There are some angles even the most skilled photographer just can’t get. For those moments when a striking angle is desired, any variety of crane, ladder, or precarious perch might do the trick, but for a sweeping, panoramic shot of a special event, like a wedding ceremony or reception, sometimes it pays to call in some tech-savvy help to get the desired effect.
AeroOptix is a Santa Ynez-based aerial photography company that uses the sometimes-controversial technology of drones. The state-of-the-art equipment used by Chris Kunkle, president and drone pilot for AeroOptix, allows for panoramic vistas captured by Max Werk, director of photography for the company, who uses a remote-control-operated Canon 5D Mark III. The two-man team focuses specifically on aerial photography and advises couples to employ their services as a supplement to photographers on the ground, Kunkle said, as their drone photography can capture images above and beyond anyone earthbound.
“If you have a videographer on the ground, you are limited to where you can walk and as high as 6 feet and as low as the ground,” Kunkle said. “With equipment like a crane, you’re limited to how high it can go. With a drone, it is super smooth, and the technology is so new, that people’s minds are blown by what you can get with it.”
The aerial perspective is one that Kunkle knows well. He has 15 years of experience as a professional pilot, including helicopter piloting, and has always been an avid fan of RC helicopters. Spending a lot of time in the air inspires a different view and outlook, he said, especially when considering a subject to photograph
“I’ve always been able to see that different perspective, the above, being able to see over the top of something,” he said. “The biggest thing that people like is that it is something different, a different perspective, the bigger picture.”
Kunkle’s years of piloting have instilled a sense of safety, which definitely extends to remote-operated aircrafts such as drones. The drone he uses for AeroOptix productions is no rinky-dink toy for hobbyists, but a state-of-the-art OctoCopter that boasts eight rotor blades, which necessarily requires a proper amount of caution when operating. Kunkle and his team employ the larger drone in order to safely fly with the heavy, high-quality cameras that capture stunning aerial images and video.
Especially when weddings are concerned, Kunkle tries to keep the craft’s flight pattern unobtrusive. The walk down the aisle or an important speech is not the time for a buzzing, blinking aircraft to intrude. AeroOptix productions focus on a sense of scope and gravitas that only aerial photography can elicit, he explained.
“Where we use it that makes it super special is obviously a big, open area, a special place, and pull in some local features,” he said. “Santa Ynez is super huge because there are so many vineyards, so you can do some shots coming up from the vineyards, or those big huge estates, and reveal the wedding, it gives it more of that production-quality feeling.”
Book a drone
AeroOptix Aerial Photography provides drone photography and videography for weddings, special events, and commercial projects. More information is available at aerooptix.com, 350-0499,
or info@aerooptix.com.
Arts Editor Joe Payne is keeping his eyes on the sky. Contact him at jpayne@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Feb 12-19, 2015.