New travel companion
A drone no longer weighs down your luggage and guarantees fantastic photos and videos
By Luiz Maciel
You go with your family to Chapada Diamantina, for example, and you want to photograph the Cachoeira da Fumaça from above, but without having to do the tough hike – of about three hours! – which leads to the top of the hill from where the water cascades down. Or you travel to Jericoacoara and want to enjoy the beach and the dunes without carrying a camera the whole time and having to ask the family to pose. Up to a few years ago this was a dilemma – either you were happy to enjoy your vacation without worrying about the poor quality of your photos, or you spent hours and hours looking for the best angles to record the beautiful landscapes of the trip, despite your children protesting about the long treks.
Video of Cachoeira da Fumaça by @pedroserra, photographer and cinegraphist with Mavic Pro
Have you ever thought about taking a drone on trips like this, where the biggest attraction is nature? This little device that was originally used to replace, with immense advantages, the cinematographic shots made by helicopter or immense cranes, has for several years ceased to be an exclusive resource for professional photographers. Today, it is increasingly popular and can be operated by anyone with a smartphone. It’s the gadget of the moment.
“There are already drones that are smaller than a professional camera, which weigh around 200 grams and are 15 centimeters long. They can fit in the corner of a suitcase and cost from R$ 2,500, which is much less than a top brand cell phone,” observes TV director Gabriel Hein, who responsible for the program by chef Claude Troisgros on the GNT channel.
Gabriel has been using drones for professional reasons for several years “because they help with the choice of locations and shots.” Today, he carries one with him wherever he goes.
You just need to be aware of any restrictions about use, warns Gabriel.
“The first rule is never to operate the device close to an airport or a military base. The second is always to tell the customs officials that you are carrying a drone in your carry-on bag and be polite if they ask for details. Show the invoice, the Anatel certificate and the registration with Anac, all of which are obligatory. And explain that you didn’t put the drone in with your other checked luggage because it would run the serious risk of being damaged.”
Gabriel uses a larger model, which costs around R$ 15,000, weighs 1.2 kilos and takes 15 minutes to assemble. He always travels with three batteries, each one capable of recording for 20 minutes. To avoid mishaps, he advises not to fly the drone to altitudes higher than 500 meters from the ground and not to take images of people less than 30 meters away without their permission. Using the drone to spy on homes is also prohibited, as well as being in somewhat poor taste.
He says that the only time he was approached to explain the images he was taking was in a national park in the United States. “The ranger wanted to know what I was recording and I showed him. No major problems,” he says.
When traveling as a family to places where the natural attractions extend as far as the eye can see and, therefore, have few visitors, the freedom to use a drone is complete. On his recent trip with his family to Lençóis Maranhenses, for example, the plastic surgeon Alexandre Fonseca took more than just beautiful images – it would be more accurate to say that he recorded a short film with careful editing to give an idea of the immensity of this place, unique in the world by bringing together so many sand dunes interspersed with freshwater lagoons. Operated by a cell phone, the drone sometimes recorded wide open images and sometimes zoomed in to show the family diving into the Gavião lagoon – which is one of the largest in the Lençóis Maranhenses.
Like those produced on previous family trips, the video starring his wife Alexandre and their children Enzo, 14, Allegra, 12, and Massimo, 9, soon went viral on the social networks of friends of the family.
“In the past, people used to hold slideshows to show what the vacation was like. Nowadays, the drone does this so much better and easier,” comments Alexandre.
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How to choose your drone:
There are several brands and types of drones on the market and most of them are made in China. Among the simplest and cheapest models – recommended for beginners – are the E88 Pro by Tynctway, the DJI Tello, the Eachine E520S and the Intrude Candide.
