We recently took the plunge and bought a drone, and our first trip with it was to Chesterman Beach, Tofino on Vancouver Island. Couldn’t have asked for a prettier spot for a maiden flight. Keep reading to see the shots.
CHESTERMAN BEACH, TOFINO, Vancouver Island
So we got a drone. It’s been a long time coming, and honestly, I can’t believe it took this long. Maybe if we had known how truly amazing flying a drone would be, we would have picked one up earlier. Because drones are seriously the coolest thing ever. Flying it for the first time was like being a kid and playing with that new RC remote control car on Christmas day. We were so giddy it was ridiculous.
We picked it up right before taking our week-long car camping trip around British Columbia. Knowing we’d be checking out some pretty spectacular areas, we thought it was a good time to pull the trigger. The drone we got is the Mavic Pro by DJI. DJI is the kind of the best known name in the drone industry, and they make a wide variety of drones in varying sizes. The Mavic Pro is one of their smallest drones, but it’s one of their biggest innovations. It’s perfect for the adventure photographers, like us, because it folds up into the size of a water bottle. It’s so light and compact that we can take it anywhere without thinking twice about it. And the camera on it isn’t too shabby either. It’s a far cry from our DSLRs, but it does a pretty great job capturing stunning images and up to 4k video.
Related: Wild Pacific Trail in Ucluelet, Vancouver Island
The first place we flew the drone was Chesterman Beach in Tofino, BC. I don’t think we could have picked a better spot. Tofino is a remote little surf town on Vancouver Island. It takes a 1.5-hour ferry ride and a solid 3-hour drive to get there, but the trek is totally worth it. If this area was tropical, these beaches would be packed. The sand is fine and soft and white and the beaches stretch for miles. Oh excuse me, kilometers. The coastline weaves in and out of rocky coves, giving way to small islands to the north and south that dot the horizon. But the temps here rarely go above 75 degrees. Oh excuse me, 24 degrees celsius. However, as luck would have it, we visited on what were probably the hottest few days of the year. We got to sunbathe on Chesterman Beach and enjoy comfortable temps that lingered in the 80s/upper 20s.
When the sun began to sink towards the horizon and the light took on that warm glow of golden hour, it was time to bust out the drone. We found that the first thing we always like to do when firing up the drone is to shoot it straight up. This motion alone gives you an incredible view of your surroundings like you’d never see unless you were in an airplane or helicopter. Except you’re standing on the beach and you’re seeing it on your phone and you’re the pilot and you can go wherever you want. It’s amazing. While in flight, we spent part of the time taking videos, part taking pictures, and part just zipping it around like giddy little children.
We came away with a few pretty cool images that show off the coastline around Chesterman Beach and Tofino. For our first flight, we’re very happy with the little Mavic Pro’s performance. The following day, we drove down to another coastal town in the area, Ucluelet, and played with the drone some more. If you like what you see here, be sure to check out that blog post too.
See more of The Foxes Travel Photography
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The Foxes are Brandon and Gabi Fox, an adventurous husband and wife wedding and elopement photography team living full-time in their DIY renovated 1972 Airstream. They are loosely based in the Pacific Northwest, but travel for work and play throughout the western states. Their work is best described as candid photography that captures couples as they are, where they are, blending images of love and natural beauty in the great outdoors.
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