Drone Snaps

We all know how important it is to source good music for your aerial footage. Some people would say that it is even more important than the footage itself. A common complaint I hear from people who post their aerial footage online is that their videos are taken down because they are using music that has copyright protection. So I will compile list of sources where you can choose from creative commons tracks and use them freely with your footage.  Always make sure that you credit the musicians in your video as it takes time and effort on their behalf to make the tracks. You will find that they are often very happy to hear their creation being melded with another type of media. 1) Firstly we have the free music archive . This is a comprehensive library of CC tracks. They are organized by genre and the site has new submissions regularly.   http://freemusicarchive.org/curator/Creative_Commons/ 2) Next us is Jewelbeat. Although this is not as well organized, you will still find use

If you would like us to tweet out your social media account, feel free to do so in the comments and I will repost it (as long as its drone related) Tweets by drone_snaps

Kicking off this weeks submissions, we have a glorious eye-in-the-sky perspective of Cornwall. This was captured by Andrzej Romaniszyn during his recent trip to England. The footage was captured with the DJI Phantom 3 Standard and a Canon G7X.

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I have recently become involved with an inovative design company called Autoplus . They are an a Hong Kong based company that has recently started an INDIEGOGO campaign to launch their MCZ Carbon Fiber Props for the Mavic Pro. For those people who are interested in backing it, we have a number of perks. Backers will receive high quality Carbon Fiber Mavic props  that are engineered to perfection and go through a rigorous post production balancing process. Who are we? Our team is a group of versatile specialists. Our product designers have experience working with well known, famous brands of watch and electronic products, such as: NIKE, REEBOK, NB, BENELLI......etc. We have product management experience on the WILLIAMS FORMULA 1 PIT BIKE project. Of course, we also have a structural & mechanical engineer, production manager, graphic designer, photographer, artist, professional drone player & an online marketer. What technology is inside our MCZ ?

First feature on Drone Snaps comes from Scott Haennelt shot on a P4. The video is of Morro Bay in sunny California. Beautiful location with excellent editing. I hope to make this a regular feature so feel free to submit your own videos. You can submit in a comment or email me at dronesnapsjakarta@gmail.com  Second featured video of the week is from  @drondruilio  (Click for his instagram) He has captured the beauty of Icelands mystical landscape with this wonderful video. You can see more of his work on his instagram page.  This submission is a little bit different. Its a risky flight around and through some fireworks from the 4th of July. Submitted by Steve Drone Video. Enjoy the show!

 There seems to be a lot of debate online surrounding carbon fiber props vs plastic props. Some claim that plastic stock propellers are more reliable and provide more thrust. On the other side of the argument there are the carbon fiber fans. They claim that the carbon fiber props are quieter,stronger and give you extra battery life. So lets have a closer look at the pros and cons.                                                                       A quick look at how they are produced below: Pros of Carbon Fiber: they produce less vibration due to their stiffness. a decrease in the jello effect on the camera they are lighter and stronger than the plastic props (but not indestructible) a major factor for me is that they come balanced out if the box unlike many of the misshaped plastic props that DJI and other companies produce.  They work well under high RPM which means a better performance when you are pushing the motors.  Lighter weight = Less inertia = faster motor sp

     Construction has been under way at the multi-purpose GBK stadium for quite some time now. As you can see from the photo below, a lot of renovations have been taking place. This was a perfect time to fly around and have a closer look. This location is not normally ideal for shooting but during national holidays the visibility is higher and there is nobody around...it's perfect.        Depending on the type of drone that you have, you may get some interference from the metallic structure so be smart about flying low and close to it. Depending on the time of day you may need to adjust the camera settings manually as there is a huge amount of glare that comes off the rooftop.      They have been testing the new colourful lights that light up the outside of the stadium at night. Although I haven't filmed this, it could be an ideal time to catch the light show. Especially when the stadium is empty. The complex also boasts an outdoor Olympic sized swimming pool. This could a

Istiqlal Mosque, Jakarta Finding clear and concise information regarding drone laws in Indonesia seems to be quite a challenge.(especially in English) I was curious about this as drones are featuring in the media quite frequently here . Below I have compiled a list of rules and regulations that should make things a lot clearer. I would like to state that I have never heard of these rules being enforced except in restricted areas and over large crowds. Maximum flight altitude:  In Indonesia applies a maximum flying height of 150 meters (500 feet). If you want to fly higher, you have to apply for permission at least 14 working days before the flight date. Maximum horizontal distance: None.  (line of sight, as a general rule of thumb)  Insurance:  Not required. Maximum take-off weight (MTOW):  For drones heavier then 55lbs and for commercial  use such as surveying land  you must apply for a permit .  Distance to airports:  Flights are only permitted in uncontrolled airspace

Pantai Mutiara is an excellent location for shooting with your drone. Its safe and sparsely populated in the mornings. You have plenty of material to capture. Its peaceful and tranquil to fly there but watch out for low flying aircrafts. Local fisherman paint their boats in a wonderful array of colours. They love customizing their boats in all sorts of imaginative and innovative ways. Some of the boats have a steam punk-esque vibe to them.  Here a fisherman catches a glimpse of the drone. His co-pilot finds it to be somewhat amusing.   Some local Gojek drivers take a break from the road to fish for a few hours. The peer stretches over a kilometer out to sea.  What I believe to be an ad hoc radio tower. Something you would expect to find in a Mad Max movie.....or Jakarta.