It’s taken awhile and I literally went back to school, Stewart Leishman Photography is now fully certified and licensed through CASA (Civil Aviation Saftey Authority) to operate a drone/UAV over 2kg for commercial gain. So what does this mean?  I’m in a position to offer photography and motion services for Weddings, engagement shoots and commercial commissions with a much more capable aircraft than say for example a Phantom or Go Pro Drone. It’s all relative as to what the end image or footage is going to be used for so take this into account when searching for a vendor that provides aerial services. My main aircraft is an Inspire 2 with a X5s camera which can record in Cinema DNG and other various other pro formats

So what are the benefits of hiring a vendor who is certified by CASA? Insurance is one of them. No Insurance company will cover a business who is not a licensed operator and has been certified by CASA. Part of the conditions of being licensed involves regular and routine maintenance. CASA has stated that “Not having a ReOC means you will not be able to get insurance, leaving you solely liable for any incident or accident arising from flying your RPA. Clients/employers are also less likely to hire you if you’re uninsured.” What does this mean? It means that if an incident occurs and the company that you have hired to film or photograph your wedding isn’t insured, no one is covered under public liability. Always check with the vendor if they are insured. I’m not exactly sure of the implications but I’d rather not take the chance.

On a lighter side the main reason I love photographing from above is is, it opens up a whole new level of options creatively speaking, 90 degrees perpendicular to the ground just lights it up. You can still get amazing shots with out waiting for sunrises and sunsets. I could never of achieved these shots below with a helicopter, it would of cost 10’s of thousands of dollars. UAV technology is so so good at the moment and I’m so excited to see this particular technology pushed to it’s limits.

Enjoy!

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