Відео

That’s fantastic to hear! Congrats on passing. It’s always a good idea to chat with the company you work for and make sure there’s no issue, then start finding your own clients. Should be no reason you can’t start your own thing. Nothing particularly new right now. I’m making a video going behind the scenes of a drone shoot that will come out in a week and a half

Feel free to email me if you want to chat more! Aerial.detroit@gmail.com

I appreciate the kind words my friend. I also started on a mini 2 to learn to fly. Whatever you have is great to learn. For commercial, you need a drone with remote ID, but that is pretty common now. One man’s disadvantage is another’s advantage. What I mean by that, is although you being young can be a disadvantage, you can also use that to your advantage. One of the ways I got my first client (who I now fly for monthly) was asking to do free work to “add to my portfolio.” I found I got a lot of responses because of my inexperience and willingness to learn. Some clients may really like that. Let me know if you have any questions. I wish you the best my friend

Hey Sam. It seems like you’re in a fantastic position to start your business. The Mini 2 SE is one of the more basic drones, but it should have all the capabilities you need to start your business. Starting young too, you are in such a good spot. I highly recommend checking out my other video on “5 mistakes I made while starting my drone business.” In this video, I go over some ways you can advance your drone skills before you take your Part 107. Definitely worth a watch!

I did get my Part 107. I studied for a few months beforehand. I have a video called “5 Mistakes I wish I Knew Before Starting a Drone Business” In this video, I talk about how you can get started with drone work before getting your part 107

PS-I subbed so I can follow your progress!!

Welcome my friend. I appreciate the kind words and sub! Free work has been my biggest help in getting clients, along with referrals. I actually have not requested a waiver to fly over people. Instead, at events with crowds, I make sure to fly around people and not directly over them. You can see more about that law here: www.faa.gov/uas/commercial_operators/operations_over_people A good, color correct monitor is always useful. That being said, editing is one of the first things I tried to outsource. I still edit most of my work, but am working towards not having to. Good luck on your journey my friend! Let’s grow together!

@@Max-Kuz I was recently asked to fly an event that will go over people, so I've filed for the waiver and am holding my breath that the FAA grants it, though I am working out a plan to fly over trees instead of people in the event the wavier is denied. I agree that editing is a drag!! What do you use for software? I was just using iMovie LoL, but now I am using Resolve by Blackmagic....wow, what a difference. Best of luck, here's do our done success!! 🎉🎉🎉

@@MyMaineDrone that’s awesome! Usually if you are early and seem prepared, they should grant you it. I did see a new law that lowers the restriction you may want to check out. I use the adobe suite right now. Resolve is a fantastic choice though! What do you use for photo editing?

@@Max-Kuz You are correct. You can now get a wavier slightly eaiser for a drone up to 399grams that does not fit into one of the "premade" categories, you still have to get the waiver!! For anyone reading this, don't assume you can fly your drone over people without a wavier...probably 95% of us need one...and 100% of us flying a DJI Mini will need one. You need to get prop guards and a strobe light AND keep the weight under 399 grams! The FAA will want to know EXACTLY how much your drone weighs with everything attached when you apply for the waiver!

Appreciate the kind words my friend. I am definitely just starting out, but I know that somehow, someway, this will help lead me to where I want to go

I have a video about the cost of starting, including my current monthly spend. Right now it’s around $50/month, but I am looking to increase that spend by starting ads and such in the next couple of weeks. I don’t have too many monthly expenses except website hosting and photo hosting. I’m sure you could do it cheaper too, but this is simple and worked out for me

@@Max-Kuz ah thanks for sharing. I think I've watched that one too, I meant more on the revenue side, curious what an average month of money in the door looks like. I really appreciate you making these transparent videos, from what i can tell a lot of folks who ware in the drone photography business are also selling courses, or sell equipment to subsidize the income also so its hard to tell if its something that you can really build on photography alone.

@@miodice3 100%. I personally would rather try and give out as much information for free as I can. I definitely preface things by saying that that this is my side hustle as I have a day job. I am about 9 months in. Right now I can pretty consistently make $250-500 a month, but that is with 3-4 different clients who I have relationships with. That’s why I am looking to expand out with ads and such. To be honest, I don’t exactly know if just drone work is enough to create an income, unless you really niche down and find a specific set of clients, such as thermal inspections. I recently decided to branch out into real estate photography in addition to drone work, so we will see how that goes.

@@Max-Kuz also whats your website? I just checked your vid description and profile and didn't see it on there. was curious to see if you're in an area that would be logical to do solar thermal inspections (i know that gear is $$$ but i hear this tossed around so much)

@@miodice3 www.aerialdetroit.com I am in SE Michigan right now. I have no idea what the solar game is like over here

Yessir. Coming up on a year soon at this point. Are you certified?

I just recently started, but I am happy to help anyone along their journey! That’s the goal with this UA-cam channel

I couldn’t agree more. The more professional your equipment appears, the more professional you appear. Obviously, you have a unique value proposition as a drone operator, but having nice looking equipment increases your decorum. I always try to look professional with what I wear too. Another thing that has helped me was getting a nice case to house my gear

That sounds awesome. What country do you live in, and if I were to, how would I get clients? Do you work for company that provides services, or are you freelance

@@Max-Kuz I used to work for a company, but then I quit and started freelancing in this industry. It's tough to get clients at first, but once you do, it's like printing money.

i live in india, so much competitor out here

@@rajanyt7343 India must be hard. I’ve also noticed, it’s hard to get clients, but once you have them, it’s easy to retain. Awesome to hear you started it on your own. How/where do you find clients? What types of clients do you look to meet / where do find the most profitable clients?

@@Max-Kuz why I don't see your x handle link ?

I’m sure there is a way to specifically calculate it, but once you get used to using them, you can get an understanding of which situation will take what filter. A standard 4-6 pack should be perfect. Then it’s just understanding that on a super bright, sunny day, you’ll use closer to an ND 64, whereas a cloudy, darker day, you may just rock an ND4 or no filter at all. It’s not perfect, but usually I look to rough the camera with the nd filter I choose before flying, so I can change it if I need. Let me know if you have any other questions

I appreciate it my friend. Glad I could help

I really appreciate that! I can confidently say, 6 months later, I am working towards being successful. Then I will be able to work on the very part. I really appreciate your confidence and support my friend

Oof. I would double check the capabilities compared to what you are using it for. If you’re just trying to fly around, that’s one thing, but if you are trying to get professional work, you may want to look to get something a little nicer

Hey brother bear, all I’m sayin is it’s not for everyone. If something in the video worries you, you probably shouldn’t start your drone business

My friend, that is awesome to hear. I’m glad I could help you out and answer some questions. If you have any more, feel free to leave them below. Wow, that’s a crazy story getting into drones. I’m sure you gained a lot of experience through working on it. It’s never too late to follow your dreams and do something fun. Good for you for thinking to take the leap

Jabaited

Lmao. Fr, in my opinion, I think even if the intro wasn’t truthful, it wasn’t a bad clickbait because I rounded it up together. But I also definitely used that tactic to get you to watch all the way;) sorry about that my friend

The question is, would you have watched the video if it wasn't clickbaity? No need to throw shade, he delivered the pertinent information while only asking a few minutes of your time, but if you knew it was BS why'd you watch the video?

@@djmatt1 appreciate the kind words my friend. I hope to provide value<3

Thank you so much my friend. That’s all I want for this channel, is to be sincere and show my development in this journey. I appreciate the kind words ❤️

Lmaoooo I haven’t looked into it too much, but in my opinion, it’s all just some hype. There is no way the US will ban DJI drones anytime soon. They’re used for police, natural disasters, among other things, not to mention, there are already hundreds of thousands of dji drones already here. But that’s just my take idk

So far the US is terrified to do anything that might make a cop sad, and DJI drones are used by police departments across the country. So I doubt it.

I couldn’t agree more. The cheap drone instantly lost control and could’ve easily hit somebody. Definitely not a good representation of drone flying. Before my mini 3 pro, I had a mini 2, which was great to start, but no remote ID. Nowadays, there are many affordable, quality drones. It’s not worth it to get a piece of junk

Haha let’s get right on that!😂

That's definitely what I was thinking XD. It's more general advice than just drone businesses for sure

Glad it was helpful. If you already have a photography business, I highly recommend adding drone work. Getting your license is pretty easy, then it's another product you can add to your arsenal. FPV has definitely caught my attention recently. Not sure if I'd rather do something like the Avata 2 or start from scratch. That's a whole hobby in itself though. What FPV drones have you been looking at? What kind of photography business do you have? I am going the opposite way. I started with a drone and am now looking to start more ground photography and videography work.

@@Max-Kuz I have been looking at the Avata 2 pretty heavily, I think it’s a great starting point. We started out doing mainly motocross photography but now we shoot weddings, senior photos, family shoots, etc. we have two Sony A7r III cameras with a 70-200mm, 18-105mm, 85mm, and 28mm lens. We’ve been really happy with the quality so far

@@Heckman_Productions that’s fantastic! Motorcross I am sure would be cool to have a drone for. I’ve shot weddings with some cool, unique results. The avata would be so cool

What kind of drone and what do you use the footage for? Is the camera 4k? I’d be very curious to see what it looks like. I’m sure the biggest difference is the software, but that isn’t a huge deal if everything looks good. Are you able to but attachments/new batteries, etc?

@@Max-Kuz LYZRC L200 Pro Max. 2560x1440 30fps. Poor man's DJI. I paid 112 Euro with 2 batteries (and funny obstacle avoidance thing for what it's worth)

@@Max-Kuz There a couple clones for around that price on Banggood. Maybe buy one yourself just for the fun of it. 'Professional' result with a sub $100 drone.

@@Max-Kuz The only reason I started with drones is to film myself during a bike tour once a year. Why would people spend $1000 for 2 minutes video they only watch themselves and a handful family members? We don't all work for National Geographic. Of course the new DJI Mini 4k is not expensive. Still, is it worth $200 more if that L200 thing does the job? Well to some degree. It won't fly 5km in a storm. If you have the cash sure get a DJI. But for someone like young folks going on a camping trip on a budget you may want to do a review? And you'll have a give-away to lift up your channel. BTW I'm glad you call the Mini 4 Pro a professional drone. Some idiot 'experts' here on YT believe it's great for beginners because their mother now got them a new DJI Air.

@@driewiel couldn’t agree more. A 2k 30fpa drone is more than enough for most hobbiest, and is even somewhat good enough to dip your toe into professional work. I’ll definitely look into that drone. For that cheap, that is very good bang for your buck. I have also heard that before. I think that’s a load of bologna. It’s 4k, 30fps. At the end of the day, if it’s decent quality and someone is willing to pay for it, i would consider it a professional drone. And at $1,000 bucks-ish, god I hope that’s not what a beginner has to spend to get into it

How dare you! That was a real, American dollar bill right there!😂

Hey, I’m glad you decided to jump into starting your own business! The dji mini 4 pro is a fantastic drone to have. I even have the mini 3 pro and am super satisfied with it. No rush in upgrading, although the avata 2 has my attention recently😍 I also use pixieset for client delivery. I’m not super satisfied with it, but it isn’t too bad. I’m definitely interested in hearing more on how you use square to charge. How do your clients pay if you’ve gotten there yet? I’ve found a lot of my clients still want to send checks to me. And how do you like Squarespace for website? I’m definitely interested to hear how the construction reach out goes. Please keep me updated on that

Great question. If you really want to fly over people, I believe you need a waiver. I’ve flown some larger events, but I make sure I am able to fly around people, and not directly over with. Here is what I base that off of: www.faa.gov/uas/commercial_operators/part_107_waivers

So I don’t think it’s required to fly events, but if you really want to fly over people, you definitely should get one.

Such help, much wow

Oh no brother. I haven’t looked at this video in a while and that’s UGGGGGLAYYYY I can’t believe you put up with that😂 appreciate you being here my friend

@@Max-Kuz haha it's all good man, just funny

Great question. I use pixieset for my website. It blends well with my client galleries. But I may look to switch to a basic Google sites website. I pay $15 a month for the service, but Google is free.

I appreciate the feedback! I didn’t have a mic when I recorded this. I got a new mic if you want to check out one of my new videos. Let me know!

I personally don’t do stock footage. From what I’ve heard, you won’t make money for the first few years. But as you build up a massive library, you can make some decent monthly income. I believe it’s just a long process for stock footage.

Would love to get an update on how it goes

Oh I am for real. These are 5 reasons you might not want to start. Obviously I started a drone business, but it’s definitely not for everyone

So negative smh you wack you sound mad lazy

I obviously started the business and think it’s a good idea. Just some ideas to beware of as others get started. How’s your drone business going?

Don't worry about me homie I got me and doing good 💯

@@mavicconnxshun4485 glad to hear it brotha. Keep up the good stuff. Post a link if you wanna show off your work

I really appreciate it. Thank you my friend! Stay tuned for a new video this week!

Welcome my friend! Unfortunately, it is tough to live on that these days. I hope droning can help, either giving you some more autonomy or put you in a better situation. I’d double check the laws. I believe to fly part 107, your drone must have Remote ID. I am not sure if the mini 2 SE has those capabilities. If you can’t go with the 3pro, maybe just settle for the 3 until you can build a base.

I got on a payment plan on the website for my mini 3 pro it's about to be payed off in 4 months

@@kevinbutler2632 that’s awesome! You can probably start to make the money back each month if you chose. That’s a good arbitrage!

@Max-Kuz Thanks I only pay 54 a month got it back in October 2022

@@kevinbutler2632 that’s a great deal. Glad you got into it. Are you looking to pass your part 107, or just enjoying flying around

Thank you brother haha🙏

Great idea in theory. But in my experience, thats a lot easier said than done, especially as you’re starting out. I don’t think you should do continuous free work for others, but the 2-3 people that I did offer free work to became my biggest and most loyal customers in the long run. They have paid me more than most of my other clients combined!

Appreciate the feedback. I was having some mic issues but I got a new one. You may be able to tell the difference in my new videos. I’ll keep working on it though!

@@Max-KuzIt’s called ‘vocal fry.’ That said, good for you putting yourself out there. You’re gonna’ get the absolute worst criticism from people online and they’ll say it in a way they never would to your face. Keep up the great work! Entrepreneurs find a way and you seem to be doing just that. 🎉

@@jeremiahis Appreciate it my friend. Can't take anything too seriously, but I can always get better!

Wonderful perspective. I couldn’t disagree more! But that’s the great part about an open platform like this where we can all share our thoughts and opinions. Preface: I did fly for over a year, had and crashed 1 previous drone before getting my Part 107. That being said, if you wait for years into your droning, you are waiting wayyyyy too long. If you have a unique skill that would benefit and “serve” others, just because you aren’t the best at it doesn’t mean you don’t have a unique value proposition. Lots of people need basic drone work and aren’t willing to pay luxury prices. And I’m curious how it is where you are from, but in the US, tons of photographers and videographers have drones who are not trying to be aerial artists. They are trying to get a job done and that’s who you have to compete against. Just some thoughts. I’m glad we can have our own opinions and have conversations about it!

I appreciate it my friend! Greetings from just across the border in Michigan! How is the stock footage game?

@@Max-Kuz its definitely a game! Enjoying the ride. Just sent you a DM.

I took from June-August last year to really study hard and take my test. I passed with a 92 or something. Tbh the test was easier than what I expected. I just used the FAA study guide, along with some helpful UA-cam videos. www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/remote_pilot_study_guide.pdf

www.faa.gov/uas/commercial_operators/part_107_waivers Here is a link with more information. To my knowledge, you only need a waiver if your flight path is over a large group of people. I also have the mini 3 pro. I make sure to fly around people, and not directly over them. I bet you could do the same thing for the block party

I will look into it! Unfortunately I am from the US so I don’t know a ton about Indian drone laws. I would assume the drone needs “remote ID” to fly for business purpose. The dji mini 3 would probably be the basic drone I’d suggest

Thanks!

Hope this helps my friend!

I’m sorry to hear that. Trust me, it’s definitely a struggle to get clients for me as well. That being said, what kinds of companies have you reached out to? I’ve found most of my success to be in events, especially larger events for the city. I would also reach out to your local area, give a story about how you’re just starting your business and could use some “portfolio work.” The local chamber of commerce loved that idea and really wanted to help. Same with the Farmers Market. Definitely keep reaching out every day. I find more success in Instagram DM as well, but that’s just what I’ve found

@@Max-Kuz i ve litterally reached out to ANY thing and anyone who could potentially use a drone pilot. 100% always a fall through. I think maybe this is all a joke and I fell for it and now im in debt too. life sucks and drones are making it worse

Ah man I’m sorry to hear that. Droning definitely isn’t the cash cow that I thought it’d be. Even if people could benefit from aerial photographer, most places don’t want or need it. That being said, I still believe it can be a great side job (potentially.) my goal right now is to make enough money to pay for my drone, accessories, etc. it’s definitely a learning process

​@alienman7866 so far 99% of my work was through my realtor (ive basically paid off my equipment from that) but I also do intiror stuff for her as well, I'm having a hard time getting clients as well tho, but I've found leaning into telling people your new (with experience) and your trying to make you hobby your full time income has been getting better responses for me

@@samuelhildebrandt9074 100% agree. Lean on the fact that you’re starting a new business and looking to add to your portfolio. Do you get jobs through a realtor? Do you just have a contact? I am looking to get into the real estate game

Long story short, I got my mini 3 pro 2 weeks before they announced the mini 4. I may at some point, but the mini 3 is more than capable of handling any job I need it to

Why should he? I've had both, for his purposes the 3 pro is just as capable

@@jorisbonson386 that’s ultimately what it comes down to, is there is no reason to upgrade rn. The only real difference between the 3 and 4 is a little better obstacle avoidance and some of the sensors. I believe the camera is practically the same

@@Max-Kuz You do get Occusync 4, more subject tracking modes and 120fps slow-mo with the 4, but yeah lots of people won't even use them...

That’s fantastic! Have you gotten your part 107? What kind of clients do you plan on working with?

The website is a work in progress. But I’ve found more use in cold reach outs to find clients. My understanding of the rule is that you can’t fly directly over groups, so the drone wouldn’t land on anyone. I try to fly around groups of people, not on top of them. I try to stay on the edges or over structures. www.faa.gov/uas/commercial_operators/operations_over_people

its not ok in transit either. the details on written out and its very hard to get that waiver., im wondering the same thing. iask my course instructor for the 107 that I took. he warned me against those jobs unless the proper waivers are given

@@alienman7866 yes, that was probably some bad advice, so I edited my comment. To my understanding though, if you are not flying “directly over people” ie. if your drone crashed, it wouldn’t land on anyone, then you’re ok to fly. Another thing I do, I will stand under my drone and walk around. I use a high visibility vest, so people tend to stay away from my area. What kinds of jobs are you guys referring to specifically?

@Max-Kuz I worked it out that way as the law is only applicable when the drone is directly over a limb etc of a person. Good idea standing under it and using visuals to help the crowd with your presence. If you do ever need to fly directly over top of folks, get the proper waivers. That's what I'm told is the easiest way to wrap my head around it. I'm doing alot of public events some private but most are public events, concerts, food truck events, alot of motorcycle meetings and block parties etc.