Martha Stewart Talks Drones with Women Who Drone
Elena Buenrostro, Martha Stewart, Laura Chukanov
Martha Stewart is an inspirational role model to many women around the world. Whether it’s in the kitchen or garden, indoors or outdoors, Martha's strong curiosity for life along with her creativity, passion for learning and ability to teach the world at large is extraordinary. With Martha’s vastly wide ranging interests it should come as no surprise to any of us that she has developed an interest in drones.
Laura Chukanov and Elena Buenrostro with Martha's puppies
Lucky for us, I was recently invited to meet Martha at her home in upstate NY. As we approached Martha's pristine 153-acre farm in upstate New York, we were greeted by her gorgeous chow puppies and two french bulldogs. Martha then walked up with grace and full of life but what really stood out was her immediate fascination for the large DJI Matrice Pro 600 Hexacopter drone that DJI had brought along. It wasn’t long before the drone was sent high above her property to get a perspective that only drones can.
Martha owns a Mavic Pro and excitedly explained that she uses her drone to capture aerial images of her gardens and property. While speaking to us, she said something that stuck with me - "drones are tools." I know this only too well - having first purchased my own drone as a hobbyist - taking my videography and photography skills to a whole new level - but soon converting that into something that could drive a global change in the number of women doing the same thing as me. Martha's passion for drones stems from her fascination in obtaining a whole new perspective from above. For her, it is to photograph and film her incredible property.
As Martha drove us around in her golf cart, she stopped and mused that if Louis XIV had a drone, imagine what he could have accomplished. She is right. If we pause to think about how drones are beginning to impact our world in a positive way - not only in the creative fields, but in construction, architecture, farming, search and rescues and soon to be delivery, I think most of us would agree that drones are extraordinary tools and are here to stay. We still do not know the limits in what they can help us accomplish but stories like Martha's along with all the other women we feature weekly are testimonies to how and why we all get inspired by someone to simply get up, go out and try something new.
Elena is a Video Producer, Photographer, Part 107 Certified Drone Pilot and Instructor. As featured in The Washington Post, Fast Company and on DJI for her aerial photography and cinematography, Elena's passion for flying drones stemmed from her trip to the Great Wall of China. From there, her curiosity turned into a hobby and now a passion and career. Currently, Elena offers drone lessons via Airbnb Experiences in San Francisco, CA and Brooklyn, NY.
