Sports photography and videography continue to evolve with the advancement of technology. In recent years, drones have become an essential tool for filming sports of all types.
By utilizing drones as a flying camera, cinematographers and sports videographers can now capture the action from a variety of new and unique angles that were previously not possible with older technology.
The area of the sports world that has seen the largest usage of drones has been action sports, and hundreds of these videos can be found on AirVuz.com. Skiing and snowboarding have both become the popular subjects of drone videos, both at the professional and amateur level. Drones can easily track a skier or snowboarder down a mountain while providing smooth footage of the race or event. However, it’s important to note that not just anybody can fly drones at ski resorts, as most resorts have a no-drone policy in place.
Many other action sports are a seemingly natural fit for drone footage. This includes surfing, which no longer requires a camera to be following the surfer from ground level — or from a great distance on shore. Drones can fly at speeds that allow them to keep pace with surfers as they catch epic waves. The same can be said for windsurfing, kiteboarding and water skiing or wakeboarding.
It’s not just cinematic camera drones that are infiltrating the action sports cinematography. First-person view (FPV) racing drones continue to gain popularity with regards to filming action sports. Because of their fast speeds — and thanks to high-definition cameras onboard — these FPV drones can easily keep pace with fast-moving athletes and vehicles.
FPV drones are now capable of providing live video feeds of races and other events streamed to in-stadium screens. Drone pilot Johnny Schaer used his mini quad and the GoPro Hero 7 Black at a Formula DRIFT race at Irwindale Speedway in California to get up close to the action. In doing so, his FPV drone was able to provide truly unique live footage rarely seen at similar events.
“It was honestly mind blowing to see my footage being used in real time on their livestream,” Schaer said. “The drifting fans loved the new perspective so I think this is just the start of something pretty awesome.”
Traditional sports like football, baseball and soccer can be challenging to film legally with a drone, at least on the professional level. In the United States, professional sporting events often have temporary flight restrictions in place that prevent drone flights within five miles during games. Outdoor sports like rock climbing or marathons often take place in areas where drone pilots don’t encounter flight restrictions.
More collections of sports being filmed with drones can be found in the collection of “People” videos on AirVuz.com. The video collections on AirVuz include thousands of drones from all over the world, all curated by the AirVuz staff to highlight the top content from talented drone pilots.
For more information, contact Tyler Mason, Director of Public Relations, at tyler@airvuz.com.
About AirVuz
Since its launch in 2015, AirVuz has become the world’s leading drone video and photography sharing platform and global community for drone pilots and aerial media enthusiasts. Drone enthusiasts worldwide can upload and share videos and photos in unlimited quantity and at no cost. Site users have free access to an ever-growing library of drone media content including easily browsable curated collections grouped into easy-to-navigate groupings such as Countries, Cities, People, Regions, and Nature. AirVuz users also have access to original AirVuz content, such as AirVuz News coverage of new drone industry applications and drone regulation.
