If you are near LOTO talk to David Dilks from Lake Shots Photography, he took pictures my boat during the Shootout. I bought the hi res. rights to the photo for a very reasonable price and had large prints made.

" drones are the future...period"

I won't pay hundreds of dollars for pics anymore when someone can hover a drone and film a few passes in 4K and I can pick endless screen shots and have them printed at Costco. I wish the helicopter photographers well but this is the new reality.

The wind is not going to push a drone 10 mph faster , mine certainly wont . DJI inspire is $5k and will go 59 mph in the best of condition sthats the fastest drone I`m aware of . You`re not getting those shots Pete and helicopters do.
and trying to do it while operating the boat is nearly impossible. I`ve tried all summer with little success. A second person on land is the only option.

My first drone I bought because it was the fastest in the category and teh follow me mode was a joke. More like me following the drone.
The DJI products are much better but trying not to lose a drone on the water can be fun. I landed mine on the hatch and a gust of wind took in right into the lake. there went $1200.
Nice option with DJI is you can catch and release them in your hand, much safer on water .

I really like the automatic modes on the DJI ..

Follow me mode ... doesnt:

Mark the mooner. As in Mark Brennan??

Very cool videos but where are the waves?

Yup. lol
3rd, waves means wind, I`m trying not to lose a 2nd drone this year lol

The high drone pics are cool!

They could well be.

But at present, when it comes to high-performance powerboat running shots drones don't produce anything close to what a skilled professional photographer in a helicopter with an equally skilled professional pilot can.

Of course, not all photographers and helicopter pilots are created equal.

Fixed it: