The Legalities of Aerial Photography: Understanding FAA Regulations
When we talk about photography that is done from midair, more technical implications are at play than just the methods and approaches of photography. If you are aspiring for a profession in aerial photography you also need to bear the FAA regulations in mind. They are one of the most important elements that can keep you away from legal hassles.
FAA regulations
FAA stands for Federal Aviation Administration. The Federal Aviation Act was created in the year 1958 under the Federal Aviation Agency. Currently, this agency is under the Department of Transportation. The main role of this body is to regulate safety in civil aviation. Since aerial photography is done with the help of helicopter or drone-driven cameras, certain FAA regulations are also applicable in this context.
A new challenge
The introduction and the consequent popularity of Aerial Photography that is facilitated by drone-driven cameras have generated a considerable amount of challenge for the aviation community and also the FAA. Aerial drones are also known as unmanned aircraft systems. They are different from manned aircraft. In this context now the FAA is taking some concrete steps to safeguard aerial photography done through aerial drones.
Understanding the requirement
These rules of the FAA regarding aerial drone photography are more than imperative since the USA has one of the most intricate airspaces in the world. In the current times, the FAA approves and authorizes the application of aerial drones or unmanned aircraft systems for business or commercial requirements. Flying an aerial drone without knowing the rules of the FAA can put you and your business into the clutches of legal regulations.
Applicability of the regulation
With all that is said so far now a question may arise that what kind of activities requires approval from the FAA. The following are some of the aerial photography contexts which must be approved by the regulations of FAA:
- If you are taking photographs with the
help of an unmanned aircraft system or an n aerial drone.
- If you are using aerial photography
services done with the help of aerial drones where the final images and
the photography services are being sold as contract services for factory inspection
and that inspection of industrial equipment.
- Using the services and the images of aerial photography to customers like telecommunication companies and security agencies.
Different genres of Aerial photography
Even within the slim margin of aerial photography, there exist different subgenres like:
- Photography was done for wedding events
- Photography was done for marketing
projections of real estate brands
- Professional photography is conducted for
television and film production and cinematographic photography.
- Photography is used for land surveys and mapping.
All kinds of aerial photography done with the help of drone-driven cameras need to bear the FAA regulations in their mind. Otherwise, the photographers and the customers hiring the services can boot land into legal hassles.
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How to abide by the laws
If you are new to the domain and
are not much aware of the ways through which you can get approval from FAA for
using aerial drones for photography then go through this section to know more.
- As an aerial photographer who has a
project of aerial photography in his or her hand, you can apply for an FAA
exemption that will allow you to carry on with your commercial photography
project.
- In the second approach, you can also use the FAA airworthiness certificate so that you can use the unmanned aircraft system while abiding by all the FAA rules and regulations.
In both contexts, you will need an FAA Certificate of Authorization or a COA. These aerial drones are available in a large number of shapes and sizes, which are used to serve different kinds of purposes. Irrespective of the size of the drone and the purpose for which it is being applied, it is imperative that the flying of the aircraft is done safely. This rule applies to both unmanned as well as manned aircraft systems.
Do your research
This is a rather technical domain. There are a lot of subsections and subsets to the laws and the rules that are applicable in this domain. Often some of the rules and laws are updated, upgraded, and changed from time to time, depending upon the changing nature of the challenges that are being faced by the FAA> as a photographer who wishes to make a professional career in the domain you need to be well read about all these aspects.
Places to search
If you are wondering about the sources that will be able to serve you with the most updated knowledge then you can search various sources like journals, magazines, and other printed media on the topic. However, in this context, you can always search the web for all the information. The official site FAA will be the best place from where you can get all the information about this aspect.
Ask experienced people
For all those lucky people who have experienced veteran professionals as their mentors, you are at a huge advantage. Getting in touch with a professional aerial photographer who has hand le different kinds of projects in the field will be one of the best sources of guidance for the newbie professionals. This is how you can get hands-on knowledge and information on the domain.
Huge convenience for the customers
Corporate clients who approach aerial photographers for their projects are already neck-deep in various business-oriented concerns. They are coming to a professional photographer so that he or she can provide them with solid solutions for photography, which must be used for branding and surveillance purposes. In such a situation hassles due to the negation of FA rules are never appreciated by corporate clients. Hence photographers abiding by these rules can bring considerable benefit to the corporate clients as a whole.
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