Drone business

[mitch223]

Just curious, I'm thinking of starting a little business with my drone, of property aerial photography. I've already received interest from people.

I'm just curious if anyone on here is doing this already and if so, what are you charging for photos and videos? I'm trying to work out the logistics to see if it's worth getting all the certification and insurance required to do this, or just keep flying for the fun of it..

Thanks in advance!

"Keep your spinning side up"


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[FlushVision]

Just curious, I'm thinking of starting a little business with my drone, of property aerial photography. I've already received interest from people.

I'm just curious if anyone on here is doing this already and if so, what are you charging for photos and videos? I'm trying to work out the logistics to see if it's worth getting all the certification and insurance required to do this, or just keep flying for the fun of it..

Thanks in advance!

"Keep your spinning side up"


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'd say that a lot depends on where you are and how many other people in your area are doing it.

It's not about the cost of pictures and video. You may have to put a lot of work into taking just a few shots so your prices must reflect this. Here, in the UK, a commercial job may require a cordon to be erected to keep public away, you will need to do a pre-flight site assessment and a formal Risk Assessment. You will need land owner's permission for your take-off and landing site, you also have to factor in the cost of your equipment and the cost of getting your commercial permissions. The list goes on and on.

So, your prices will largely depend on the work you have to do to get the pictures...not the pictures themselves. For example: depending on circumstances, you will need to do just as much flight preparation (paperwork, site assessments, risk assessments, cordon erecting, etc) to take 2 pictures or 10. It's largely not about the number, it's the work you do to get them. I hope this helps.

 

[PatR]

This will be pretty direct but if you don't already understand what's involved in performing aerial work for hire you are not ready to start a business. You cannot establish a cost basis or business model without that comprehension. At the moment the best you could hope for is trading a dollar for a dollar but odds are more in favor of losing money and undercutting the area market, wrecking the ability of others to generate a profit where they had been able to before your entry.


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[Only1nexus]

Well the first thing is if you are in the United States you have to have a FAA commercial Drone license to be able to use your Drone to make money. Also if some one around the area is Already doing this I would talk to them, if they do not have a drone they maybe interested in hiring you to use your drone for unique are photography of property or landscape. Its much easier to get to certain areas with a slow small drone than with a bulky helicopter or a slow moving plane. I to have thought of this for the local area farmers, I have spoken to the main guy that fly's a plane to do aerial photos of land and he was very interested, especially when I showed him how i can get to some places lower than he can and get video of a small area creek that had a small *** in it that he never saw with his photos.
So yeah talk to other people that do this for a living see if you can pick their brains and get info, also the internet is a great resource.
Good luck and fly safe

 

[OnTheRopes]

This will be pretty direct but if you don't already understand what's involved in performing aerial work for hire you are not ready to start a business. You cannot establish a cost basis or business model without that comprehension. At the moment the best you could hope for is trading a dollar for a dollar but odds are more in favor of losing money and undercutting the area market, wrecking the ability of others to generate a profit where they had been able to before your entry.


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^This
Flushvision's reply is most helpful, so do take note of what he said there I think.
However the above post is hard but honest, and coming from a photography background I can tell you (without meaning offence) that the same questions get asked in forums there and the answer is usually the same that you will be lucky to get anyone to tell you how much they charge. It's kind of like asking a plumber how much he charges so that you can setup in competition with him even though your not yet a plumber. This is a very helpful forum most of the time but commercially you will have to do the groundwork.

 

[mcbutler]

We have a local guy who does aerial photos from an extending mast arrangement on the back of a land-rover.
It has a 50m carbon telescopic mast, hi res camera on the top, easy.
No permissions, FAA, CAA, landing, take off, crashing etc etc.
His results are fabulous

 

[Rayray]

We have a local guy who does aerial photos from an extending mast arrangement on the back of a land-rover.
It has a 50m carbon telescopic mast, hi res camera on the top, easy.
No permissions, FAA, CAA, landing, take off, crashing etc etc.
His results are fabulous

Heavens above! Would he let you post us a pic of his rig? That would be great to see...

 

[FlushVision]

We have a local guy who does aerial photos from an extending mast arrangement on the back of a land-rover.
It has a 50m carbon telescopic mast, hi res camera on the top, easy.
No permissions, FAA, CAA, landing, take off, crashing etc etc.
His results are fabulous

I would add that in many circumstance, but certainly not all, 50m would be sufficient. Most people think 'drone' for low level aerial work, but the arrangement that mcbuttler outlines above is a very real, cost effective, alternative.

 

[Photo]

We have a local guy who does aerial photos from an extending mast arrangement on the back of a land-rover.
It has a 50m carbon telescopic mast, hi res camera on the top, easy.
No permissions, FAA, CAA, landing, take off, crashing etc etc.
His results are fabulous

A 50m carbon telemast!! ?? No way! I doubt it very, very much! Pls send me a pic. No pic - no mast.. What kind of cam and its weight?

 

[OnTheRopes]

These were quite commonly seen at photography shows a few years back and before the rise of the drones quite a lot of real estate photographers used these systems succesfully. No problems with CAA permissions etc. Not sure how many went to 50 metres so carbon is presumably important for that,

 

[Atomic08]

I have seen these type of things at local HS football games
Video | Photomast, the tool for easy aerial photography
Also I have seen long booms on trucks for aerial photography for sale on photography forums
Photos look nice....

 

[SoCalDroner]

Wow, I can imagine that even a slight breeze would cause issues on the taller masts.

 

[PatR]

Mount a telescopic mast on a vehicle and run it up. What's on top can be whatever you want. It's been going on for years. Somebody that does it for a living isn't going to be standing there holding the mast unless it's a shorter version. Not everyone just fell off the truck.


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[Mindbank]

If you're in the US, the FAA publishes a list of registered pilots every month for every county and state. Airmen Certification: Regional Active Airmen Totals This will give you an idea of your possible competition. Get your insurance from an app called Verifly. They charge by the hour depending on your location, weather, wind, airspace, etc..... very reasonable for a million dollar liability policy. Get your Part 107 and talk to some of the local realtors. Some have already hired drone pilots in the past, before they knew it was not legal, and they'll give you an idea of what they paid. If there is any high dollar properties in the area I think you'll find that they will be interested in your services. Get some business cards made and visit some real estate agents. I have done this and yes....you will get paid for having fun!

 

[PatR]

Jack of all trades, some inconvenient drone truths - sUAS News - The Business of Drones