{Most professional} drone photographers cease working towards primary flight maneuvers as soon as they’ve mastered their craft. Joanna Steidle — with over 35 worldwide awards and options in Smithsonian Journal—flies round her ceiling fan not less than 10 occasions per week.
“Even when I hit it proper as soon as, you simply preserve working towards,” she stated, in an unique interview with The Drone Woman.
It’s a small element that reveals one thing essential about how Steidle has constructed one of the acknowledged portfolios in drone images. Whereas many photographers chase the newest gear or probably the most unique areas, Steidle has constructed her success on what’s much less glamorous — spending time on participating on social media, technical mastery, deliberate constraints and an nearly obsessive consideration to craft.
What gear Joanna Steidle makes use of nowadays
When DJI launched the Mavic 4 Professional, Steidle wished to attend.
“I actually wished to attend and get the second within the sequence,” she stated. “I at all times discover that the second within the sequence is so a lot better.”
It’s an uncommon philosophy in an business pushed by early adopters and equipment opinions. However Steidle has realized that the latest expertise isn’t at all times the very best instrument for the job — and that mastering what you will have issues greater than always upgrading.
She ultimately bought the Mavic 4 Professional solely due to considerations about potential bans affecting future availability. However months later, she nonetheless hasn’t opened the field.
“I haven’t even turned it on but,” she stated.
As an alternative, she continues capturing all her award-winning high-quality artwork images on the Mavic 3 Professional — a drone she is aware of intimately. Most award-winning pictures in her portfolio have been shot on that very same platform.
Her full package displays this purposeful strategy:
- Mavic 3 Professional: For all high-quality artwork images work
- Mini 4 Professional: Reserved for educating classes
- Avata 2: For FPV footage by way of timber and fast-paced business work
- Phantom 4 Professional: An older mannequin she’s held onto for a “actually inventive” summer time mission (keep tuned!)
The technical calls for of aerial high-quality artwork
When Steidle says she will spend weeks enhancing a single {photograph}, she’s not exaggerating.
“Folks need six to eight toes on their wall,” she explains. “I have to get down into each little pixel so as to enlarge and nonetheless keep that readability.”
That stage of element requires a basically totally different strategy than most drone images. She’s not simply adjusting publicity and saturation. She’s analyzing the feel of water, the readability of bubbles, the best way gentle interacts with natural surfaces, all at a scale the place any imperfection turns into instantly seen.
Her dolphin “Motherhood” sequence exemplifies this problem.
“It’s very uncommon to get that type of readability on bubbles transferring that quick,” she stated.
The bubbles needed to be sharp sufficient to enlarge dramatically whereas nonetheless showing pure. Every required particular person consideration.
Mastering gentle by way of repetition
Some of the technically demanding features of Steidle’s marine life images is one thing that sounds easy: positioning the drone relative to the solar.
“As soon as I take the drone up and I see the situations by way of solar and lighting, I fly up, I fly out in direction of the solar, I flip round, I maneuver the drone so I can see the very best angles,” she stated. “Generally capturing just a little extra into the solar is an efficient factor — you’d be shocked — and generally it’s not.”
That dolphin shadow falling completely on the mom’s stomach on the picture above? That required figuring out precisely the place the solar was, how the shadow would fall, and positioning the drone on the exact angle to seize it. It wasn’t luck. It was technical execution primarily based on understanding gentle.
Equally, her “One other World” {photograph} — that includes cow nostril rays transferring by way of colleges of baitfish — benefited from solar rays penetrating crystal-clear water.
“There wasn’t a number of touch-ups on that as a result of the solar rays have been simply so good the best way they got here by way of,” she recollects. “Nevertheless it was only a matter of pulling out these greens and lights and highlights.”
Why Steidle doesn’t usually journey for her drone work
Whereas many drone photographers diversify their areas, topics and kinds (and spend hundreds of {dollars} touring the world to take action), Steidle has intentionally constrained herself geographically — and argues it’s made her higher.
Geographically, she focuses nearly completely on the East Coast. Topic-wise, she concentrates on marine life, coastal patterns, marshes and top-down abstracts.
Her picture enhancing software program
She began utilizing solely Photoshop, educating herself by way of trial and error. Ultimately she added Lightroom, however reluctantly.
“It wasn’t till somebody stated, ‘You gotta do Lightroom now, sufficient’s sufficient, you’re a photographer,’” she recollects.
Lately she accomplished a DaVinci course for colour grading and masking. Every new instrument will get added intentionally, mastered completely, then built-in into her workflow.
“If you self-teach your self, you miss loads,” she acknowledges. “There’s a number of these little basic items that may actually make your time, prioritize your time and actually put it to use to the very best of your capability.”
That’s why, regardless of 35+ awards, she nonetheless takes programs. That’s why she nonetheless practices flying across the ceiling fan. Technical mastery isn’t a vacation spot — it’s steady refinement.
The flying abilities others overlook
When Steidle talks about utilizing the Avata 2 to fly by way of timber at excessive pace or navigate tight indoor areas, she’s not simply exhibiting off. She’s sustaining abilities that immediately enhance her wildlife images.
“I actually do wish to fly quick,” she stated. “I’d reasonably fly as quick as I presumably can at each given second. And I believe it was one of many main issues that I struggled with, was slowing down for cinematic footage. I used to be like, ‘That is so boring,’ however it’s stunning. And it’s what sells.”
That stress between her pure flying type and what the work requires compelled her to develop exact management in any respect speeds. Quick FPV flying builds reflexes and spatial consciousness. Sluggish cinematic flying builds persistence and smoothness. Collectively, they create a pilot who can place a drone precisely the place it must be when a pod of dolphins seems unexpectedly.
The marine life images requires each ability units. She wants the persistence to hover in place for prolonged intervals, waiting for habits. However when the second comes — when the sunshine hits the dolphin calf at precisely the proper angle — she wants the reflexes to seize it earlier than it’s gone.
“I had my shutter proper, I had all the pieces in line, I had all the pieces ready,” she stated of the dolphin shot. That preparation solely issues for those who can execute when it counts.
Minimalism in her aerial images
Steidl describes a lot of her work as minimalistic, but it surely’s a technically demanding minimalism.
“I need to deal with the coastal line, the marine life, sand patterns, marshes, top-down abstracts,” she explains. Every requires totally different technical approaches however shares that minimalist aesthetic — exhibiting simply sufficient to inform the story.
What’s subsequent past working towards round her ceiling fan
“If you consider it, I’ve solely been doing images for 5 years. I’m actually solely in my infancy,” Steidle stated.
For somebody with 35+ awards, that assertion would possibly sound like false modesty. However she means it technically. She’s recognized particular abilities she needs to develop: higher colour grading, extra refined masking, superior strategies for managing large-scale prints.
“I positively don’t assume my work is so improbable it doesn’t want enchancment,” she stated. “We at all times have to focus and enhance, whether or not that be simply flying abilities… you simply preserve working towards.”
It’s that technical humility — mixed with confirmed mastery — that separates skilled craft from beginner enthusiasm. She is aware of what she’s good at. She additionally is aware of precisely the place she will enhance and actively works on these particular abilities.
When she talks about her upcoming humpback whale lunge-feeding mission, she’s not simply eager about getting fortunate with a spectacular second. She’s eager about the technical problem of capturing one thing “you may’t get from a ship” — a top-down perspective of whales charging open-mouthed by way of baitfish, with readability on each the whales and the scattering fish.
That’s a technical downside requiring particular options in positioning, timing, publicity, and post-processing. It’s the type of problem that retains her working towards across the ceiling fan.
As a result of even after 35 awards, there’s at all times another technical ability to grasp.
Observe Joanna Steidle’s work on Instagram @joannasteidle or go to JoannaSteidle.com to see her newest marine life images and technical approaches.
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