Drone Pilots Racing for 1 Million in Dubai

Drone Racers competing for for 1 Million in Dubai

The world's biggest drone racing competition.

The inaugural World Drone Prix which will take place on March 11 and 12 in Dubai will feature 32 competitors who will try to navigate their aircraft through an obstacle as fast as possible.

Over 100 teams have been invited to compete in Dubai following a series of pre-qualifying events in Los Angeles Seoul Berlin and cities across China this year.
That tournament will take place March 7 and 8 and whittle the field down to the top 32 racers.

The 1 million will be divided across different categories including:
best track team
best lap time
freestyle team
and best constructor for these custom-built drones.

Fans will vote on a Best Team award winner.
This marks the first drone racing event in an annual calendar of global competitions organized by the World Organization of Racing Drones to promote the advancement of drone sport and drone technology.

Drone pilot Ryo Rex who founded the separate Aerial Grand Prix series of races in Los Angeles in 2014 and is working with World Drone Prix says this is peek into the future.
The outdoor physical track was custom built for drone racing to include obstacles and other challenges for the racers. Over the last two months the team has gathered the best engineers and partners from around the globe to create micro-race technology that has never been done before in any technical sport Rex says referring to the miniature drones that race at high speeds and in close proximity.

There are other drone competitions but nothing on this global scale. Rex says Drone Racing League is currently a web series open only to selected pilots who compete within a small group and it's not open for entries from the public.

World Drone Prix initiated its mission by opening the selection process to the entire world Rex says. World Drone Prix competitors were chosen based on videos they submitted of them piloting drones in a way that met certain guidelines. Pilots are allowed to use any kind of drone and components which Rex says opens up the league to the hundreds of drone manufacturers that want to gain publicity.

Drone Racers from around the world currently fly and compete in parks fields canyons parking garages inside office buildings warehouses and underground caverns and over oceans. The Organisers of the Grand Pix hope this event elevates the hobby to a professional grade sport.
A few have taken the leap towards a full-time drone pilot Rex says. Some have their own drone manufacturing companies some are fully sponsored by corporations. We hope this continues so more pilots can do this full-time. Rex also sees a role for virtual reality in the league's future.

The initial events will be livestreamed in high definition in 2D but 360-degree video is just around the corner. As digital 360-degree VR improves we will see the racing and competition formats expand to accommodate for the technical innovations Rex says. VR would make things a lot more realistic further transporting your consciousness into the seat of the drone. Many pilots use virtual reality headsets to steer their drones through racing events because it offers a better view of the action.

Drone Racers first race in Washington

Rugged Sky Media and Drone Racers have partnered to host Race X the Washington D.C. region's first first-person view drone race and show on Saturday April 2 from 2 11 p.m. There will be a team and solo competition at the event which will take place at Dulles SportsPlex located at 21610 Atlantic Blvd. Sterling. The companies hosting the event have invited local and national vendors to demo and sell hobby drones and supplies at the event. Registration for the event has started. Tickets can be purchased for 8 online and 10 at the door. Those who purchase their tickets online will have their name entered into a raffle to win a drone. For more information visit ruggedsky.comracex. See More at Drone Racers<

Is Professional Aerial Photography at an affordable price finally here with the help of the newest drones?

Is Professional Aerial Photography at an affordable price finally here with the help of the newest drones?

Most aerial cinematographers will be most interested in what's become of the onboard camera. The news is good, extremely good, especially for those who were thinking of forking out on the Inspire 1. Why? Because, to all intents and purposes, the Phantom 3's new camera is the same as that on the Inspire 1, only in a different shape. Both Phantom cameras now feature Sony's 1/2.3" 12mp EXMOR sensor and the same non-fisheyed 94˚ field of view as fitted to the Inspire 1.

Better still, like the Inspire 1, the Pro model is capable of shooting 4K footage at up to 30fps (the Advanced model's highest res is 1080p at up to 60fps). This is groundbreaking stuff for aerial imaging buffs that could perhaps even damage sales of the Inspire 1. After all, the price difference between the Phantom 3 Pro and the Inspire 1 is a whopping £1,220.

However, if you're thinking of changing your mind about an Inspire 1 and downgrading your thoughts to a new Phantom 3, first bear in mind the differences between the two. In terms of wind stability, the Inspire wins hands down; it's a superbly solid flyer. Also, the Inspire 1's camera gimbal can be swivelled independently of the craft's orientation (a full 360˚ in fact) and even operated using a second hand controller.

The Phantom 3, on the other hand, is fitted with a 3-axis gimbal that can only be swivelled 90˚ to 30˚; this means the craft would need to be orientated in the direction of the subject being shot. Also, the Phantom 3's legs cannot be raised. Finally, there's crashworthiness to consider. In this respect the Phantom's definitely the one to go for. This tried and tested bird is tough as nails (gimbal notwithstanding), cheaper to fix in the event of a mishap and, with that new camera on board, just as well equipped to take stunning hi-res aerials. These are, also, considerably more affordable.

Like Extreme Sports? This Drone’s for You

Like Extreme Sports? This Drone’s for You

If you’re into extreme sports, be it anything from motocross and BMX racing to skateboarding and wakeboarding, you’ve always imagined hanging up a poster-size photo on the wall capturing sick footage of your adventures.
But unless you’re Tony Hawk, you couldn’t afford to hire an entire camera crew and a helicopter to shoot the amazing aerial footage you’ve dreamed of.

Until now. Aerial drones are putting those insane aerial still shots and videos within reach for action sport lovers everywhere. And while there are a number of drone models you may be considering

reasonable price and GoPro compatibility have all made the IRIS+ a popular choice for drone pilots. But there is one feature that makes the IRIS+ the must have drone for anyone involved in high adventure action sports and recreation: Follow Me technology.

More Info On This Drone Follow Me technology provides you with the ability to turn your IRIS+ drone into a hands free, aerial camera crew. Follow Me tethers the drone to a GPS-enabled Android device such as a phone or smart watch. Once tethered, the IRIS+ can track your movements from a number of flight modes, including the ability to follow you, lead you, orbit you, fly directly above you, or fly on either side of you. The potential shots are endless. Soon you’ll be making videos that even make Shaun White jealous.

More Info on this Drone

extreme snowboarding

The Illustrated Guide to Snowboarding offers one of the most useful guides to snowboarding for people from any level, whether beginners wanting to learn more about the sport and get their techniques sharpened, up to instructors and professionals seeking to further hone their skills on the slope. Reader reviews and feedback on this book showed that it has a lot of useful drills featured that helped them improve their game immensely after repeated practise. The drills are written in a step by step fashion that seems ambiguous at first, but makes complete sense once you actually try them out. Furthermore, the book's coverage is all-encompassing, including tips for beginning, to intermediate, to advanced skill levels. The approach taken by the author is both humorous and scientific, employing small drawn illustrations to show drills and techniques. While there are few actual pictures involved, these hand drawn illustrations are funny to look at and yet maintain a good degree of accuracy in portraying the skills and techniques being demonstrated. The author uses a lot of jokes and quips interspersed with facts and the illustrations are likewise a mix of serious, factual ones and cute, cartoony renderings of snowboarding stuff. Most professional instructors in snowboarding who read this book found new drills and skills they could teach their classes inside the beginner sections, so this book's coverage is quite extensive. Furthermore, the author knows that certain skills can ONLY be conveyed though actual practice and demonstration, so he goes out of his way to state when certain skills are best acquired through a snowboarding instructor. One of the sections that a lot of readers will probably find useful is the chapter on snowboard care and maintenance. Where most how-to books devote footnotes or at best, a few pages to the care and maintenance of equipment, Kevin Ryan actually goes out of his way to write an in depth full chapter on tips for taking proper care of your snowboard. There is even a section on the ergonomics of skateboarding, covering the proper way to carry and ride a board to minimize the physical strain on the snowboarder. This also includes explanations on the physics and mechanics of snowboarding. While not exactly necessary for most people, this chapter is useful for people who are more technically inclined, like say, industrial designers who might be out to design a new type of snowboard. Unlike some instructional books, this book does not seek to replace the need for an instructor, but instead seeks to augment and expand on the knowledge gained from working with a good qualified snowboarding instructor. For those who insist on learning everything from a book and doing it themselves, however, the book's attention to detail and exhaustive explanations of the mechanics of snowboarding are actually enough to let them get by and teach themselves through practice and repetition. This book is 336 pages long, and it's first edition was published by the renowned book company McGraw-Hill back in 1998. Despite being published 8 years ago, to this day it remains one of the most popular and sought after instructional books for snowboarders. No matter what your skill level, it's guaranteed that you will benefit from reading this book that is already considered a classic "encyclopedia" in the sport by avid snowboarding enthusiasts.

Will Camera Phones Destroy Photography?

Will Camera Phones Destroy Photography?

In any “photo op” moment any more, it is impossible to miss the invasion of the camera phone. Where it used to be easy to tell when a camera was around and if people had them handy, now anyone with a phone could be a clandestine photographer. Even at occasions that used to be ruled by the professional photographer such as weddings and the like, we now see those dozens of hands going up snapping photos with camera phones that seem to dominate the scene.

Conventional photography is a highly developed art form and profession. The precision of the equipment and the ability of photographers to deliver a high quality product to their customers is well known and the result of decades of evolution of the craft. But today it is possible for anyone to become an amateur photographer using that tiny cell phone in their pocket or purse.

The question needs serious consideration for three audiences. For the professional photographer, is this the end of your profession? Will digital phones wipe out your customer base and make you obsolete? For the aspiring photographer, what about your future? Should you even invest in learning to use the sophisticated equipment that makes professional photography so superior? Why bother if camera phones are going to make it all obsolete? And for you the consumer, can you get the same quality of photographs with using camera phones as you can by hiring a photographer?

These are valid questions. It is very common when a new technology begins to make inroads into a profession for the old guard of that profession to feel threatened. It happened when television came along and the media called it the death of radio. It happened when talkies and then color was introduced to movies and television and at each technological improvement in the music world. And with each dire prediction of the demise of an industry, the opposite took place and that industry adjusted, evolved, got better and prospered all the more.

So there are good reasons not to worry that camera phones is going to destroy photography as we know it including…

* Camera phones cannot achieve the same levels of quality. There is a good reason that the professional photographer has invested in the highly sophisticated equipment that he has in his studio and that he or she takes to a shoot. The many years and decades of research have surfaced the problems with quality that primitive equipment could not deal with. Modern photography equipment has precise instrumentation to handle lighting issues to properly frame each photograph and to produce a professional quality outcome that people want from a wedding, a portrait or any kind of professional photography. You can bet that forensic photography, fashion photography and photography for publication will ever be willing to accept the low standards of quality that are the outcome of camera phone pictures.

* It’s an amateur game. When you see kids holding up their camera phones at a concert to steal a picture, you know that device is not going to result in a professional quality shot. This is especially true in a live setting like a concert where there are myriads of issues such as lighting, visual noise and other problems that have to be overcome with sophisticated instrumentation just not available on a camera phone. Camera phones are an amateur photography device. And they will always occupy that niche.

* Standards of the final product would be compromised. And high standards of quality are what make professional photography a value to it’s customers.

This is not to cast camera phones in a negative light. They have their place and they are great fun. But we in the professional photography world have nothing to fear from the growth of this technology.

Extreme Kayaking - Kayaking at Your Own Risk!

Extreme Kayaking - Kayaking at Your Own Risk!

Generally speaking, kayaking is something everyone can do. It does not require any previous knowledge or experience, and as long as you're in average shape, you can participate in this easy-going, tranquil experience out on the water. Another popular water activity is whitewater rafting. This on the other hand isn't so calm and relaxing, but more exciting and thrilling. You don't need any experience to try your luck at whitewater rafting, but you do need to be in good shape and be able to swim. Extreme kayaking is a sport that combines these two popular water sports, and is typically reserved for those with experience and confidence in raging waters.

Extreme kayaking can be done in many ways, but most experienced kayakers prefer to slide down the face of a waterfall and land into the busy waters below. Therefore, the equipment used in extreme kayaking differs greatly from that in classic kayaking. Extreme kayaks are built to withstand the rugged waters and speed. The most popular materials used to make these boats are fiberglass and Kevlar, making for a durable surface if scratched or damaged in any way. The boats range in size for extreme kayaking, from big enough to hold one person to twelve feet or longer.

The International Scale of River Difficulty places the difficulty of rivers into classifications. This is how to decide where the best conditions are for extreme kayaking. Typical kayaking is done on rivers with a Class I grade, being the smoothest and tranquil waters. Extreme kayaking is done on Class III-IV grades, which are recommended for advanced kayakers only. There are different types of extreme kayaking and not all of them involve plunging down a waterfall into a flowing stream of rugged water. If you're comfortable with your ability to handle rough water but not yet ready to take a 45 foot plunge, you can try out river running. This is a form of extreme kayaking that promises bumps, twists, and turns down rocky waters, but doesn't involve kayaking off any cliffs or down great distances. An extension of this is called "creeking", where extreme kayakers can experience a little more excitement by closely riding the ledges and creeks and dropping down shorter waterfalls.

Freestyle extreme kayaking doesn't involve making your way from one point to another, but rather staying in one spot as you work against the current and using various maneuvers to stay above water. This is sure to be a physical challenge and should only be attempted by expert extreme kayakers.

Asheville, North Carolina is a popular spot for extreme kayaking. Asheville offers three different classes of river difficulty, making it ideal for beginners and expert extreme kayakers. The most famous creek for whitewater creek is Big Creek, and is used daily by extreme kayakers. You can also find rapid waters ideal for extreme kayaking in areas of Oregon and Colorado. A search of the internet will provide you a list of ideal locations nearby and all across the country.