The fine art of drone photography
Story by Roxann Edsall
Photos by Richard Rybka,
David Smith, Joe Paul Abbott, Mike Callahan and Heath Lollar
If you live on or near Logan Martin Lake or Neely Henry, you know that both offer endless opportunities for breathtaking pictures. Whether you’re shooting a closeup of one of our hundreds of bird species, an awe-inspiring sunrise or yet another breathtaking sunset, we live in a place rich in photographic potential. Getting that perfect picture is an art form.
There are a few local photographers who have taken it a huge leap above for a different perspective. They have received acclaim for their photography in and around the lake and beyond. They are producing comprehensive coverage of sports programs. They are chasing storms to help forecast and cover weather events. They’re bringing smiles to our faces with a different perspective of those amazing sunrises and literal birds-eye views of our local wildlife. And they’re doing it from 400 feet in the air.
Pioneering drone photography
David Smith is a certified pilot and a professional drone operator. Because he was already a pilot, he was among the few who could fly a drone commercially before 2016, when the rules regarding unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were reevaluated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). After that, extensive training was required to be a licensed drone operator, but not to the extent of full pilot certification.
Smith grew up loving radio-controlled planes and had been flying them since he was 15 years old. From RC planes, he graduated to the latest when drones became available beyond their military origins. The first mass-market drone was the DJI Phantom, hitting the market in 2013. “When drones were brand new, I knew I wanted to be a part of that. I wanted to take photos and videos.” His DJI Mavic 3 Cine is just one of seven he currently owns.
Until very recently, Smith worked for ESPN’s College GameDay and Baseball Tonight on the Road as a drone videographer. He was the network’s first drone pilot, retiring just this fall. His drone footage added visual interest to the shots of the set and showed crowds of students at the highlighted university. He also shot additional footage around campus that the directors used before going to commercial breaks.
Smith’s impressive resume also includes serving as chief drone pilot for the 2020 World Games held in Birmingham. “It was a truly incredible experience,” says Smith. “My video was seen all over the world. As chief pilot, I was the only one flying live. Other pilots shot extra video to add to the live broadcast.”
That experience ended up leading to being a part of a search and rescue closer to home. On the way home from shooting some early footage for the World Games, he followed some first responders to the area of Logan Martin Dam. He had all his equipment in the car from the day’s work, so he offered to assist the New London Volunteer Fire Department in their search for a missing woman lost while canoeing.
“I put my drone into the area and flew around. I was able to locate her and to let them know where she was and that she was still alive,” Smith said. “The chief was amazed at how quickly she was located with the drone. They didn’t even have to put their rescue boat in the water.”
These days, Smith is enjoying time with his family. “I used to be gone most of football season,” he says smiling. “Now I have time to pursue some other things.” One thing that is bringing him joy is sharing the love of drone flying with his grandson, 11-year-old Calvin. “We fly almost daily. He’s kicking my … well, I can’t keep up with him.” (Editor’s Note: For more on Dave Smith, see sidebar.)
Taking photography to new heights: Mike Callahan
Mike Callahan says fun is what keeps him flying his drone. Every session he has with his drone is the best, he says. “I keep it under 400 feet, but at that height, what you see is from a totally new perspective,” says the Pell City native. He’d been a photographer for many years before deciding to add a drone to his options.
His specialty is nature shots like waterfalls, mountains and wildlife. He enjoys taking his DJI Mini3 Pro into the Talladega National Forest and around Logan Martin Lake. One of his favorite shots is an amazing up-close view of an eagle sitting in its nest.
“You have to be careful with drones around wildlife,” Callahan quickly adds. “I was attacked by an Osprey once and lost my drone. Ospreys are very aggressive.”
He takes that cautionary tale to heart in his work these days. There are guidelines for keeping safe and there are hard and fast rules dictated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) specific to drone piloting under their Part 107 certification. Among those very strict requirements is that pilots cannot fly their drones above 400 feet and they cannot fly over people without a special waiver.
While flying, he is also required to always have his drone in his sight.
Flying over open water to capture beautiful sunrises and sunsets is the specialty of Joe Paul Abbott, another of Logan Martin’s drone photographers. His work is seen frequently on the Love Logan Martin Lake Facebook page. He gets up every day at 4:30 to be sure he gets his DJI Mavic Air 2S ready to start shooting from the back deck of his Cropwell home before the sun gets above the horizon. At other times, he’ll take the boat out and have the drone tracking him and grab action shots around the lake using his remote monitor.
A different perspective: Joe Paul Abbott
Abbott picked up photography in the late ‘90s after the birth of his first son with the goal of learning to shoot better family photos. Eventually, he upgraded to digital format, but soon tired of that, too. “I’m a gadget guy,” he admits. “When drones came out, I couldn’t wait. My wife got me my first one.”
He’s been able to use his drone in his work as an independent insurance agent, recalling times when he needed to inspect a house for fire, storm or other damage, but was limited due to an aggressive dog or other challenge. On those occasions, he uses his drone to fly over those challenges.
“When I shoot from my drone, I become 400 feet tall with a wide-angle lens,” Abbott laughs. “You definitely see things up at that height you just don’t see from the ground.” Even local weatherman James Spann is a fan and has aired many of Abbott’s shots on the weather segment of the local news.
Eye on the storm: Heath Lollar
Severe weather is what drove professional storm chaser and drone pilot Heath Lollar into his business. The 2003 Pell City High School graduate was working in graphic design several years after graduation. A customer asked him to work on the design for a truck wrap. They worked together on a couple of jobs for the truck and started talking.
The customer was storm tracker and meteorologist Brett Adair, and the two began sharing their love of all things weather. Adair promised to take him storm chasing, and Lollar has been hooked ever since.
Lollar’s enthusiasm and natural abilities landed him a job as an in-truck videographer and mobile mechanic for Adair’s company, Live Storms Media. He worked with Adair for almost two years before sending a drone into a storm.
“People wondered if drones could handle the winds,” said Lollar. “Turns out, they can. We can take a drone up and look at the wind patterns in the trees. We can tilt it up and time lapse and focus on what the elements of the clouds are doing that we could never see from the ground.” He hasn’t lost a drone to the winds yet, but he knows a pilot who has already lost four drones doing storm work.
Just this year, on Jan. 12, Lollar captured drone video of his first tornado. “We were set up in Old Kingston, Alabama,” recalls Lollar. “That one was an EF3 that ripped an 82-mile path through Selma and Autauga County. It was bad. There were three fatalities where we were, but seven over the path of the storm.” He describes the video he took of trees twisting together and being sucked up into the air. “After we watched it cross the road, it started throwing trees, houses and cars across the field.”
Drones are essential tools for assessing the damage following a storm, but they can also be used to assist in early search and rescue efforts. Drone pilots can help find safe ways for emergency personnel to get to victims. The information that can be gathered during storms from the heights drones can go is invaluable to forecasters in alerting people to what the storm is doing and where it might go next.
Drones also give GPS placement of the storm and play a crucial role in assessing the accurate path the tornado took.
While Lollar enjoys working for the Emmy-nominated team at Live Storms Media, he doesn’t do it for the kudos. He is genuinely concerned for the people who face these storms and wants to do what he can to help.
When he is in town and there is a storm on Logan Martin Lake, where he lives, he immediately sends out his drone to take video to warn lake residents. You can see his posts on Facebook’s Love Logan Martin Lake page.
Lake life is indeed better thanks to our drone photographers who readily share their photographic finesse from 400 feet and below.
