Taking Pictures

[DonDavis1c25]

Hi, I have a phantom 3 standard

What is the best way to take pictures of a building on a four sides. I want the pictures the same distance from each wall of the building. The building is the same height, but the front and the back are the same width, Also the sides are the same width. Figuring out the altitude is easy, but I want the same distance too.


Please help
Thank you
Don
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I will be taking pictures of 4 different county building. None of the building are square. They are different shapes and sizes. All single story.
( I just bought the phantom 3 in Jan. My boss a (Sheriff of the County) is paying me OT to take current photo's of the buildings.)

I like to thank everyone for their replies.

Don

 

[GadgetGuy]

Hi, I have a phantom 3 standard

What is the best way to take pictures of a building on a four sides. I want the pictures the same distance from each wall of the building. The building is the same height, but the front and the back are the same width, Also the sides are the same width. Figuring out the altitude is easy, but I want the same distance too.

Please help
Thank you
Don

Use a tape measure from each side and mark the spot of the chosen distance from each building side in the center of that side on the ground with something visible from the air (maybe a white box on the ground, or a helper, or yourself), and then fly straight up from it, or center the marked spots on the ground in the center of the screen, using the camera facing straight down, and then rotate the gimbal to horizontal, at the chosen altitude, and click the shutter release. QED.

 

[LK8472]

Are you saying its rectangular? If it's a square building or if the front is similar to the sides, I'd fly above it directly in the center of it, use the POI feature, back away the distance I prefer, and then let it circle while I had my attention on snapping pictures. Or...use the Waypoints feature to map around the building and again focus on taking pictures while it flies the route.


Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots mobile app

 

[GadgetGuy]

Are you saying its rectangular? If it's a square building or if the front is similar to the sides, I'd fly above it directly in the center of it, use the POI feature, back away the distance I prefer, and then let it circle while I had my attention on snapping pictures. Or...use the Waypoints feature to map around the building and again focus on taking pictures while it flies the route.


Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots mobile app

It's rectangular. He needs the exact same distance from each of the 4 unequal sides, so POI won't work. Already have it covered for him...

 

[With The Birds]

What happens if using the tape measure method has you standing inside a neighbouring building?

I would use the grid on the tablet/phone screen to frame the shots flying from a fixed altitude. You can judge distance and whether you are centred easily with this method. It may be rectangular but centre height can be used for reference.

 

[GadgetGuy]

What happens if using the tape measure method has you standing inside a neighbouring building?

I would use the grid on the tablet/phone screen to frame the shots flying from a fixed altitude. You can judge distance and whether you are centred easily with this method. It may be rectangular but centre height can be used for reference.

If you can't take a photograph from the chosen distance with the drone because of a building next to it, surely the OP would have included that in his set of facts, but that might work elsewhere.
It didn't seem like the OP wanted to "judge" distance. He wanted it to be the same.
Hence, some objective form of measurement is needed, as my solution suggested.

 

[With The Birds]

Then you certainly can't take a photograph from that distance, so it can't apply here.
He didn't want to "judge" distance. He wanted it to be exact. Already covered.
Thanks for playing, though.

Im simply offering another solution to the OP. One that will work well for the depicted purpose and prove to be practical if he cant get around it with a tape.

He said nothing about being "exact".

He can take a photo from above another building and there are ways he can do it legally.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Im simply offering another solution to the OP. One that will work well for the depicted purpose and prove to be practical if he cant get around it with a tape.

He said nothing about being "exact".

He can take a photo from above another building and there are ways he can do it legally.

He just needs to decide what distance he wants to be away from each side of the building, and measure that distance from each side of the wall of the building, using a laser range finder, or a measuring tape, or even a fixed length of string or rope.
He can estimate the middle of each side from which to do his measuring, or he can walk it off and divide by two, or use the measuring tape, or a laser rangefinder.

 

[LK8472]

All hail GadgetGuy, infallible supreme answer giver! Admittedly, your logic is sound.

I'll let DonDavis1c25 decide what works best for him. Sometimes hearing different approaches, even if they don't apply exactly, gives good insight to future problems.


Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots mobile app

 

[With The Birds]

With all due respect, it sounds like you are trying to put a square peg into a round hole, or are creating a solution for an entirely different problem.
The depicted purpose comes from the facts presented in the fact set posted by the OP above, for which we already have a simple, straight forward accurate solution.
He stated, "Figuring out the altitude is easy, but I want the same distance too."
He didn't mention any other buildings around it, so you made one up.
He doesn't need to "get around it with a tape."
He just needs to decide what distance he wants to be away from each side of the building, and measure that distance from each side of the wall of the building, using a laser range finder, or a measuring tape, or even a fixed length of string or rope.
He can estimate the middle of each side from which to do his measuring, or he can walk it off and divide by two, or use the measuring tape, or a laser rangefinder.
Why are you now also refering to the legality of taking the photographs?
If you wish to pose your own different hypothetical, then please do so, but the OP has already clearly defined his, and it isn't the one to which you are providing solution.

In the absence of the benefit of my seeing certain of your other contributions to various threads i might suspect you were trolling. From what i have seen you provide a lot to this community by way of sound advice and contributions so your attitude here is confusing.

I didnt suggest your advice to the OP wasnt valid. I offered an alternative solution should it not prove practical to make the measurements and place position markers as proposed.

Both solutIons can be applied to the task as detailed.

There are other solutions also. Should we expect that if someome offers a further alternative that you will apply the same argumentative dismissive approach?

 

[GadgetGuy]

All hail GadgetGuy, infallible supreme answer giver! Admittedly, your logic is sound.

I'll let DonDavis1c25 decide what works best for him. Sometimes hearing different approaches, even if they don't apply exactly, gives good insight to future problems.


Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots mobile app

Thanks. Not infallible, but I do think I nailed this one. I'll wait for the OP's response to see if he agrees. He's probably busy constructing buildings around the original building so he can use @With The Birds' solution and avoid breaking the law, since he clearly didn't mention his pilot's license and 333 exemption! JK!

 

[GadgetGuy]

In the absence of the benefit of my seeing certain of your other contributions to various threads i might suspect you were trolling. From what i have seen you provide a lot to this community by way of sound advice and contributions so your attitude here is confusing.

I didnt suggest your advice to the OP wasnt valid. I offered an alternative solution should it not prove practical to make the measurements and place position markers as proposed.

Both solutIons can be applied to the task as detailed.

There are other solutions also. Should we expect that if someome offers a further alternative that you will apply the same argumentative dismissive approach?

As I have also found your other contributions on point and valuable, I apologize for being overly critical of your response here. It just assumed many facts not in evidence, and also didn't seem to respect the constraints given by the OP. Clearly, there are many ways to photograph a building without a drone, and he did ask for help, so any response should be considered helpful. I just thought I had already nailed the answer (even got a "like" from Meta for it), so I got a bit overly cocky. Mea culpa. I have also appropriately edited my responses above. Peace!

 

[With The Birds]

As I have also found your other contributions on point and valuable, I apologize for being overly critical of your response here. It just assumed many facts not in evidence, and also didn't seem to respect the constraints given by the OP. Clearly, there are many ways to photograph a building without a drone, and he did ask for help, so any response should be considered helpful. I just thought I had already nailed the answer (even got a "like" from Meta for it), so I got a bit overly cocky. Mea culpa. I have also appropriately edited my responses above. Peace!

Its all good Mate.... i wasnt dirty on you i was genuinely confused.

To qualify my intent in offering the alternative i had genuinely considered the prospect of surrounding buildings potentially making your solution impractical. In fact i had this exact problem and my proposed solution proved adequate (i needed actual photos to be veiwed along side perspective renderings of proposed private building works). As to the legalities i arranged with the owners of adjoining property to fly overhead so i could take the photo. I needed to fly close to their houses.

Happy flying

 

[GadgetGuy]

Its all good Mate.... i wasnt dirty on you i was genuinely confused.

To qualify my intent in offering the alternative i had genuinely considered the prospect of surrounding buildings potentially making your solution impractical. In fact i had this exact problem and my proposed solution proved adequate (i needed actual photos to be veiwed along side perspective renderings of proposed private building works). As to the legalities i arranged with the owners of adjoining property to fly overhead so i could take the photo. I needed to fly close to their houses.

Happy flying

Thank you for accepting my apology. You do bring up a very good point! We never did establish that the OP has the necessary 333 exemption and a pilot's license to even be take the pictures for a commercial purpose in the first place! We certainly don't want to be aiding and abetting a crime!

 

[With The Birds]

Thank you for accepting my apology. You do bring up a very good point! We never did establish that the OP has the necessary 333 exemption and a pilot's license to even be take the pictures for a commercial purpose in the first place! We certainly don't want to be aiding and abetting a crime!

I took it more as explanation (which i appreciated) than apology, you didnt do anything wrong. Just a missundersatnding.

Cheers,

 

[GadgetGuy]

I took it more as explanation (which i appreciated) than apology, you didnt do anything wrong. Just a missundersatnding.

Cheers,

Thanks, Mate! Glad we were able to clear up the misunderstanding!

 

[rene van der meer]

What happens if using the tape measure method has you standing inside a neighbouring building?

I would use the grid on the tablet/phone screen to frame the shots flying from a fixed altitude. You can judge distance and whether you are centred easily with this method. It may be rectangular but centre height can be used for reference.

If you cannot use the height but you know the sizes of the edges you can scale them to fit the right size on your screen.
Another idea is to use any reference with a certain or know height like a window.