DJI Phantom QuadcopterI’m a nerd.  I absolutely love technology and all the new innovations that have been coming along recently.    One in particular I have been paying attention to, and wanted to try out, is the use of Drones in Photography.  Photography is all about finding a different look, a new perspective.  And what could be better than getting a birds eye view of something to change your perspective.

But there can be problems.  As with many cool things, it only takes a few idiots to ruin it for the rest of us.  I was just reading a story about a drone buzzing wildlife on a wildlife refuge.  Who thinks of these things?  http://bit.ly/1fWSUaZ
And what new toys come without accidents.  Late last year was the story about a wedding photographer crashing a drone into the wedding party while taking aerial shots at a wedding.  Ooops.  http://bit.ly/1g9MXC5
So… as with any camera gear, most good photographers will find a way to make money with it to pay for it.  Again, oops.  The FAA has rules about commercial planes that appear to apply to drones.  Want to take those aerial wedding photos?  How about real estate photos?  That aerial view is now achievable without renting a plane or helicopter, making it very economical.  But you better check into the regulations before you go strapping a GoPro to a quad copter and sending it up to start snapping.
Hopefully, regulations will catch up to the technology, and people can make better use of these devices.  And, with luck, the idiots that are harassing wildlife will get run over by stampeding buffalo or something.  Karma! Now if I can just find a non-commercial way to pay for one of these….