Blade Runner

This is what happens when you're shooting long-exposure night shots from your drone and hit the shutter on the way home. As I was editing this photo, I could hear the late, great Bob Ross in my head:

“We don’t make mistakes, just happy little accidents.”

— Bob Ross

I love the way this happy little accident turned the west side of Charlotte into a scene from Blade Runner. If this technique goes viral in the drone groups, I'm totally taking credit for it. After all, the whole "spinning steel wool" thing is way beyond played out at this point, right?

This photograph was captured with a DJI Phantom 3 Professional drone that just happens to be on sale $260 off at the moment!

Yacht Harbor

It's been a warm week in the Carolinas and it's got me thinking about summer. I took this photo of Wild Dunes Yacht Harbor on Isle of Palms last summer and I'm ready to go back! If you have a yacht in the harbor and want to go out on the water for some sweet shots of her at sea, let me know! 

This photograph was captured with a DJI Phantom 3 Professional drone that just happens to be on sale $260 off at the moment!

Nature's Shadow

There's something really peaceful about flying the drone up over the forest. You actually can see the forest for the trees! This was late in the afternoon and I love the way the trees cast long shadows on the ground, making the forest appear both more and less dense at the same time. 

This photograph was captured with a DJI Phantom 3 Professional drone that just happens to be on sale $260 off at the moment!

Figure Eight Marsh

This photograph of the Intracoastal Waterway was taken from the back deck of the house we were staying at on Figure Eight Island. The sun absolutely set the entire marsh on fire as it crawled below the horizon. 

This photograph was captured with a Sony NEX-7. 

Night Op

We stayed at a tremendous beach house out at Figure Eight Island. Because it was the off-season, it seemed like we were the only ones on the island. After the sun went down, I took a quick flight for some night photographs of our house all lit up. There are probably six or seven houses in this photograph but with little light pollution, no moon and few other lights on across the island, all you see is our place. Everybody else is in the kitchen about to eat so that lone figure on the desk is yours truly. This is one of the unique selfies I've every taken... chiefly because I wasn't even thinking about how much I would stand out when I took it. 

This photograph was captured with a DJI Phantom 3 Professional drone that just happens to be on sale $260 off at the moment!

Ommegang High Walkers

If you ever plan a trip to Brussels during the summer, try to schedule it during the Ommegang weekend (typically as June turns to July). We had no idea what Ommegang was and were absolutely amazed as we stumbled upon it after dinner one night. It's a medieval procession through a medieval town, ending in a spectacular show at the Grand Place (the central square of Brussels). 

These stilt walkers were so high that other men on stilts would walk right between their legs. 

This photograph was captured with a tiny Canon Digital IXUX 30. 

Borough Market

If you find yourself in London on a Sunday and you aren't in church or at The Church then you should make your way down to Borough Market. It's one of the best markets on the planet and once you're done, the stroll along the Thames past Shakespeare's Globe Theater, the Tate Modern and the London Eye can't be beat.

This photograph was captured with a tiny Canon Digital IXUS 30.

Low Tide Sunset

The tidal marsh separating Figure Eight Island from Wilmington is massive and really lights up at sunset. 

This photograph was captured with a DJI Phantom 3 Professional drone that just happens to be on sale $260 off at the moment! 

Night in the Queen City

My office in Third Ward has one of the best views of the city. It only gets better a couple hundred feet up. I was working late and noticed a purple glow emanating from the city like a science fiction movie. I took a quick break from my commute home to send the drone up for a couple of shots. Stay tuned for more shots from this night in the future!

This photograph was captured with a DJI Phantom 3 Professional drone that just happens to be on sale $260 off at the moment!

Chetola Gazebo

The storm was just rolling in as I put the drone up in the air to capture a few photos of my kids playing in a gazebo field at Chetola Resort. The weather can change on a dime in the North Carolina mountains and they didn't disappoint on this particular day as the black clouds parted just enough to let the sun blaze through. It was already late in the afternoon so the sun cast long, soft shadows across the green field. I think if Thomas Kincade owned a drone, he'd probably be pretty happy with this shot. 

This photograph was captured with a DJI Phantom 2 drone with a GoPro Hero 4+ Black camera. 

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