Los Angeles, CA —We are now in a truly multimedia world.   TV and Newspapers are on life support because of declining viewers and readership.   Today’s people want news on their terms, instantly, short, sweet and with compelling video. People want to see news on the iPhones and IPads.   They want it while they are between tasks. They seek it out while in the grocery checkout line or when waiting at the barber’s office or hair salon. The opportunities for citizen journalists are starting to surface.   Today the pay may be low but now’s the time to prepare.   You can be creative and lead the pack or be left in the dirt. You need writing skills.   Hopefully you learned them in school. Multimedia is the venue.   That means writing, photography, video and video editing.   You must be a master of all media forms.   You also need to learn how to transfer your work to the Internet.   Most people have some of these skills right now. ...

Los Angeles, CA —Officials here recently claimed that drone operators endangered lives by halting firefighting efforts.  Angry local politicians vowed prosecution and new legislation to remedy this “huge and life threatening ” problem. Photographic evidence supporting those reports is non-existent .  You’d think the crew members presumably are all armed with smart phones would have captured images to help identify the drones to assist investigators.  There are no pictures because this never happened!  Needless to say there are no captured drones either. As for those helicopter pilots making these reports they seem to forget that their massive propeller’s, prop wash would simply blow any little cameras drones away from their aircraft into oblivion.  A near miss happened? Really?  The high cost of these camera drones makes their owners very protective of their investments.  If they are reckless and crash them, all the the fun is over. According...

Los Angeles, CA —Report after report has been broadcast and published by the mainstream media alleging dangerous misconduct committed by people piloting little camera drones. “Experts” quoted in media reports are constantly citing serious danger and privacy concerns.   They all talk about the large number of the sighting reports as a reason to regulate, restrict or otherwise outlaw this new technology. There is just something really fishy about this propaganda campaign.   There is not one reported collision between a single little drone and any aircraft.   Despite the reality that absolutley everyone has a decent cellphone camera in their pocket there is not a single image of a drone even near an aircraft.   All  we have are unsubstantiated claims from various pilots flying conventional aircraft.   More importantly there is not a single death or serious injury involving a civilian multi-rotor camera drone despite the fact that more th...

Los Angeles, CA —As a long time photographer, licensed private investigator and television journalist I have to weigh in on drone regulation. For me it all began for me as a Chicago cop long ago.   I’m also a Viet Nam Era veteran. First of all there are no recorded deaths from the consumer drones that photographers are using.   Injuries and property damage has so far been so insignificant as to be totally off the radar. Our drone cameras are no different that your cell phone cameras.   You have to get really close for a recognizable face shot.   The cameras drone operators are using are not suited for such portrait photography.    Privacy concerns are way over-rated and are only a figment of paranoid imaginations . Our drones are electric and are not capable of making noise disturbances.   Yes, drones can be misused just like rocks, scissors and paper.   You can make a weapon out of anything and cause damage or harm....

'Okay I'm hooked on Drones for newsgathering, filmmaking and just plain fun.  I love Germany and the Netherlands and hope to retire there someday.  Here is some great video from yet another high-end offering into this new technology explosion! Cloudshots.NL | videoshowreel jan. 2014 from Cloudshots.NL on Vimeo . Cloudshots.NL | bevrijdingsfestival overijssel 2013 from Cloudshots.NL on Vimeo . http://www.aerialtronics.com/

Helicopter Crash Scene Courtesy of KOMO-TV Seattle, WA Seattle, WA —Tragedy struck this morning as a TV news helicopter crashed near the landmark Space Needle.   At least two people are reported dead and another is listed in critical condition at a local hospital.   At least three cars have been set on fire as result of the crash. TV news helicopters have a relatively good safety record, but every few years somewhere, these horrible accidents are repeated.    Over the years I’ve lost friends in crashes in Phoenix, AZ and Denver, CO that lost their lives covering news from the air.   Trust me, it always hurts. Aerial news coverage is necessary but can be a little risky.   It is also the single most expensive cost of most TV news organizations.   TV news has lost a major portion of its audience and revenue and many news organizations have curtailed or eliminated helicopter coverage altogether. Technology has brought us something...