Essential Gear for Real Estate Photography

Essential Gear for Real Estate Photography – What type of gear is essential for capturing great real estate shots? Discuss the types of cameras, lenses and other equipment that a real estate photographer should have in their arsenal.

Real estate photography requires sophisticated equipment to help you capture the best shots for your clients. A great DSLR camera, quality lenses and an assortment of other tools are essential for a real estate photographer’s kit!

When it comes to cameras, you want something that can handle low light situations, which means investing in something with a good sensor size. On the lens side of things, you’ll want to get a mid-range zoom lens that can handle different distances and angles. Wide angle lenses are also helpful for capturing room interiors and exteriors in one single shot.

In addition to your camera and lenses, you’ll need other pieces of equipment to help you get the job done. Things like a tripod, an external flash and filters are good additional investments that will make your real estate photography shine!

Lastly, don’t forget about software as it can be just as important for post-processing purposes. Adobe Lightroom is the go-to for many photographers, but there are also other options out there.

So, if you’re looking to take your real estate photography game to the next level, make sure you have all of the essential gear in your arsenal! With the right camera, lenses and accessories, you’ll be ready to take amazing shots for all of your clients. Good luck! 📸

Settling In

When I got back from Oregon, I typed a blog, added my photos and realized I only saved it as a draft... Whoops. Regardless, it has still been a while since I have written anything and I hate when I get to the point that I start to slack on that. I have finally moved into my new place, painted it and am still working on some finishing touches. Who the hell knew moving into my own place was gonna be as big of a pain in the ass as it has been haha. Everything looks a lot better now and I guess I just have to adjust to being on my own in a new place and new home.

Work has been kinda slow with the move and season change. I think there will be another spurt or two before things slow down for the winter months and Vin and I are out there searching for more work. My favorite part of my new place is the office and I think that when it is completely done, it is going to look great because it already looks great now. I have also been exploring the area a little bit to get used to some of the scenery while trying to find new places to shoot. I had about a good week or so break from flying my drone and boy was that painful. I really think I am addicted to it.

As time goes on, I will continue to find more places to shoot. In the meantime, I'll be honest.. It has been really hard to adjust to this whole new environment and I think its just going to take some time to get used to before anything crazy happens. I will share a few photos I have been shooting around the area and also share my Oregon video. Hopefully you guys enjoy the content as much as I do because I have been putting a significant amount of time into everything I shoot. It has even become hard for me to like some of my stuff because I am usually so hard on myself. That may be me going through some sort of style change or maybe a phase or even a midlife crisis, but I am sure it's not really such a bad thing.

Oregon

This was a much needed trip for me. I've had a lot on my mind lately and just wanted to get away for a little while to clear my mind. Oregon was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to and I got to see a good amount of it in the three days I was there. A lot of people think a trip like this is leisurely and relaxing but I can assure you it was far from that. Luckily, I was able to go with my buddy Tom Harmon who is as addicted to photography/droning as I am. Because of that, we were able to hit every sunrise and sunset during the three day stay we had. The latest we woke up was 4:30am and we would spend the day traveling and shooting different spots while also taking a few breaks to eat/drink and try some of the stuff Oregon is known for (the coffee and beer was killer). Though we lacked more than enough sleep, it was all worth it to go see things I don't normally see over here in NJ.

If I learned one thing from this trip, it is that patience is always key. I am not the type of person to be patient and it is definitely a downfall, but when I am out in such a beautiful place and I am there to shoot and take awesome photos, rushing becomes something I tend to do so that I can squeeze in all the shots I want before that lighting goes away. There were plenty of times that I was getting frustrated but then I sat back and remembered where I was while looking at the beauty of it all and taking that in. Aside from shooting, I realize that patience is key for life in general. I have yet to be where I want in life, but everyday I put the effort into getting there. I don't want to rush the work I do, I don't want to rush the relationships I'm in, I don't want to rush through life just to try and get somewhere faster. Waiting for things and putting the time in to do them right seems to be more important than rushing it. I would much rather be patient, put the time/work into what I want and let things come to me when they should.

There is a saying that everything happens for a reason. After all I have been through this summer, I almost think that statement holds true. When I look back and think about certain things, whether they are good or bad, I realize maybe that did happen for a reason and I try to put the pieces together. I know that I am still young, I still have a lot to learn and it is good to realize some of these things now as I continue to grow. My trip was more than just for photos, it was a bonding experience where I got to meet new people and make new friends, it was something that opened my eyes and showed me what this world has to offer, it was something that told me I should be doing this more because this is what makes me happy, this is what drives me to do what I do.

After just getting home Sunday, I am right back to work. This week is a big week for me and there is a lot to get done. I am finally moving out of my house with my family and getting my own place with my business partner, Vin. We will have a new office space and will be able to work from one central location rather than living an hour and a half away and barley ever seeing each other. I think that this move is going to allow us to grow Simply Visual to where it needs to be. Like I was saying above, patience is key, this year our business will be two years old and we are just beginning to figure things out and get the work we want. I have a lot to look up to and I am proud to see how far we have come. It will be even better to see where we are in 5 years from now :) Enjoy some photos from my trip below. I have so many more coming and a video in the works too!

 

Travel Week

It's been a long time coming here. A few months back, my buddy Tom invited me to go out to Oregon with him to adventure some new areas. I remember being on the phone with him when he purchased the tickets to go and now this week, we finally head out that way. It has always been a dream of mine to travel more but the problem is, I always want to capture amazing new photos. It's almost as if I travel to take the photos rather than actually be out there enjoying where I am. I guess it is sad to say that is somewhat true, but I think I will manage to enjoy my time out there as well when we are not out shooting. This trip is just for fun so I don't think there will be much stress aside from being at the locations we want to shoot at the right times for that perfect lighting.

Traveling is not always the easiest thing to do, it requires a lot of planning, money and time. With work being so crazy, it has been hard to find time for a lot of things. Also with work being so hectic and non-stop, I feel like this is something I definitely need to step away from it all and clear my mind. I'd also like to make an effort to start traveling more for the sake of my work. I have been stuck in NJ with the option to drive wherever I please but this summer alone, I have traveled to so many new locations around me just to keep gathering content for myself. I have learned that there are always plenty of places to shoot around you if you are willing to take the time to look for them, but I also realize that there is a whole world out there! That is something I would like to go after and experience. I feel like capturing the photos/video I do when I am out traveling become memories that I will never forget. Is it weird you can ask me where any of my photos were taken and I can pretty much tell you off the top of my head??

When I return from my trip, my life is going to take one huge swing. I will finally be moving into a new place with my business partner and really look forward to excelling my work and business from there. I am looking forward to where it will take me because I know that the opportunities are endless with the industry we are in. I only want to advance our work more as we continue to grow and turn this business into something incredible. There is a ton of hard work going into everything I do, but there needs to be in order to take things to that next level. Until then, I have some shoots planned this week, a collaboration project and a trip to Oregon :) Definitely looking forward to it all!

Just the Beginning

If you were to ask me where the summer has gone, I honestly couldn't tell you. I remember just a few short weeks ago I would be out shooting and the sun would set at around 9pm as I would be enjoying my end of the day flight. Only a week into September and the sun is setting closer to 7pm making the days feel shorter, especially with the cold air coming. With time flying by faster and faster and some of my larger projects in their final stages, I am very happy with where I am today. 

This summer may have gone by fast, may have been the most stressful and busy summer yet, but has also been one of the most productive summers for me in the sense of creating. Day after day, I go out to shoot whether I'm at a job or just out for a personal flight. I try to make the best of every situation to capture something that has value to me. Waiting around for the light to be just right has definitely taught me patients while actually being in some of these places to fly has showed me how peaceful life can be. Every photo I take, I aim to show something I can admire, something I am interested in and something I can stare at for a while and really appreciate.

Soon, I will be releasing two big projects we have been working on with Simply Visual Productions and I feel that this will be our intro into the world as a company. These two projects really speak our name and show our style and this is something I want to grow and get better at as we continue to work with clients. After talking to my business partner back and forth this month going over our business and revising projects, we feel as if we are just at the beginning of it all. It took us almost two years to get to where we are now, to learn all we have learned and to be able to shoot all we have shot. By the end of this month we are hoping to move into a new place, get our office back and really start going after more work.

I can say that overall, we are in a very good place and we are both happy to see where it is all headed. Not too many people see all the hard work we put into our business and personal work but they don't always need to. All the 10-15 hour days, with the editing, phone calls, driving and stress will pay off when the time comes. It is a real learning experience to be building a company like this but we could not be happier to have chosen to do what we are doing today. More work to come soon and this time it will actually be some real work we have been doing as a company :) Anyway, enjoy some of the photos from the past few weeks below!

Making Connections

Every time I sit down to write, I realize that I reflect on the past few days or weeks of my life instead of maybe writing things I look forward to or want to do. I guess that is something I can work on in the future but then again, does anybody even read these?? 

This past week for me, I have been drowning in my own work. I struggle to find time to edit everything I have and also struggle to make time to do things for myself like connect with people or go out and fly so I can create more content. With all of the editing I have, I put shooting off to the side and tried to force myself to use that time to meet new people. I am glad that I chose to do this because just this week alone, I have met so many awesome people that I would love to work with and become better friends with. I think the more people you know, the better off you are, especially when you are working with the right people. They always say to surround yourself with positivity and people who push themselves to get to where they want to be and I honestly think that is an environment I need to be in more. It's hard for me to be that lone wolf who does everything on his own, but it is so much easier to rely on myself than it is to rely on other people.

One huge problem I have been facing lately is due to the amount of content I have been creating. I set such high standards for myself that a lot of the content I shoot is just overlooked because to me, it isn't good enough to do anything with. I see that this is a good thing and a bad thing because it pushes me to strive for perfection, but at the same time it hurts because some of the stuff I am doing is really great and yet, I can't seem to understand why I don't think it is. Maybe this is some sort of a phase I'm stuck in, I think I need to continue to move on with my life, move out from home and actually live on my own and do things that I want to do. There are so many influences out there that push me to keep up with my work and there are also a lot of people who look up to me for what I do. I want to find a balance between those two things and create content for myself while also being able to meet up with others and collaborate with them.

As each week goes by, I learn something new. This week I learned a little more about people, emotions and stress as I face each one day after day. I may sound like a miserable depressed man, but I am not. I take all of these experiences and I learn from them which is something that helps me grow. If I want to be successful on my own and run a business that means so much to me, these are all things I will have to be able to deal with. Like any other job out there, there are always obstacles but I personally believe that we are our biggest obstacle. Being able to overcome our fears and push ourselves to do what we really want to do is not easy by any means, but when we are able to push those boundaries, good things come.

I am going to finish up the large amount of work I have and I am going to make time to do some of the shooting I want to do. My biggest thing right now is finding the time to collaborate with other artists or people to create more awesome content for us. I have a lot of new ideas that will take time to create, but if I don't find the time to create them, guess what... I never will :) so I'm not going to make that an excuse.

Keep your eyes open for some more work coming soon. I am looking to play around a bit more with portraits because I find that I can be as creative as I want with them. I am also looking to combine some portrait work with my aerial work to create content that is still fairly new. Exciting stuff! Here are some photos for your eyes now. 

Social Media Rant

I haven't written a blog in a few days, I hate when I get slow at this because I have been trying so hard to keep up with it all and I feel like I fail myself when I don't post things. Anyway, This isn't the standard blog because I have t go off about my generation and the impact Social Media has on it. Before I start, I can understand all sides of it but at the same time, there are a lot of issues that people refuse to address which is why I figure I'll dive right into it.

For my generation, I think it all started years ago when Myspace came out. This was the next best thing in the world and it truly appeared that way. Facebook was next, then Twitter... Now Instagram and even Snapchat. With all of these platforms to keep up with, it almost becomes a full time job staying on top of things or who is doing what. With technology evolving and opportunities arising through every different form of social media, it is almost necessary to keep up with it all. However, I think that this has a very big impact on a lot of us younger people and it is only going to get worse with the generations to come.

Social media is an outlet for people to get to know who we are, or at least who we want people to think we are. This whole concept has been bugging me lately because I see it affect so many people, yet almost all of them refuse to believe it is hurting them in any way. One of my biggest concerns is that people care too much about other people or what other people think about them just through social media alone. We are able to see who likes this picture, who comments on this one, who follows this person... and to make it even better, we have live updates as to when all this is happening. We even have these apps using our location to let people know where we did this or the last place we were doing this. This is the type of stuff that can open up so many trust issues with friends, couples or even clients if we really wanted to get into it.

Some of the people I am referring to have become so involved in social media that they pretty much turn into a spy and stalk what other people are doing. It sounds crazy, but I would have to say that almost 50% of the people I know actually do this. It has become so crazy that it now seems normal and okay to do. The amount of time we spend on our phones is absolutely ridiculous and the amount of times we jump from one platform to the next to see what is new is even worse. I find myself doing this all the time and when I do, it all clicks in my mind. I am just as affected as everyone else, the only difference is that I am willing to admit it and I know that there are times it is hurting me.

When we get this involved/concerned with the lives of other people through social media, it forces us to overthink things and look past the reality of it all. When we stay too focused on how we want to be perceived through social media, it hurts us even more. We are people... no one has it perfect. I don't give a shit if you have 14 million followers and post the coolest pictures of yourself traveling to the most exotic places or working the best job in the world and all of your stories are you living it up, being happy as can be and showing others how perfect your life is. Deep down, or at least in my mind, I know that it is not. It all seems to be an act we put on for others to make it seem like nothing is wrong. Don't get me wrong, we don't have to be depressed and post about it but we do need to understand that regardless of what others show, they are human too and if you have feelings or have ever had feelings for someone else.. You should know that there is a lot more to their life aside from the social media.

Everybody has their struggles but not everybody shows them, not everybody talks about them. Some of the most successful people on social media may seem like they have the perfect life, but they portray themselves in that way to make other people look up to them. We aren't all perfect, in fact, nobody is. This whole game of social media almost each and everyone of us takes part in is becoming unhealthy to our actual relationships with the real people we are. We need to use social media in a way to help us out while at the same time, not letting it take over our lives. I will always remember that there are real people sitting behind their phones, tablets and computers. People with real thoughts, real feelings and real emotions. No matter how glamorous you want to make your life look, I know that there is a real person behind that little screen we view all this social media on. 

For me, social media has allowed me to connect with several people. Friends, artists, models, accounts that feature people doing things they love and even work. When I use social media, I try to be honest about my life. I may have some really great photos, but behind each photo, there is a story, there is meaning, there is a reason why it's there. In my captions I try to write things that are relevant to my life or I try to make them goofy to show that I am not always the most serious person in this world. Life is about doing what you love and as hard as life gets and as many times it can knock us down, we need to get back up and do what is best for us.

It takes me a really long time to write these blogs sometimes. I try to write things that important to me and sometimes struggle to get my point across. Over the past few months, I have definitely been going through a lot and trying to find happiness within myself. I have never been so stressed or bothered by certain things, but through it all, I have learned how to manage and overcome a lot. I always say that I am happy being where I am and that is true. I work as hard as I do and try to understand the things I do to better myself because I know that it will help make me a better person. I hope that my words can also help others overcome some of the problems they have as they can see that I go through all of these problems myself, and have still gotten to the point I am today. Nothing comes easy in life and it is good to see that there are people out there who are honest and there to help others.

Aerials After Aerials

This entire summer has been one huge ride for me. I have shifted my focus towards creating better work and strive to keep doing so whenever I find free time. With all the work I've been doing lately, it has been very tough to get out there and create but everyday I try to find new places to go to create new work. Even after a long day of work and about 5 hours in the car driving from job to job, I find myself getting in my car again to drive another  50 miles out to a location I'm interested in shooting. Though it can take a while to drive to these spots, there is something about being out there alone and photographing them with my drone that is so peaceful. It is a feeling I can't really describe.

If you have read about my Island Series below, you can get a sense of reason behind some of my images. As I move forward and continue to do more work, I am looking to maybe start another series of some kind. I'd like to finish my islands but I think I am out of houses until I can travel a lot further away to shoot more. In the meantime, I can share ones without houses, but I am doing my best to keep all of these images consistent so that they can relate to each other. I think next up will be a series that has to do with texture, I have always been interested in seeing such abstract things from the sky because on the ground, you would never be able to see it in that way. I guess I will have to start thinking about a name for that as I go out to find more and more places where I think there would be good texture.

One thing I need in my photos is my own approval. That isn't always easy to get from myself. There are times I'll go out to shoot and come home with some awesome photos, but sometimes they aren't awesome enough for me to share. Posting almost everyday on Instagram has been a big challenge because it forces me to let go of that and understand that a lot of what I am creating is pretty solid. For me, I just always want to do better and get better so even an amazing photo is something I tend to look right past. Here are a few more images from the past week or two and keep those eyes open for some good ones this week ;)

It's August Already?

I moved back home in June 2017 and cannot believe how fast the time has gone by. Today it is August 2nd but where the hell did those two months go? I have been working so much day after day that it scares me when people say they are bored. I used to have that problem not too long ago but I feel like now I always have something to work on. It begins to get hard to find the time for certain things. This summer we have done just about three big commercial jobs with Simply Visual Productions and though it may not sound like a lot, it really is a good amount of work to handle. I am very excited to release these projects and show what we have been up to outside of our daily real estate work. I am hoping that these jobs will land us more in the future and people will begin to realize why we are different from other companies out there.

Having my own business is tough for sure, I still have so much to learn and do to get where I want. Slowly but surely, Vin and I are making our way there and continue to get more and more work that we want to be doing. Though the stress can be crazy, at the end of the day, it is worth it to know we are on the right path to building a life and company we both enjoy. One day Simply Visual Productions will be a lot bigger than it is now but it will need some time to get there.

With the summer coming close to an end and fall approaching, I just booked a trip to Oregon with my good friend Tom. Tom and I have been working together for a few years now and have really gotten into this whole drone thing. Both of us look to excel and create better work for ourselves in order to take it to the next level. We are trying to work on the dual operator capabilities that the inspire 2 has in order to create work a single pilot cannot. We have plenty more practice to get, but the more time we put in, the  better we will get and the more potential we will have a ways down the road.

After a summer full of work, stress and drama, I think this trip to Oregon is going to be one of the best trips yet. It has always been a goal of mine to travel more and finally things are starting to work out for me where I have the option to be able to do that. I hope that one day work will take me around the country and around the world, but in the time being, while I am young, I would like to see, experience and document as much as I can. It is nice to surround myself with people who encourage me to do what I do and also appreciate the same things I do. Traveling can be awesome when you are with the right people.

In the time that I don't spend actually traveling, I am looking for more and more places I can shoot that are within a driving distance from me. Call me crazy, but even after working all day and driving from job to job, I will still drive an hour or so away to shoot something if I think it is going to be worth it to me. This summer I have created some of my best aerial work yet and look to keep up with it. It has been a rough summer with all that is going on but it is certainly a summer I will not forget. Here are some straight down, industrial type shots with cool patterns and colors and light I have been messing with. I wont go too into depth but I love shooting straight down and seeing these almost perfect lines and shapes, I feel sometimes we take things for-granted seeing it the way we do from the ground all the time. Having a drone and shooting from the sky has changed my perspective on a lot of things, even the ugliest places can be so beautiful.

Where Writing Led Me

When I first started my site, I didn't even want to have a blog section. I thought it was stupid and people wouldn't care about what I had to say. I was also afraid of being judged or knowing that other people may think of me a certain way or make fun of me for writing. Screw those people. I am happy that I was able to overcome those things and become as personal as I am on here because I think it helps show people the true me.

At the least, I hope what I do encourages others to do what they feel is right. Today, we live in a world where our lives look nothing but glamorous behind the walls of social media. People don't see how others feel, the struggles they go through to get where they are, all they see is the success a person has online. Behind those walls, you will meet real people, people with feelings, thoughts and emotions. You will meet people who are driven to do what they do, people that have gone through their own pain and suffering that want to encourage others to do well. I have started to realize that few people are actually this way because it isn't easy to keep up with or we just don't want to do it. Some of us are busy hiding our thoughts and emotions behind this wall out of fear, but is it really worth it to live in a generation where social media is who you are? Looking back, I know that I was there at one point but I look to get passed it all and be who I really am. Even to all the people who know me, I look to be as honest and helpful as I can because that I know, goes a long way.

Through all of the writing I have done on my personal blog and for Fstoppers, not only have I gotten better at writing/expressing my thoughts and ideas, but just recently I was contacted by a company I have been trying to get in touch with for so long. After reaching out several times and never hearing back from anyone, I woke up one morning to an email from someone on DJI's Marketing team. I am honored to now be a Content Partner with DJI, my favorite company by far because of the work I do with their products. It took a long time for me to get to this point but I am so happy to be able to work with such an amazing company. This is only something that is going to drive me to push my work further and further. 

This past year has been one hell of a ride for me and I am happy to be where I am today. I have been working as hard as I can to do some of the things I have done and have to thank all of the people who have been there to support me. When I graduated college, I wasn't sure where I was headed or what I wanted to do with my life but now that has cleared up a little bit as I find myself doing work that I really enjoy. From here, I want to get better with my aerial work and pave a road for the future where I can travel and work with clients who have a similar artistic vision to me. I know patience is key and that I have a while to go before I get exactly where I want to be. With time, practice, more work and expirience, I hope to get there when I can. Here is some work I have done in the past week or so, just trying new things/learning more about my equipment.

Island Series

After writing my last article on Fstoppers, I wanted to go a bit more into depth on why I began this series. I have tried a series like this before, one being the sandbox series but that was almost like a dry run for the one that I am working on now. I didn't feel any sort of personal connection to the sandbox series which was something that kind of slowed me down from continuing it. So here, I will be as real as possible and explain my reason for the Island Series.

My Island Series has to do with the sense of loneliness. For the past few months I have been bouncing in and out of a relationship that I have really wanted to keep. Spending so much time with one person can be such a great thing, especially when the connection is so strong. We spent so much time together, talked every single day and enjoyed every second we spent with one another no matter what we were doing. Somewhere along the way, it seems like the connection fell apart. It's happened multiple times over the months but we always end up coming back to each other. Whenever we separate, the feelings come with it whether choose to show them or not. I never realized how painful this stuff could get, but it sure has affected me more than I thought it would.

On top of the relationship trouble, I have been getting hit with a ton of work. Last year I started my own business with a good friend of mine and slowly but surely, we are growing to where we want to be. Over the past few months, my business has landed some big jobs and on top of those big jobs comes all of the scheduling, traveling, planning, shooting, editing, answering emails/phone calls, dealing with clients and so on. It may sound like I'm complaining but I'm not, it has just taken a bit of time to get used to dealing with everything that comes with running my own business. To all my friends, having your own business seems like a breeze but I can tell you that it has been one of the hardest things I have yet done while also being one of the most rewarding and stressful things as well. I have to say that I am proud of myself to getting where I am today but sure has taken a lot of hard work. I have made so many sacrifices, stopped hanging out with people who hold me back, stopped going out as much as I used to and through it all, I have become more mature. All this to focus on creating something for myself and my clients. Through this whole process, I have also felt like I am one of the only people I know who is willing to do the things I do and take the risks I take. I am so invested in what I do and I love it so much that there is no turning back. Again, I have felt pretty alone here too, but I know that all this hard work will pay off, I just have to keep at it.

In the midst of it all, as I try to deal with all the emotions, business and goals I have for myself, I came up with the idea to start the Island Series. I wanted this series to relate to my personal struggles while also being very captivating for other people. Each photo is an Island on a lake, with a home on it, sitting all by itself. There is something about this that stood out to me. There are feelings these images evoked. Who lives on these Islands? These little get aways... Everything about them just seems so peaceful. Are these people alone? Do they share these with their families or significant others? It is just so interesting to see these Islands on their own; each one so different, reminding me personally of the place I am in right now. Maybe I'm not like the others, I see what I want and do everything I can to go after it and I will continue to do that until I am where I want to be.

When most people look at a series, they just look at the photos. People who are interested will look into the meaning behind the photos and how they all relate to one another. As I am in the process of creating this series, I am trying to come up with short captions that convey a sense of isolation from the busy world we live in. Like most of my work, I like to keep things simple and this series is as simple and straight forward as it can be. Photographing this series has been the highlight of my summer so far and just being at these lakes and flying is so peaceful. From this, I have inspired myself to continue shooting and creating this series because of how interesting and amazing the process has been so far. I look to continue photographing and hope to come up with at least 9-15 final images. For now, the photos I share are just samples of what I have so far. 

Coffee & Thoughts

My mornings feel like they have been thrown off a little cause my coffee maker at home doesn't want to work anymore. I feel like writing and having a coffee is usually a little more enjoyable but anyway, after running out to grab some, I am here to write about a few things I've had on my mind recently. First thing I'd like to say is thank you to everyone who has supported me and the work I do, it really means a lot to me. This past week alone I have been featured on three different Drone Instagram accounts from a photo I took in Wildwood NJ on the 4th of July. It has always been a goal of mine to be featured, and I have before, just not on three different pages day after day. I aways told myself that if I could take a photo good enough, it will spread to all these big accounts and a lot of people would see it and hopefully be inspired by it. It turns out that was the case and I am going to try even harder now to keep up creating content that I myself can enjoy and thousands of others can be inspired by.

After flying for about two years now and having such a huge interest in drones and aerial photography/videography, I myself have been inspired by some of the best or most popular/featured drone people online. Everyday I would see these awesome photos, I would follow these guys and look forward to seeing more of their work. I would tell myself that I need to go out there and start capturing amazing images like the ones I was seeing day after day. This is when things began to pick up for me, I never had such an interest in doing something and this was just last year. Today, I have far better equipment and way more of a drive to go out and achieve goals I have set.

Since I've been home for the summer, I noticed it isn't hard to be lazy and make excuses to not do things. However, there is a way to turn that around and it is simply by realizing that I am making excuses and complaining about things I shouldn't be. As soon as I took this step, it brought me right back to reality and made me want to work harder than I ever have. Because of that, I have literally never been so busy, never gone after so many things. I am landing jobs with big commercial companies, shooting multi-million dollar homes every week and making some of the best content I ever have just for myself on the side. I realized that fear plays a big factor in life, not only in mine, but many other peoples as well. It's not easy to take risks and do things that I feel are right, but I do them anyway. I do them because I know if what I'm going after goes right, things will click and everything will take off from there. There comes a time where you need to stop listening to other people, stop relying on other people and start worrying about what you yourself can do. You need to know yourself, know what you are capable of and use that right there to push yourself forward. It is not going to be easy to do, in fact, I feel like it is a lot more work than most people can handle but if you have a dream, chase it. Don't let the excuses you make for yourself stand in the way.

Speaking about excuses, we also have to overcome obstacles in life. I haven't been the happiest of people lately myself with all of these thought and things I want to do. I feel like I've been a bit down and beat up because of some stirred up emotions and all that nonsense. I am sure you can probably see it reflect in my work but I realize that in times like this, I really, really love the work I create. Every time I go out to shoot, I am alone with my drone just finding some of the most amazing things my eyes have ever seen; things that compare to the images I am inspired by online. When it is just me and my drone, I don't have to worry about anything else, no drama, no feelings, no games... just technical difficulties here and there ;) In the past few weeks, I have been coming up with more and more ideas of work that I'd like to do with my drone. None of it is work work, mostly all stuff I want to shoot myself and everyday I look forward to doing that because in the end, I know that is what will make me happy.

I've never been the type of person to rub what I do in peoples faces and brag about my accomplishments, I feel it is better to stay humble and respect others no matter what they do. I am not perfect by any means but I do strive to encourage people to do what they want with their lives and try to show them that there is nothing stopping them from chasing their dreams. I think from here on out, my goal in life is to continue to create my own work that has meaning to me and inspire others to be themselves and do what is important to them. Sometimes we need to forget about others, forget the opinions, judgement and criticism. Be yourself and don't let anybody stop you.

Time

Last week I turned 23. It's funny to look back and wonder where the time has gone. Five years ago, I was getting ready to go into my first year of college with the idea that I may want to major in psychology... The years flew by, I dropped that, studied photography and design and boom. Today, I have my own business doing something I absolutely love and five years ago, that was not a single thought in my mind. Sitting here now and thinking five years into the future is a thought with endless possibilities. I know that if I believe in myself, anything is possible and all I need to do is push for what I want in life.

Looking back, I realize I didn't really know what I wanted to do, I was too young to think about reality. I didn't know what to do with my time or how to use it in a way that could potentially benefit me later on down the road. It took some time to figure out what I wanted and it wasn't easy getting to where I am now. Through this whole process, I have really matured and not only learned to be myself, but learned to rely on myself as well. There are times to goof around and times to be serious, there are times to have fun and times to focus, and there are times to spend with friends and family and times to spend on work. All of this is valuable to me. Learning to manage my time has been difficult but after thinking about how fast the years have gone by, I think that I need to learn to appreciate "time" more. 

I can say now that I know what I want and I know what I am looking for, it's just a matter of getting there. This summer alone, I have been out as much as possible shooting with my drone, spending time with people who are important to me, and working my ass off to get more clients and work that I want. None of it has been easy and I don't expect any of it to be, but I look forward to keeping up with what I'm doing because I think there's a lot to come from it all.

Tomorrow I will be heading down to Wildwood for the 4th of July with my friend Tom. I never usually have plans or do anything on the 4th, so it was nice to be invited somewhere with someone to do something. Right now, I have a lot in mind and couldn't be more excited to get down there! I'm hoping to gather a little more content to add to my collections and by the end of this month I am planning on launching my first actual Drone Demo Reel. In the mean time.... Wouldn't write a blog this long without photos. Enjoy!

Good Vibes

I feel like every time I write a blog, I tell you all about how busy I am. I've realized that... I am very busy and the work seems to be never ending hahaha. This is not a bad thing, but it sure is important for me to be able to manage my time so that I can get my work done, make time to edit, write and also shoot my own personal content. I've been getting it back together this week and pushing myself to get up early again, I get to the gym around 6am and go home right after that so I can get my day started. I have to say that I feel so much better following this routine rather than going about my days with no schedule or plan of action.

I wanted to talk about my weekend in this post. It seems like every weekend can be the same sort of thing and almost just routine. Last weekend was fathers day and I got to go hangout with my stepdads side of the family and like always, eat some of the best food ever because they are such great cooks. It was that weekend I realized I needed a kick in the ass and after going out and shooting almost everyday the week before, I knew that I needed to keep up with that the following week, even with all of the jobs I had scheduled. Now, I don't work a normal job by any means, and I like that (most of the time lol). So after a day of work and being in the car between 3-5 hours, I would come home, upload, edit, run or whatever I had to do, only to get my stuff packed up and ready to go so I could go out and gather some personal content. I may seem crazy driving up to an hour or more away to photograph a certain place or thing, but to me it is 100% worth it. I always say there is something about flying that I love and it is just something I cannot describe. After I finish shooting, and I usually shoot from 7:30-9:30pm, I head back home to upload those photos and finish up the actual work I had from that day. Maybe some of you would recommend I don't go out and shoot on my own if I feel so busy.... But yeahhhh, no thanks. I will continue to go out and fly and get better and better because I know that is what it is going to take to get to the next level I'd like to be at.

So back to this past weekend and why it was something different. I have been writing for Fstoppers a little over a year now and am one of the youngest guys on the team. Through that entire year, I haven't had the chance to meet any of the other writers because we are spread out all over the world. I love being a part of this community because of all the knowledge that is shared, and all of the connections we have amongst one another. Anyway, Saturday was the first time I got to meet up with one of the writers and together we drafted up an idea for a pretty sweet drone article. Steve Kampff is currently out in NYC all the way from Ireland, shooting some product photography with a company in the city. I knew he has been out here for some time, but it was awesome to actually meet up with one of the other writers and just immediately become friends because of our field. Not to mention, for fun we went out to film a video and then went off to do some more flying near NYC, a bunch of nerds if you ask me haha but I am very glad that this was able to happen and I look forward to meeting up again and even meeting with some other members of the team!

On top of that I returned to a home in Ridgewood, NJ I had shot earlier in the week. Because the weather was so bad that day, I only ended up shooting interiors (which came out awesome) but I had to go back to do the exteriors and aerials. When I went back to the house to shoot it and finished flying the drone and all, the owner of the house Scott seemed to be interested in what kind of other work I did. I began telling him more and more about me and told him about my company when suddenly he tells me that he is a director. It was such a great opportunity to meet someone in that field who was looking to make more connections. I am hoping that I myself and even my company will be able to assist him at some point down the road!

Another long blog for you guys, but who even reads these?! It has been an awesome, very busy past few days and I feel great about everything that has happened. I will be keeping my head up, trying to have the most positive thoughts possible and see where life takes me next. If reading this was too much, here are a few photos from the past week or so!

Understanding

Recently I have been trying to keep my mind off certain things but it can be extremely difficult to do that sometimes. Late at night or randomly during the day, I find myself thinking about the past and how good everything once seemed to be. There just always seems to be something that can trigger a thought or memory in my mind and then I start to get carried away. Everything of course is fine but I am certainly in an odd phase and just need some time to deal with this whole situation. The one thing I can always do to help me out involves my camera, mainly my drone because I am trying to put out more work that has meaning to me. I find that when I go out to fly, my problems disappear and I focus on something extremely valuable to me, photography. I have mapped out several places that I want to travel to and photograph and plan to shoot as much as I possibly can this summer. I think it is great to step away from reality and go out to shoot on my own because it separates me from all the day to day drama and stress. Creating my own imagery is rewarding in the sense that I can practice my flying while having all of the freedom I want shooting. In the end, I come home with photos that have a real value to me. 

Most of these trips/photos I plan all on my own, I travel up to an hour or more away during specific times of the day to get the shots I have in mind. If they do not work out the first time, I always consider what I can do differently so I can return to get the image I want hopefully the second time. Everything from planning the location, time of day, finding a place to park and fly from, choosing lenses and filters to fly with, composing the image, coming back to see if everything is sharp,  narrowing down my choices and finally editing the image/images to look how I pictured it in my mind. A majority of my time is spent out shooting, I tend to get so focused on what I am doing that nothing else seems to exist around me. I almost feel like this is some sort of meditation for me and it is honestly something I cannot get away from. It is nice to have people join me on adventures like these, I love to pass on my knowledge and see others get excited about photos that they are able to create. One of the best things I can do is be here to help out others because I know that to them, that means a lot and if I was ever struggling or had a question, it would be great to have someone help me out. I unfortunately don't always have that option myself which is why I like to be there for others. I've come to realize that it is a lot more rewarding to help out people rather than to always worry about yourself; at least in my case that feels like the right thing to do. So on my journey's moving forward, I would like to hold myself to this blog and continue to challenge myself to go out and shoot.

With time, everything will sort itself out and hopefully everything will turn out to be better than it was before!

Wisconsin: Baileigh Industrial

This was our biggest trip yet and one of the most exciting steps forward for Simply Visual Productions. It was an honor to work with such a large company who was interested in stepping up their social media marketing and allowing us to take full creative control. For two full days, we shot in a warehouse that was rented out specifically for us. Baileigh brought over all of the machinery and had everything ready to go when we arrived on location at 6am to begin shooting both days. We worked till around 9pm the first day and till about 7pm the second day in the warehouse. Though the days were long, we accomplished a lot, filmed plenty of machinery and learned a ton about this equipment that was so foreign to us before hand. The other two days we spent filming some of the equipment in Baileigh's warehouse and finished up the last day shooting some of the building and lifestyle of Baileigh. Now we are left with the hardest part of the job which is to select the clips that will be used (I'm afraid there may be too many good ones).

The best part about this trip was creating a relationship with a new client. Being on set all day for 3-4 days in a row really allowed us all to get to know one another. We met the people who operate the machinery on a daily basis in their own shops, or in this case the "talent" that Baileigh flew out to star in the videos and show how their machinery works. All of the people we met were awesome, smart and extremely talented. It was amazing to gain some knowledge on all this stuff that makes no sense to me. It was funny because when I talk cameras, no one understands a word I say about lenses, bodies, aperture and so on... For once I found myself unable to understand the terms they were using for the machinery and other equipment but thats when I realized how passionate they were about what they do. In the end, we had all come together to create these videos for Baileigh Industrial. At times we hit ultimate levels of stress, but being on set with everyone, we knew that we needed to stay calm and keep everything going. I've never had so much trouble flying my drone, this was my first ever indoor flight. Once I figured everything out, I was finally able to execute some awesome indoor shots that I have to say I feel very accomplished about. 

Overall, I am very proud of the team and all of the people who helped on the other end. If it weren't for everyone there to help, none of this would have been possible. This goes to show that hard work pays off, and if you believe in yourself and know what you are capable of, there is no limit to the work you can do. I hope to be working with Baileigh again in the near future, creating more awesome videos for them to promote themselves and their machinery. In a few weeks I am sure we will be sharing some of this content!

Never Ending

It's the beginning of June now and I have moved out from my house near the beach, I feel like in a few weeks it will hit me that I really do miss it down there. A lot of weird things have been going on lately with certain relationships and things definitely have not worked out how I wanted them to. Maybe there is a reason for that, I wish it could be fixed, but I know the more I sit here and dwell on it, the more it will hurt me and hold me back. If things are meant to be, I believe that only time will tell. That being said, I know that it is time to rely completely on myself to do whatever I want/need to do in life. I have been doing my best to do the best work I possibly can, I have been upgrading my gear and learning how to use it and slowly but surely, I am getting better with it all. I am becoming more responsible, more understanding and more aware of investments I can make to help me out in future situations. Though the work is literally nonstop and I struggle to keep up with things, it is something I need to learn to handle. 

I just got my GH5 and filmed my first video with that yesterday, I think I did pretty well with some of the detail shots in this older home. My goal was to show what makes the house unique compared to others in the area which is also my goal for almost every other house I shoot. Day after day, I realize how grateful I am to be doing what I love and I am looking forward to going on a business trip halfway across the country to film some work for Baileigh Industrial this week. This job has been planned for a while now but it is such an accomplishment to know that Simply Visual Productions is being hired by a much larger company to put out some work for their social media pages. I was reminded of this when my buddy John called me up earlier telling me he had just spoken with the social media manager and said that he was already talking about having us go out for more work after this. I couldn't be more excited to be traveling and doing work for a company because just a year ago, I never thought this could be possible, it was just something I was dreaming of.

From all the work coming in to all of the personal work I am trying to keep up with and all of the people I am trying to help out; busy never felt so real. At this point in my life, I realize how important it is to put all the effort I can into what I do and continue to better myself in anyway I can, one of my main priorities in life is the work I do and I don't think that will ever change. I think it is time for me to sign off on this one and get back to everything! Here are a few photos to look at!

Memorial Day Weekend

I never really celebrate the holidays, nor do I care to unless there is actually something going on. I have had so much work lately that I just need to sit down and get going on it all. Instead of doing what most of my friends are doing which is going out, partying and hanging out all day, I need to give myself space and focus more on work because I'm not so sure what partying will do for me. I would love to have a break from all the work, but I need to know that I can still get all my stuff done without pushing it back and having to cram it all in and not do a good job with it. Lot's of stress lately, but aside from all the negative words I just threw out there about holidays, yesterday actually turned out to be a really great day for me.

Though I've been down in the dumps here and there, I had scheduled an appointment earlier in the week to do headshots of a good friends friend. She came over around noon and we talked, got her comfortable in front of the camera and took a bunch of photos for her to send out and use wherever she needs to. It was awesome to meet and work with this girl as she seems to be very passionate about music, singing and acting. She was also very good at playing the guitar and had an amazing voice, which I came to find out after she left. The hardest part about doing this shoot was that this good friend of mine and I aren't really on good terms. I have nothing bad to say about her because she is such an amazing girl, but I did not want to decline these headshots for one of her friends. At the end of the day, I think I did the right thing and I hope that she is able to make good use of the photos I took of her.

A few months back after I had bought my Inspire 2, I was left with three different drones. I knew that it was time to sell at least one and keep the other incase I ever needed it. Anyway, I ended up selling my drone to a 14 year old who lives a few towns away. I remember him coming here to pick it up with his parents and being really excited to have this new drone. It was a bit of an awkward interaction as I was not so busy during these months, but as time went on things changed a bit. Greg, this 14 year old turns out to be very interested in photography and video. He would reach out to me asking questions and looked up to the work I was doing. A few weeks back he was inspired to try a long exposure after seeing a one that I had posted. Turns out that he actually went out there, figured out how to do it and did a really good job with it. From there, he reached out to me and asked If I would be able to fly with him during the weekend when he would be at his beach house. After seeing how much he cared about all of this, I had to go fly with him and be supportive because I am so amazed that someone this young cares about what he is doing than some of my older friends even do. After taking the headshots, I packed all of my drone gear up and got ready to go out and fly with Greg; from here, my day really changed in the best way it possibly could.

When I got to Greg's house, his whole family was there enjoying a party of their own. As soon as I stepped out of the car, I was greeted by Greg's father, Greg, who almost seemed like a completely different person from when I first met him. He asked me about work and how business has been and we proceeded to talk for a while. After that, I spoke with a few of his family members and showed them some of my work and told them a little more about me and my company. It felt great to see that everyone I talked to was so interested in my work and that was something that really made me feel good. From there, Greg and a few buddies of his led me to the lake where I flew the Inspire 2 for them. Knowing drones, they were all really excited to see this one fly and had so many questions to ask about it. When we finished up there, we headed back and I let Greg check out a few of the files I had just shot. While we were back at his house, both of his parents invited me to stay for dinner and being that I had nothing else to do, I said yes and gladly joined them. Honestly, this whole experience was the best thing that has happened to me in a while. These people pretty much invited me, a stranger, into their house and let me eat with them, have a drink and hangout. I chatted with Greg's dad more, spoke with his uncle and some of his other family members and it made me realize how important family is. I am really fortunate that this ended up happening because I have been so negative lately dealing with people who are unhappy with me and unhappy with my work. I also live away from home, so I wasn't spending any time with my own family and it meant a lot that they were so welcoming and let me stay as long as I wanted. After dinner and all, we went out for one more flight and I returned to say thank you and goodbye. When I was driving home, all I could think about was how great Greg's family was and how I could never turn down a favor from them again. I hope that I will be able to teach Greg anything he wants to know about photography and hopefully one day he can become a part of my company.

Quite a long post there but I felt like I needed to share this because of how meaningful it was to me. After feeling down because of a situation I've been in month after month with someone I care so much about, I was able to pull myself out of it by being surrounded by such good people. On my way back home, I went out to fly once more in Belmar and got even more awesome stuff making my day that much better. If this was too much writing, then hopefully the visuals will be enough to satisfy!

Saying Goodbye

Another three weeks has gone by and I still haven't added another article. At this point, I guess you can just say I don't even have to make up an excuse for not doing it haha, I've just really been avoiding it in my free time. Who knew that work and life would become so stressful a year after graduating college. I have literally never been busier in my entire life than I am now and as good as it feels, it sure is a lot to take on! 

I don't even want to get into all the ups and downs I have been through lately, but pretty soon I am moving away from a place I have learned to love so much. For the past five years, I have lived in Long Branch NJ, right by the beach. I think the beach was what shaped me into who I am today and as cheesy as that may sound, I really do believe it's true. I have had the ability to go out on the beach during the winter months here and shoot whatever I want. I got a lot better at long exposures and really learned what it is like to be able to take in my surroundings while I am out shooting. More importantly than that, the beach was a training ground for me when I was learning to fly and shoot with my drone. I had tons of open space to fly and never had to worry about hitting anything or crashing into something.

After flying at the beach for nearly two years now, I realize the opportunity I have unlocked as an aerial photographer. At first, it was just something I wanted to try because I thought it was cool but it soon became a habit. I slowly learned to love flying and caught myself becoming immersed in the work I would do with my drone. Because of this, I was able to start using my drone to make money, as a part of my job... If you told me that a little over a year ago, I wouldn't believe that was something I would be able to get into. Today, I have a completely different mindset than I did last year. I see what can be achieved with drones and I strive to go out there and get better with mine every single day. Who would have ever thought that I would end up owning an Inspire 2 with an X5S?! That was literally a drone that I would used to dream about owning until one day I was fed up and told myself it was time to step it up if I wanted to go after the work I was looking for. I could not love my drone anymore and I am so happy that it has been able to help me get to where I am today. I have done a solid amount of work with it up until now, but that was just a start for what is to come in the next few months and years.

I guess I am writing this blog today because these past couple of weeks it has really hit me that I'll be moving away from the beach. Aside from photography, I have met some of my best friends down here in college and others after college that I am really very close with now. I have learned so much throughout the past five years I've lived down here that it has shaped me into who I am today. I look at myself now, knowing that I am an adult and that this next move is the beginning of my actual adult life where I completely support myself off my own work and my own income. You never really realize how much you love something until it's gone and this place I call home, I have to say goodbye to. As hard as it is to move on from this, I know that it is the right choice to make. All the people I have met, all the friends I have made and all the memories I have will be remembered as I look forward to pretty much starting a new chapter in my life.

 

It's Been a While

I have really been slacking with this whole blog thing recently as I find myself working on so many other things and being stressed out over all the work I've had. I should still have time to sit down and write a few things or share some photos, but it sure has been tough. Before it gets too late, I wanted to write about a few different things, mistakes, work and time. In the past few weeks I have realized why I have been stressed and realize that it isn't the end of the world as long as I can learn how to handle these situations.

Everyone makes mistakes, but I had made one big mistake at an important shoot and was lucky to find my way through it. I'm not sure if anyone reading this has ever lost files on their memory card because of a corruption, but that is exactly what happened to me and I was at a loss for words. Thanks to a good buddy of mine, Ishan, I was able to recover all the files I needed and not have to worry about screwing up the job I did. After the corruption mess, Lightroom began giving me problems and messing up even more files, so I had to sort that out. Though this technically wasn't my fault, I'm sure it could have all been avoided. However, I learned one big lesson from these stupid mistakes and that was to be more prepared in my profession. Things can go wrong but there is no higher up to deal with my problems or help me out so I have to use the recourses I have or rely on myself to learn from these mistakes and not make them again. Definetly a big awakening for me and a good kick in the ass for the work thats to come.

Work has been absolutely insane lately as well. I love it but the hardest part is dealing with the people and being able to please them. As I continue to shoot real estate, I am slowly starting to realize that I don't want to do the basic real estate stuff... boring wide shots of a room, aerials of the property, quick turn around times. Forget it. I want to start doing fun, creative work. Work that I enjoy doing. I want to go to a house and spend the time there to create something really special and amazing that will help future buyers say, "That's my next house." I want to take awesome photos, I want to take awesome aerials, I want to create amazing videos of the homes I shoot so that people can admire a place they can maybe soon call home. That being said, I am working on getting to that level with Simply Visual Productions and I think things are going to start coming together pretty soon.

Time. It hasn't been easy to make time for certain things. I have never been so busy in my life and I am happy that I am busy, but being busy and being my own boss means that I am the one that makes my schedule and I am the one that needs to be able to manage my time so that I can get all the work I have done. I have photo editing, video editing, music searching (hardest part!), emails, phone calls... I'm constantly in the car driving all over the state shooting. It isn't easy to make good use of time when there is very little of it. I have to say I am pretty good at managing my time and getting things done when I need to, but I do need time away from work where I can go out, enjoy myself and take a break from reality haha.

I actually did something recently that I have been wanting to do for a while. After seeing Mike Kelley's Aviation work, I was inspired to find a place near the airport where I could photograph planes. I brought my friend Britt along with me and we found a spot in Elizibeth where the planes would come in to land and we explored the area and shot away. This was my first time shooting planes, but I will share a few images I like. I hope to go back soon and try getting even better photos since I know what to expect. Aside from the planes, Britt happens to be an awesome and beautiful girl who loves to model. I was happy to block out some time for myself to spend it with her shooting! Anywho, that seems like a long boring blog, but here are some photos if you don't wanna read it all :)

Keep Moving

I always try to talk a little bit about myself in these blogs even though I'm still not too comfortable with it. This past week has been hard on me because I feel like I am letting go of someone who is close to me that I really care about. On my end, I know that maybe it's best to let it be for now and continue on with my life and my work. If things turn around let them, but I realize I have so much opportunity in front of me that maybe this is a good thing for the time being.

I realize that when I get into these phases, photography becomes an escape for me and creating images is a way for me to express my thoughts. None of this is completely intentional but when I look at these images, I relate to them in a different way then usual. I have also come to the conclusion that my favorite way to take aerial photos is by shooting straight down. Yes, I know I can tilt the camera in any other direction but this perspective is just so interesting to me. Every time I go out, I shoot this way...and I will continue to do so!

I have made another purchase which I feel is going to really benefit me and allow me to keep pushing my work. The new MacBook Pro will be arriving here today and I can finally work away from my desktop. I think this upgrade alone will make my life a lot easier and a bit more stress free so I am hoping I can really enjoy this new computer. It will be nice to finally get out of the office and be able to work wherever I want again, quite a luxury if you ask me (I've spent countless hours in my basement office because that's where my desktop is and it really takes a toll on me haha). I know I may be writing all boring and weird just cause I am a little upset, but I'll get over it. I am still happy to see things shape up and head in the direction they are with work and life in general; it's all just part of growing up. I know I still have a lot of hard work to get involved in, but I am ready for the challenge. I look forward to putting out work that myself and others can appreciate.