Hi all! I've been flying drones now for close to 2 years. One place I absolutely love to shoot is over the ocean. The textures, the colours and all the action it provides is something that is unique almost every time I shoot. I see a lot of new aerial photographers often nervous when flying over or near water as well as making some really common mistakes that can be easily rectified. So I'd love to address a few of those things and how you can make the most of your photography when shooting over water.
1.BE COOL, DON'T BE NERVOUS
Aperture: 4 Shutter speed: 1/60s Sensitivity: 100 Model: Phantom 4 Pro
I want to address this one real quick. Flying over most bodies of water, like the ocean, lakes or rivers is actually one of the safest place to fly. There are generally less obstacles in your way and less people around to interfere with your flight paths. Your connection is generally much better also, as there usually isn't any land masses or buildings blocking your signal. So be cool, don't be nervous. Just be confident.
2.MANAGE YOUR HIGHLIGHTS
Aperture: 4 Shutter speed: 1/120s Sensitivity: 100 Model: Phantom 4 Pro
OK, so this is one is a little more technical, but it will make your photos so much better. Trust me. Managing your highlights means finding the brightest spots in your image, such as white wash on a wave or brighter white boat panels and setting your exposure to ensure it isn't too bright. It may make your image a little darker than you want overall, but this is easily fixed later when you edit. If your bright spots are overexposed, it's almost impossible to bring them back. Adjusting your exposure can be done a number of ways: increase your shutter speed or if your drone allows, close your aperture.
3.USE A POLARISED LENS FILTER TO REDUCE THE GLARE
Aperture: 2.2 Shutter speed: 1/100s Sensitivity: 100 Model: Mavic Pro
Pretty simple. Just like sunglasses do, reduce the glare and those sparkles from the reflections of sunlight with a polarised lens. This is especially effective for brighter sunny days. On a side note, ND filters are great also, but they won't help with reducing the glare. Ensure your ND filter has a polarised lens to make it the most effective. ND's and CP (polarised lens filters) are different, however, some filters have both.
4.WAIT FOR YOUR SUBJECT
Aperture: 2.8 Shutter speed: 1/200s Sensitivity: 100 Model: Phantom 4 Pro
Shooting aimlessly can sometimes get some surprising results. But more often than not, you'll get the best images when you're a little more patient and you wait for your subject. It might be the surfer who whips their surfboard at the right time or capturing the right moment the wave reaches it's peak. Maybe it's just holding on for a second longer so that boat can enter your frame in the exact right place. Either way, understand what your subject of your shot is, then be patient while they, or you, get into the best position. Don't miss it by shooting too early and your drone misses the moment as it buffers.
There are a number of other techniques which can help your photography over water, hopefully your journey will help uncover more of them. If there's others you think should be on this list, be sure let me know in the comments. Hopefully these tips help you!