Aerial Wedding Photography and Film

Drones have proven to be an enormously popular tool for capturing every aspect of wedding day memories. 

For most of today’s working professionals, there’s no better drone than a DJI Mavic 3 Series family member. Whether it be the Mavic 3 Cine, Mavic 3, or the Mavic 3 Classic - they all offer a long list of desirable features, including a 4/3 Hasselblad camera for the highest picture quality. 

Whether you're shooting a wedding, or any other event, the above drones have more than proven their capabilities. However, as we’re entering the wedding season (conveniently, the ideal season for drone flying), we thought we’d fly through a few key tips.

Telling The Story

Always listen to your client's likes and dislikes. Every commercial operator has their style when it comes to shooting aerial footage and editing, but it is important to remember you’re not filming a promo, but someone's lifelong memories. 

Your job is to tell the story of a couple’s day so every shot that you create should in some way enhance that story.

Planning

Taking on the role of wedding photographer and/or filmmaker comes with enough pressures as it is, so we’d recommend putting in as much planning as possible. 

Google Earth and Google Maps can help to gauge a better understanding of the landscape where you’ll be shooting, helping your took-kit preparations and time management on the day.

Overshooting

Overshooting is a common error with many operators, especially when you’re trying to deliver the best service for a client. 

We would recommend thinking about how many shots you need beforehand, as this will take more pressure off you in terms of time restraints, and you won’t have to sift through unwanted content. 

Practice Makes Perfect 

Regardless of how much experience you have as an operator, a couple's wedding day is the most special day of their lives, so it’s the wrong time to start experimenting with your shots. 

It's important to plan and perfect your shots as much as possible before the event - if you are planning on doing any shots with the couple, you’ll have a matter of minutes to pull off those shots.

Fly With Editing in Mind

Depending on your style of wedding filmmaking, you’re not going to have a place for 20-second drone shots, so unless you have an editing technique in mind, you’re going to want to keep those shots short and punchy so you can use them.

THE WEDDING DRESS

Dresses are (almost) always VERY white, which means you need to be aware of your exposure level at all times when capturing the bride in the frame. There is nothing worse than getting your footage back into the editing suite and dealing with those overexposed highlights on a white dress on a sunny day.

Fly Safe

Given the importance of a wedding to the people concerned, it is the last place you want to have an incident with your drone. If you’re doing a couple’s shoot, for example, do not take any risks - you do not need to take your drone within two feet of the couple at any point. 

Double-checking your insurance and licensing is also vital when preparing for any job. 

Make Sure You’re Using An Appropriate Drone 

Given the high-pressure nature of wedding filmmaking, the incredible battery life of the Mavic 3 is a huge asset. Not to mention the power the drone has to deal with tasking weather conditions. The model also provides peace of mind with omnidirectional obstacle avoidance and incredible picture quality from the 4/3 Hasselblad camera.