What yesterday belonged to a science fiction novel is reality today: using drones in wedding photography has become possible and has opened up a new range of creative possibilities.
From throwing rice outside the church (or the town hall, in the case of civil unions) to the location of the wedding banquet, a drone equipped with a camera offers a different and absolutely suggestive point of view from which to photograph your ceremony.
Why and when to use a drone at a wedding
The drone (officially remotely piloted aircraft) is perfect for certain shots during the wedding. On the one hand because it gets where the wedding photographer cannot (no, we don't know how to fly), on the other because it represents extra support.
First of all, having a flying camera makes it possible to take photographs or film the wedding from a highly panoramic, as well as original, perspective.
Just think of a wedding ceremony that takes place in a location with a particularly scenic view. For example on a cliff or in the middle of a beautiful countryside.
These are images that - if captured - add that something unique to your wedding album. A pleasant surprise for anyone who browses it: because few would expect to see the wedding filmed from the sky.
And this also applies to the wedding video, which thanks to the use of the drone will be enriched with some truly breathtaking aerial shots.
After all, as you well know, all newlyweds invest a lot of time in choosing the place to celebrate their wedding, and this is a way to enhance both the location and their commitment. But that is not all.
Using the drone in wedding photography is an extra help for us professional photographers. Yes, because there are times when we have to concentrate on important details and this does not give us the opportunity to always take panoramic shots and photographs.
In fact, to obtain the same result as a drone we should look for a raised and rather distant point from which to take the photographs. Except that – as you can easily imagine – this is not always possible and, above all, it would take a lot of time. Time during which we should distance ourselves from the spouses and the "heart" of the ceremony, thus risking losing important moments that every married couple wants in their album.
The most obvious example is the moment in which the spouses leave the church. It is the transition from the serious and institutional ceremony to the real celebration with friends and relatives who let themselves go.
In this case the wedding photographers are busy photographing the signatures of the spouses, the witnesses and the don, or the other guests preparing to welcome the new newlyweds in the street. Between hearts drawn with rice, children running and playing, people preparing to throw rice and friends organizing pranks, those preceding the bride and groom's exit from the church are moments of great joy.
Not to mention when the newlyweds finally arrive: a real explosion of celebration.
As you may have understood, these are beautiful moments to capture in detail, but the wedding photographer can only have an overall and panoramic vision of them. So using a drone for wedding photography is very useful, because it allows us to have photographs or video of the entire square pervaded by the celebrations and the joy of the guests.
Is it always a good time to use drones in wedding photography?
Now that you know why it is important to use a drone to photograph your wedding, let me also clarify when it is not possible (or not convenient) to do so.
First of all, the use of drones is dependent on the context in which the wedding ceremony or banquet takes place. For example, a city center wedding already makes it impossible for safety and practicality reasons.
Secondly, you must also consider that in specific cases the drone can be perceived as invasive. Either due to the noise or the distraction that can result from it, I do not recommend using it in more delicate moments such as exchanging rings outdoors or during the moment of the toast and speech.
Beyond these small precautions, I assure you that using drones in wedding photography allows you to obtain truly surprising results, which will make your wedding album even more unique and special.