Starting equipment for jobs

[AdoSA]

I've been digging through this forum and, man, it has been an eye opener I was really roving through the internet for best practical advices and know-how about different parts of using drones in different industries, and here I've found a lot of it.

Every different industy branch has it's own optimal drone hardware and software requirements and, because of that, I'm having second thoughts about my ability to do honest and good work with the gear I currently own.

I have DJI Mavic 2 Pro with DJI goggles and I am wondering what kind of services I can expect to provide to customers using mentioned gear?

Thanks guys.



EDIT:
Can Moderator please move this thread into general discussion board? My bad.

 

[BigAl07]

Welcome to the forum

I've moved the thread as requested. Thanks for asking. We like to keep the forum neat and tidy as much as we can.

I think your best option would be to take what you have and build some local business with it. Once you have some experience and skills you can then build a business around those. Keep in mind even with the best drone on the planet it's still just a tool and your skills need to be on spot to utilize that tool.

 

[clolsonus]

My work focus is pretty different from most people here, so I'm not the best one to give advice to your question. But it does create a lot of questions in my mind. What is the path to becoming a professional in some field? How do people become professional photographers (which is really what this is.) I bet everyone's path and story here is totally different, but I'm sure every story would also be totally fascinating.

For myself, in some small ways I could call myself a professional photographer now. Part of my day job involves collecting aerial survey images. I am doing this for engineering purposes (not artistic purposes.) Collecting and analyzing pictures is just part of the larger objectives for my day job. My path has been incremental over the span of 10+ years. My work has included building up our own airframes and our own flight controller hardware and software. I've also worked on my own image fitting/stitching software and image visualization tools. Some of that 'extra' work is because I wanted the satisfaction of doing things myself and learning what goes on under the hood. But some of that extra work has led to tools that are better optimized for my specific use cases.

So even for engineering/survey type photography, there is a lot to learn with respect to methodology, camera settings, post processing techniques, etc. This year finally I'm starting to feel pretty satisfied with my results ... like all this effort is finally starting to come together in a reliable and productive way.

My best advice is to take what you have and what you know; jump in and start doing. You can do some good work right away, but also expect a long term learning process. You don't instantly become a professional just from purchasing a fancy bit of gear. You learn over time what gear works best for your purposes (and sometimes that includes fancy gear.) Little by little you learn new tricks. For me, every time I go out and collect a new data set, I get thrown a new wrinkle and there is something new to learn or something new to account for next time I go out. You do your best with what you know right now, but always be learning. I don't feel like I know that much about anything. But I work at a university, and every year when new students come in, I see that I know way more than them. So something has happened over the years where I've learned a few things, and collected a few stories, and now find myself in a job that includes flying fixed wing uavs, multi-rotor uavs, collecting and processing survey images, collecting flight test data ... I'm living the dream ... at least until they figure out I don't really know that much about anything.

 

[AdoSA]

Well... Basically what I had in mind is to target Construction progress jobs, marketing photos and videos for realestate. Maybe even Construction or Power Companies inspections by giving their engineers oportunity to come close with the target of inspection using goggles?

I know there will be a lot of learning to do and I'm not afraid of it, in fact I'm looking forward to it. But a few tips can be a huge time (and money) saver for the noobs

 

[BigAl07]

Well... Basically what I had in mind is to target Construction progress jobs, marketing photos and videos for real estate.

Your current equipment will do that just fine. Start there and find where your business goes and expand when the need arises. You'd be surprised what a good business person with an eye for composure can do with average equipment.

Maybe even Construction or Power Companies inspections.....

It all depends on which avenue you go as to what the sensor requirements will be. Some will work with what you currently have both others will require different sensors.

by giving their engineers oportunity to come close with the target of inspection using goggles?

That's a new approach but I don't think it's a very viable one. Part of the beauty of our "tools" is we gather the data while the engineer stays in the office working. We deliver the data and they analyze it and make changes as needed. I'm not sure getting a Birds Eye View is going to save them much $$ but I have been proven wrong before. Never know until you try.

I know there will be a lot of learning to do and I'm not afraid of it, in fact I'm looking forward to it. But a few tips can be a huge time (and money) saver for the noobs

Good mindset!!!

Good luck and keep us posted.
Allen