[Reagan Lee | Banner] Dirk Dallas, assistant professor of graphic design, admires his drone as he demonstrates its capabilities. Dallas has been involved with drone photography for several years and has been featured in several publications for his work.
A drone lifts off the ground, its motors whirring and lights blinking as it flies clear of trees and takes off into the open sky. While the drone may have taken off with ease, it is only as steady as the person controlling it.
Dirk Dallas, assistant professor of graphic design at California Baptist University, is the steady controller behind “From Where I Drone,” a resource for drone photographers ranging from beginners to industry professionals.
Dallas began flying a drone a couple years ago, but has since become one of the leading aerial photographers with a following of more than 285,000 people. As a leader in the emerging area of drone photography, Dallas started to receive a variety of questions about his equipment, drone regulations and video settings.
“It was at that point I figured there were probably more people who had these same questions, so I decided to create a website with content anybody could learn from and be inspired by,” Dallas said.
The website contains articles ranging from the basics of flying a drone to teaching photographers and videographers how to build their own drone, as well as interviews with industry professionals.
While Dallas inspires thousands of people on social media, he also inspires CBU students to attempt drone photography.
Micah Emerine, junior film studies and graphic design double major, said he is interested in the way drones can be used for film and said what inspired him to start using a drone was the idea of being able to film from a different perspective that not many people have seen. “From Where I Drone” has been a helpful resource for Emerine in a variety of ways.
“It is cool we have such a platform to be able to see (all of the) logistics of the new rules and regulations, along with updates of software and more,” Emerine said.
After being featured in The LA Times, Travel and Leisure, National Geographic, Buzzfeed and Mashable, “From Where I Drone” continues to grow, receiving more than 25,000 hits a month.
Dallas said he hopes to continue to provide resources to aspiring and professional drone photographers and videographers as the landscape of photography and videography continues to be shaped by advancements in technology.
