Got called out for using a drone at the old mill site

Someone in this group said it felt like cheating and took away from the 'found' feeling. I still bring it for scouting, but now I make sure my main shots are from the ground with my old Nikon. Anyone else get flak for their gear choices?

3 comments

3 Comments

parker_campbell2mo ago

Took away from the 'found' feeling" really gets to the heart of it.

nathan_patel1mo ago

Yeah that "took away from the found feeling" thing gets thrown around a lot. I've been in the same boat. What I started doing was just using the drone to find good compositions, then setting my tripod up low on the ground. That way you still get the honest ground-level shot but you saved yourself an hour of bushwhacking.

dylan_patel2mo ago

Man, I gotta push back on that a little. The whole "found" feeling doesn't come from how you get the shot. It comes from being there and seeing it with your own eyes first. A drone is just another tool, like a ladder or a different lens. It lets you see a place from a new angle you couldn't get otherwise. Calling it cheating is like saying a telephoto lens is cheating because you didn't walk closer. The gear isn't the point, the final photo is.