I Got a DJI Spark Drone for Christmas - And Here's What I Learned

The biggest item on my Christmas 2017 wish list this year was a drone. I have been drooling over drone videos on YouTube for quite some time, wishing I was a) at each and every one of those beautiful locations and b) filming my epic journey with a drone, creating footage worthy of a Lord of the Rings movie.

My husband granted me part B of that wish. He bought me a DJI Spark drone for Christmas, and I nearly cried with joy.

My husband is the best ever! Thank you, thank you, thank you for my sweet drone!

But owning a drone isn't simply a matter of opening up the box and letting the drone fly. It is actually a fairly laborious (but fun) process to get your drone set up properly, learning to handle the controls and the machine itself, and determining the best ways to film with your drone.

I thank all of the lovely people out in Internet-land for helping to school me in all ways drone. The drone itself came with more literature than a research library, and I was overwhelmed at first by the sheer amount of steps and booklets that I thought I would have to wade through. Then I realized I have an entire world of information at my fingertips, and thus skipped over to YouTube and Google to learn how to get my drone working.

Just a little light reading before you fly your drone! 

First I found a brilliant website that explained how to go through all of the settings, how to link the drone to your phone, how to manipulate the controls, and so much more. It is a very easy to read site, and rather than regurgitate all of the thorough information found there, I'll just provide the link so anyone who needs to get all set up with a DJI Spark can head on over.

This tutorial from Drone Supremacy is extremely helpful! Check it out here.

Even better, I found a super helpful YouTube video where a detail-oriented host helped you to prep your drone, with steps so broken-down he does everything except show you how to open the box. I loved his tutorial, and this helped me immensely. I recommend watching this tutorial before you even open your drone up, just so you know what you are getting yourself into and how much time you will need to get everything up and running.

This tutorial is dope! He doesn't miss a thing - and he has many more, so check him out here.

Unfortunately, I wasn't that smart right from the start. My husband and I waited until our kids were all done opening gifts, had all of their toys set up, and once they were focused on playing, we began to muddle through the multiple booklets that had come with the packaging. Then we decided to test out the drone - before going through the above tutorials - and quickly learned we needed to prepare ourselves just a tad more before flying this amazing piece of technology.

Here is what I have learned so far about using a drone:

1. Learn your setting and controls BEFORE flying

Joey and I began reading (skimming?) the instruction manuals in an attempt to get the drone running on Christmas Day as we were both excited to see what it could do. It took us forever just to figure out how to properly turn it on, let alone get it connected to the wireless signal and my phone. (This is where the links above will come in handy for anyone just opening their Spark; these tutorials are a lot clearer than the instruction manuals that come with the drone itself.)

But then we got over-excited, which is really hard not to do with a sweet, sleek drone in your hands.

My propellers did not fare so well after my drone's first indoor flight.

Assuming that it would be a simple case of moving my thumb across the controls on the screen, I set the drone up and tried to slowly fly it around my living room. However, one moment of confusion and my thumb slipping the wrong way, and I SMASHED my drone into the ceiling! Our ceiling has that awful stippling on it, so the poor drone's propellers got all scuffed up in this altercation with the roof. The propellers weren't ruined, but my nice shiny new drone looked a little worse for the wear only moments after its inaugural flight. Sadness!

So try to reign in that enthusiasm. Do things the proper way.

2. Do NOT fly for the first time INSIDE your house

Which leads me to my next line of advice: fly your drone outside. Turning the drone on and allowing it to hover while still being inside is okay - it is a good way to see how the drone works, what the camera looks like, where all the controls are located and whatnot, but keep it to that. Once you start trying to move the drone around beyond the hovering position, move it outside. Or risk smashing the drone into the ceiling, where it will then stop flying and consequently smash into the floor.

Choose an open area when learning to fly your drone for the first time. Image via.

If you do have a collision, be sure to do a thorough safety check before flying it again. Make sure your propellers aren't damaged, your battery isn't damaged, and that all clips are secure and locked. One loose clip could mean your battery slipping loose, which means your drone will stop mid-flight and come hurtling to the ground.

Of course, other dangers come along with flying the drone inside your home. Running it into a window, person, breakable vase, or sleeping cat are all dangers I narrowly avoided while playing around with my drone in the living room.

3. Pay attention to where you are and what the air space rules are

Although you'd probably like to, you can't just fly your drone willy-nilly wherever you want. There are air space rules that you must follow, and breaking these rules can result in heavy fines.

Sometimes your drone will pick up on the fact that you are close to or in the middle of breaking air space rules. My drone notified me immediately that I was flying in a 'warning zone' and was precariously close to the local airport's air space. I was still able to fly as I was out of bounds, but certain rules apply to those warning zones (i.e.: don't fly above 90 meters) that you need to be aware of.

A cute little infographic of drone rules - but these are for Singapore. Image via. 

Some rules can be downright heartbreaking. For example, in Alberta where I live, it is illegal to fly your drone in national parks. That means in mid-January when we go to Lake Louise, I won't be able to video us exploring in the snowy wilderness or skating on the frozen lakes. I get why we can't use drones in the parks: they are loud, scare wildlife, annoy visitors, and can be nearly impossible to find if they crash. But I picture the beautiful footage in my head that will never be, and I feel sad. Oh well.

If you want to learn about the rules on flying drones in Canada, check out the Drone Safety Guide from Transport Canada. If you are reading from somewhere else in the world, do a quick Google search to find out what your nation's regulations are.

4. Do a little 'film school' education so you don't waste your drone's abilities

This is the step I am working on now, as well as simply practicing the actual flying of the drone. (I haven't had much chance to fly it, since my drone is not to be flown in below-freezing temperatures, and that's basically all it has been since Christmas. Lucky us.)

Learn about setting up shots, lenses, and other good-to-know facts of filming. Image via.

It is important to go beyond just starting the drone up and clicking record. No one wants to see bland, shaky, monotone footage, with camera angles all wrong and no point to the clip. Learn how to use the features on the drone's camera, and educate yourself a little on some filming basics.

I enjoy the website No Film School, which not only has specific articles and video tutorials on filming with drones, but also elucidates you on some basic film and editing premises to help you make the most of your time with your drone. This article on drone cinematography is very inspiring.

5. Time out your drone shots

One of the key things to keep in the back of your mind when flying your drone, at least the DJI Spark that I now own, is battery life. My drone only has a battery life of about 12-15 minutes, so my individual film sessions must be short and sweet. I have one extra battery, and a charger that holds three batteries, so if I buy one more battery and keep all three charged, I have a good 45 minutes of filming time in one session. Which isn't bad at all.

But always be aware of that time limit. Even if you have your drone set to "Return to Home", running out of battery too far from the ground could result in a horrible crash. My drone does tell me when the battery is running low, but if you were not paying attention and missed the little on-screen warning, you might end up with a flattened piece of technology.

Therefore it is strongly recommended that you plan out your drone shots before even taking flight. Do you want some B-roll footage of you walking down a trail? Plan out how many minutes of that shot you will need. Are you then hiking to a beautiful waterfall? How many minutes of waterfall reveal will you need, and how long do you want the drone to fly over the waterfall? Time it all out. It would be a shame if you spent all of your battery life filming that trail hike, only to have no juice leftover for the waterfall footage.

I need to practice, practice, practice, so this doesn't happen to my new baby! Image via.

BONUS TIP: This week I finally got around to charging the controller that came with my DJI Spark drone, instead of just using the DJI Go App on my iPhone. WAY EASIER! If any of you are considering just getting the drone without the controller, maybe in order to save some money, I suggest saving up for a just a touch longer and getting the controller as well.

The controller makes more sense physically, flies the drone smoother, and isn't half as touchy as the iPhone screen controls. There is even a space to click your iPhone into the controller so you can see what the drone is seeing, plus have the controls separate. Just my two cents!

And these are only some of the tips I have experienced and learned about in the two weeks since owning my drone. I was planning on having a silly 'learning to use my drone' video to accompany this post, but with all of the cold - scratch that - FREEZING weather we've been having, I haven't had a chance to really get out and take some goofy amateur clips.

It is starting to warm up here in Alberta, so perhaps I can get out with my kids and make a "Winter in Alberta" type film for you all, using my newfound skills as a drone pilot. Keep your expectations on quality low, and you're sure to be pleased!