Drone Eclipse Ideas?

[JetFalcon]

Anyone going to watch the eclipse on Aug 21?

Would be a perfect opportunity to get some awesome drone footage, pretty sure many drone owners already had this idea. But assuming the drone gets 30 minutes in the air, that should be plenty of time to get some good video. Maybe like 5-10 minutes before totality, I will launch the drone in the sky and get it into position and start recording. Since the eclipse only lasts 2-3 minutes depending where you are.

Like where should I point the drone to get really cool perspective you can't see in person? Should I see land so maybe you can see a giant shadow sweeping over?

Plus I don't know what to do about glare, the DJI 4 always seems glary, not like an iPhone photo where it's crisp and has no problems. What should I make is working correctly before the day of the eclipse so I don't get screwed over with a problem like 10 minutes before the eclipse?

 

[MassDrone]

I've been planning to see this eclipse for 38 years, since a group of friends and I got together in 1979 to see an eclipse in Montana. Sadly, I have to choose to bring either camera gear or drone gear, since I can't take both on a plane (in backpacks), so I chose camera gear.

Here's what you can do with a drone: One infrequently seen phenomenon that a drone might do a good job with is called shadow bands. These are bands of shadows, alternating light and dark, that race across the ground ahead of the main shadow. They are fringe refraction effect caused by sunlight bending around the edge of the moon's limb. A drone flown as high as safely possible, looking down at a 45 degree angle toward the West has an excellent chance of capturing this, making a very unique vision of the eclipse.

 

[Mark The Droner]

I will be on a mountain summit in the total eclipse path. This was planned last year and the cabin was secured last winter. But I am thinking of not even flying my Phantom during the event. Why?

1) No matter how great I think my photos or videos will be, somebody, somewhere, will have better ones. And they will post them on the internet.

2) I don't want to fiddle around with my drone during a once-in-a-life-time historic event that lasts only two minutes.

3) I am concerned about my neighbors, even the few I'll have. There's more involved than just the light/dark of the eclipse. They say the birds stop chirping, for example. The temp drops a couple degrees. You can see the corona. Etc. If I was witnessing a total eclipse, I would like to see, hear and feel it naturally. I would not want to hear electric drone motors buzzing around nearby during it. I certainly would not want to see a drone between the moon and my point of view. So I think it would be selfish and rude to fly a drone during the event unless you were completely alone in the wilderness - which is not likely.

MHO

 

[Aaron314]

I'm still brainstorming ideas. The best idea I've had so far is to send the drone up 5-10 minutes before totality and have it film the contrast in light during the event. Probably about 100' in the air and 100' to the east of us with the camera pointing on us.