Yes, drones are definitely something quite different from kites. Yes, they can both fly and you can shoot footage using them, but that’s about where their similarities between them end. So… Why did I get myself these drones after having written that post? Well, in this post I’ll let you in on the details for my reasons!

First of all, I’d like to make sure that I’ve never really have had anything against drones. (I think I say something about that in that other post too.) Drones are great for doing their … stuff. Just like kites are on their. And that’s maybe why they compliment each other. …and that’s probably the main reason why I got myself a couple of them; drones I mean!

So, how can I go about using drones as a complementary tool for kite flying?

In my opinion, the main reason is obvious: capturing (much) better footage … from angles not possible using a static tripod setup!

As you probably know, I love to make kite (flying) videos. I started way back… well, it must be more than twenty years ago using my dad’s video camera and the Pinnacle Video Editing software for those early shots. Looking back, well, things have changed.

I have developed my skills and I’m always looking for ways to improve my videos. Working with scene composition, soundtracks, technical stuff like aperture, shutter speed, ISO and those things, vlogging, yes, I’ve even (kind of) built my own studio!

And there’s always an inspiration to find there out on the internet in general and on YouTube specifically. Like when watching Jeremy Wharton’s kite videos and his implementation of drone shots in his edits. Jeremy’s videos have been an inspiration to me and I love his mix of handheld, tripod and drone shots. They blend perfectly and definitely add another dimension to his kite videos, of which this one is a great example!

Mr John Barresi is another inspirator. I’ve had the pleasure to both hang with and fly with him several times. He has also taken a stab at including drone shots in some of his videos and here’s an example.

I have a challenge though.

I fly (mostly) alone, I’m not having a drone pilot available to fly and shoot the footage of me flying my kites. So what can I do about that?

Well, I started by spending some time in my thinking closet, browsing the internet and loads of searching on YouTube and slowly but surely I came up with a few ideas.

If you want to know what I came up with, make sure to browse by the AERIALIS Kites Website every now and then and look out for Part 2 of the articles in this series.

Coming soon! ??