Elevate Your Selfie Game: How to Take a Dronie
Credit: Women Who Drone
A portmanteau of the words ‘drone’ and ‘selfie, a dronie is simply a self-portrait taken with a drone. These days, instead of holding your phone at arm’s length to get the perfect angle, you can use drones to capture your good side at any angle. Dronies are becoming a popular way to take a selfie that stands out. Currently, over 100,000 posts on Instagram are tagged #dronie. Like any form of self-expression, dronies can be a fun and creative way to show the world who you are! Here are some tips on how to take a good dronie:
Credit: @benetttriplets
The journey to a good dronie starts with the drone itself. Drones are ideal for taking grand landscape photos, but that doesn't mean you won't look good as the subject of the frame. A good selfie drone will have a quality camera and stable controls. Particularly, you'll want to pay attention to its ability to zoom and hover. A drone with the ability to hover well will capture a stable image and a good camera will have the features you need to get a quality photo. You may also want to consider accessories like lenses to have more control over your results, using different lenses versus the built-in one to transform your image.
Credit: @vngl.ooo
Now that you have your materials, how exactly do you take a dronie? Founder and CEO of Women Who Drone Elena Buenrostro outlines in her video “3 Ways to Create a Dronie” different types of dronies you can capture: a regular head over dronie, a rotating dronie, and an ascending dronie. In a simple and straightforward manner, she describes and demonstrates how to capture these dronies. Here's a brief overview:
Head Over Dronie: This is the easiest type of dronie you can capture. Simply hover your drone 10 feet above you and increase the altitude. If you are in the U.S., be careful not to exceed 400 feet.
Rotating Dronie: The technique used to capture this type of dronie is similar to the Head Over, but there is the addition of a slow, subtle rotation to the left or right.
Ascending Dronie: For this technique, hover your drone at least 10 feet in front of you and slowly tilt your right joystick backward while slowly increasing the drone’s altitude.
Credit: @foxyginger
For more tips, there is an interesting article on DJI Guides that gives advice on how to create interesting photo and video selfies with your drone. Techniques include using angles to play with shadows and taking long exposure shots to paint with light. Also, you may be considering taking dronies indoors. If you want to take dronies while inside, consider a drone that is small or smart. Inside, you're in close quarters with potentially more obstacles. Thus, you have more opportunities to crash and cost yourself a pretty penny. Some drones, like the DJI Mavic 2 Pro, have obstacle avoidance software that would come in handy.
Tyesha Ferron is a writer based in Atlanta, Georgia. Specializing in digital content, Tyesha loves exploring the new ways technology intersects with culture and how drones make things more efficient and accessible for artists, hobbyists, and industry professionals. As a novice drone enthusiast, she continues to be impressed by what the drone community and industry can accomplish.
Instagram: @tyesha.ferron
Twitter: @Tyesha_Ferron
LinkedIn: Tyesha Ferron
