If I could turn back the hands of time, I would have spent more money on a wedding photographer who captured really great photos of one of the best days of my life. No offense to my photog, who shall forever remain nameless and certainly made my wallet happy, but if you glanced through my album, you'd assume the only people invited to our ceremony were my husband and me. You'd also think I spent the larger part of the day gazing adoringly at my reflection in an ancient-looking hand mirror.
Now, if I were New York Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney, none of my terrible pics would exist. The representative was recently married, and his super-hip photographer had the bright idea to enlist the help of something truly original in order to capture the perfect aerial photos of his wedding: a drone.
Drones haven't exactly won any popularity contests lately, namely because some leaders have used them to spy on other countries or attack them. But the remote-controlled devices have amazing potential, as far as photography is concerned.
All a wedding photographer has to do is mount his or her camera on top of a drone and send it flying into the air to snap pics. Judging by the Congressman's amazing photo album, you can get a gorgeous collection of bird's eye pics. It's truly special if you're having an outdoor wedding and want a photo that gives you a sense of the landscape and how many people were in attendance.
While we have no idea how much something like this would cost -- um, a heck of a lot? -- we do know it isn't exactly legal. The Federal Aviation Administration requires that ordinary folk get approval before flying a drone for recreational purposes. Their exact language: "Don't fly model aircraft for payment or commercial purposes."
There goes that idea, photogs. Or maybe not.
Maloney's photographer says he got permission from the sheriff's department to use the drone and that he was careful to keep it far enough away from people so that it wouldn't cause anyone harm. And, so far, he hasn't gotten in trouble by the FAA.
But the jury's still out on whether brides-to-be will be able to purchase the "drone technology wedding package" at their venue. Seems like a pretty extreme measure, if you ask me. Can't a talented photographer get just as nice a photo standing on a really tall ladder?
Would you use a drone to photograph your wedding?
Image via Curtis Pennell/Flickr