A couple of years ago, my family and I were visiting Wrightsville Beach, NC. I got up early in the morning to capture sunrise photos. It was panning out to be a beautiful sunrise, as clouds were beginning to appear which really help make the color just stand out.

I captured a few shots with my digital camera, at the time a Canon 5D Mark III, and decided I wanted to take my drone up. I was a bit nervous flying it around the ocean. I’ve invested a good amount of money in it, and it only takes one accident for it to no longer function. Having it go into the ocean, would be a certain loss.

I’m not able to wear sunglasses very well while flying the drone and I had it up high enough it was getting hard to see. All of a sudden, I began to realize I may have lost it in the sky. I’m always super cautious with the drone as I know someone could get injured if I’m negligent.

I started to panic a bit. I always hesitate to trust the electronics to do what they say they will do. You never know what can happen. I like to be in control.

After a couple of minutes of searching, I hit the “return to home” button and it worked as it should. Soon enough I was able to see the drone flying back in my direction. The sun was just bright enough that I couldn’t see it. I was so thankful DJI had built that function into it’s drones.

The sunrise photos that morning with both my digital camera and drone were exactly what I had hoped for. I couldn’t have been happier with the results. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to shoot on the beach again and continue to push myself as I strive to be a better photographer.

I share that story today, because I know the value of constantly pushing to grow, learn, and develop. I’ve learned a lot more about my drone since then. I’ve become a better photographer since that day. I push myself because not only do I want to be better, but I want to ensure that my clients have a quality experience and end up with photos and memories they love.