U.S. soon adopted the technology and a remote-controlled drone famously filmed Iraqi soldiers surrendering during the first Gulf War.

Invented by Israeli aerospace engineer, Abraham Karem, The Predator drone soared in popularity during the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Its ability to loiter over areas for extended periods of time meant the technology was highly effective in monitoring the daily routine of potential targets, taking pictures and images that provided vital intel to the armed forces.

Throughout this period the U.S. also deployed smaller, hand-controlled drones, such as the RQ-Raven to assist soldiers in battle. Their purpose was to scout ahead and examine areas for potential threats prior to armed forces entering the area, recording data before transferring findings to a U.S. base of intelligence.

The Dawning of the Modern Drone Photography Age

Our modern drones and photography can be traced back as far as a few centuries, however, its true birth was in the early 2000s. It was at this time that the drone-builder culture really began to take flight. Online forums, such as DIY Drones helped hobbyists to build a community, share insights, opinions, and insights.

Drone technology evolved rapidly. From autopilot capabilities to collision detection systems were just two drone advancements – making piloting and aerial photography accessible to both commercial businesses and keen hobbyists.

Evolving beyond military application, today drones – and the images they can capture – are shaping the way we view the world. Comparatively cheap, compared to generations past, real estate brokers, construction businesses, and marketers drone photography see drone photography as a key part of their commercial activities. Hobbyists with an ambition to take to the skies similarly become excited at the prospect of flying their very own drones, sharing the experience with friends, and building a community.

It’s clear that aerial photography and drones have come a long way in a short space of time. Anyone that knows anything about the technology must surely be excited for what the future will hold!

The World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a pandemic after the virus spread to more than 100 countries on six continents. No illness in this generation has ever had such a catastrophic effect on the routine of our daily lives.

What’s more, in the spring of 2020, Harvard researchers released a report that social distancing may be set to continue until 2022 in some countries. The UAE took the pandemic very seriously, with social distancing set at two metres – double the standard recommended by the WHO. And with a mortality rate that’s many times lower than the UK and Spain, it’s clear that such preventative measures worked.

But what does social distancing, and the pandemic in general, mean for businesses? Well, many businesses have had to adopt new procedures and strategies to continue operating during COVID-19. Almost every sector has been hit. This includes film production.

Why Film Production Has Been Affected By COVID-19

You don’t have to be a scientific genius to see that film production is one sector that will struggle during the outbreak of a pandemic. Different people get together and work in close proximity to create sales marketing or a piece of art that captures the interest of the public.

One film or TV set will have actors, a director, an assistant director, production manager, camera person, art director, gaffer, screenwriter… the list goes on – and the bigger the production, the more people they’ll likely be on set.

With such a wide pool of people, is it any surprise that film and TV productions have been halted or shelved indefinitely? After all, you’re not going to find the most experienced, learned, or talented people living in the same house, are you?

But what about marketing videos? Well, as with film production, marketing videos tend to require the expertise of a wealth of different people. Sure, drone filming companies in Dubai can capture sublime video, but then you need story boarders, studio access, editors, maybe animators… again, the list goes on.
But wait. Hang on a second. Using drones to capture film doesn’t require a crew, chartering a small aircraft or helicopter or an astronomical financial outlay. It requires a drone operator and video editors who can work remotely. Does that mean that I can use a drone filming company in UAE to film essential video – yes. Provided they are offering their service in lockdown!

How Drones Are Being Used in Quarantine

You could argue that there’s never been a better time for drones to emerge from the clouds and make all our lives easier. Need a delivery? Many companies are working with skeleton staff. Cue the ability for drones to deliver packages to people across the UAE – or the world.

According to reports in the New York Times, New Yorkers have been introduced to the ‘Anti-COVID Volunteer Drone Task Force.’ Their purpose? To scan the streets below and encourage people to maintain their social distance whilst promoting positive messages of ‘please help stop the spread of this virus’ and ‘reduce the death toll and help save lives.’

In China, drones have been used to reinforce restrictions – albeit in a fun way. Hovering above, drones have been known to say, ‘this drone is speaking to you, sir’ and ‘you shouldn’t walk about without wearing a mask.’ Not a bad way to enforce restrictions, but better still, China has been using drones to scan for fevers of people below!

Then there’s Rwanda where drones are being used to deliver medical supplies to hospitals. At a time when any shortage of medical supplies could be catastrophic, drones have come to the rescue of people suffering myriad of illnesses.

But what about film production? Well, the world may just be steadily picking up momentum after being ground to a halt for the last three months, but drone filming has remained a fixture even during COVID-19. Why? Well, let’s look at why drone film production is booming.

Drone Film Production in Dubai

Arguably, the key to understanding the benefit of drone filming during a pandemic can be encapsulated by a single word: remote. Anyone can film picturesque land or cityscapes in HD 4K with their drone – at up to 10 miles away, far from the epicentre of the outbreak and, more importantly, without a camera crew.

The best drones are, it would seem, custom-built for film production during a pandemic. All operators need to do is to set a flight path to get to and survey a location and fly their drone there. Droning in Dubai in 2021 is as popular as ever and the trend is probably only going to continue upwards.

There’s no need for hiring an expensive helicopter or small aircraft and camera crew just to capture the exquisite sand dunes of Dubai’s deserts or marvel at the neon marvel of cityscapes. Just commission one of the drone filming companies in Dubai, like Sky Vision, and you can be assured of awe-inspiring results.

Then there’s cost. With the global economy falling by 20% during the pandemic, many businesses would be forgiven for tightening their belts. But what if you need videos that don’t just pique attention but demand it? Are you going to hire a helicopter for the film production? Unlikely. Highly unlikely.

Hiring a small aircraft is expensive. Awfully expensive, even in times of economic boom or when a business has notable retained profit and therefore a healthy budget to film a corporate video. Hiring a drone filming company in UAE will save you money – and help you to create stellar marketing material.

The same goes for film and TV production. Those inspiring overhead shots of a landscape; one’s where viewer can immerse themselves in the story can be achieved with a drone. In fact, you may be surprised to learn that of all the Hollywood movies you watch with such shots, most, if not all, are achieved with drones and all films and TV shows have a budget, right?

Lastly, one of most impactful and therefore sought-after ways of filming is the 360-degree panoramic shot, especially in movies, TV, and adverts. Why? It’s how you show the audience scope.

In times passed getting this type of shot was difficult for drones and required cameras with expensive rotating rigs. Not any longer. Most good drones today are equipped with a gimbal that allows users to take 360-degree, panoramic shots, and videos with ease. This vastly improves production value of any movie, TV show or even video advertisement, adding much needed perspective and context. Best of all, these shots can be captured by anyone with a good working knowledge of drone videography, adding something that cannot be underestimated to all videos – value.

In the end, who knows how long restrictions will last? It could be another month or two, or it could be 18 months – 2 years as the WHO has said. What we do know is that humans are adaptable. We can create technology to solve problems. Drone videography is an example of this… as are all the other ways that drones have been used during quarantine to help people.

Let’s kickstart the global economy and not let the virus hold back our ambitions. Regardless of the nature of why you may need to hire a drone filming company in Dubai, don’t delay! Let’s resume film and TV production. Let’s create inspiring commercial videos. Let’s get back to normal.

There’s a big difference between a commercial drone operator like Sky Vision and someone with a DJI Mavic Mini who’s just tooling around in the garden. It’s like watching a match between Roger Federer and a member of your local tennis club. There’s a Grand Canyon sized gulf in expertise.

Today, there are more drone pilots operating across the UAE than ever before. What was once seen as a hobby has now become a viable career path, and it’s not hard to see why. Demand is increasing all the time, and with entry level salaries starting at 125,000 Dirhams per year and senior pilots able to take home 220,000 Dirhams plus a bonus every year, it’s not hard to see why.

Are you a drone pilot with twenty hours of flying experience under your belt and want to see your career take off? If so, keep reading to learn our essential advice. First up is the most important factor.

Professional Drone Operators in Dubai Get their Drone’s Serviced

You need to make sure that your drone is always in tip-top condition; you need to service it regularly. Think about it this way, what if you have a hardware problem and you don’t even know it? You could lose control of the drone mid-flight and crash to the ground!

There are some amazing buildings in Dubai and the rest of the UAE. There have been multiple occasions when unprofessional drone operators have crashed into even the most famous of buildings. There is no quicker way to lose your licence than to have a mechanical failure cause an incident.

There’s a plethora of ways that you can get your drone serviced, but the best way to do it is to take it to a professional drone servicing company, equipped to perform comprehensive servicing. This ensures that you get the right certification.

Why would you choose a dubious drone servicing company? You could end up coming back in a week or month with the same problem? Don’t cut corners when it comes to drone safety in Dubai.

How to Be Professional Drone Operators in the UAE

Buy a Spare Drone

Now, here us out. You’ve got one drone, why would you buy another? Well, if you can it’s important for professional drone pilots to have a back-up in the same way that it’s important for remote workers to have a spare laptop.

What would happen if you had a booking, let’s say your dream job, and you arrive only to find that your ever reliable DJI just isn’t working? Well, for starters, you can kiss goodbye to being paid. Also, if you’re forced to cancel a job on short notice it doesn’t look good. Would anyone hire a drone pilot in UAE and Dubai with a reputation for cancelling jobs?

The DJI Mavic 2 Zoom or Parrot Anafi are often considered good back-up drones if you don’t want to break the bank. If money’s no object, you could have a DJI Inspire 2 or, if you really want to splash out, you could choose to buy two of the DJI Matrice 210 drones.

Learn Video Editing Software

Now here us out, you don’t need to turn yourself into a video editing whizz overnight, but if you’re one of those drone operators in UAE that wants to create stellar videos for clients, understanding how to use video editing software is a must.

You can always present clients with raw footage, but wouldn’t it be much better to shoot and edit a video yourself and then present it to your client?

Thankfully, there’s a handful of software programs that are intuitive and easy to master with a little practice. If you’re stuck, you can always visit skillshare.com where you’ll find classes that teach your everything you need to know about video editing.

Better still, there are drone apps, like DJI GO that have basic editing software that you can use on the go. Want a tip from us? Don’t just shoot aerial footage, capture ground images too! This will give all your videos an interesting dynamic.

Carry Spare Parts

All drone pilots have accidents, whether you’ve less than ten hours flying experience under your belt or have spent hundreds of hours flying your drone in the sky. Accidents can cause damage to the propeller, gimbal, camera or just about any part of your drone, so it makes sense to carry spare parts, right?

Remember too, you won’t be able to soar in the skies for more than five or ten minutes without sufficiently charged and spare batteries. Even top of the range drones have limited flight times and entry level drone batteries only last between 20-30 minutes. What if you’re intending to fly in the sky for hours at a time? Well, you need to bring spare batteries for your planned flight time.

Also, don’t forget to carry any tools that you may need to do any repairs. On any given flight, you could have a collision and you don’t want to cancel the flight and go home just because you don’t have the tools needed to make a few adjustments and get back in the sky!

Practice, Practice, Practice

Now, if you’re thinking of flying a drone professionally, the odds are that you’re quite good compared to most drone operators in Dubai. But there’s a difference between being proficient and being an expert. And, if you want to get the good flying gigs, you must be an expert.

Like anything else, the only way to become an expert drone pilot is to practice, practice, practice. This means getting out there any flying as often as possible. Challenge yourself, always seek to hone your techniques, be bold.

If you’re intent on becoming the best drone pilot that you can be, you can use a drone simulator like DJI GO to hone your skills in intelligent flight mode. Remember, even Tiger Woods, arguably, the best golfer who’s ever lived, has worked with a coach throughout his entire career to be the best that he can be!

Advice to Follow to Become Great Drone Operators in UAE

The bottom line is that there are a handful things that not just novice drone operators can do to elevate their expertise. If you take the attitude that you’re always looking to hone your craft, you’ll have the right attitude, and will hopefully evolve into one of the best drone pilots around.

Interesting in learning more about why Sky Vision is the go-to drone business in Dubai and across the UAE? Contact us today!