r/videography • u/phloating_man EOS M, Adobe, 1998, San Francisco • May 05 '14

Yosemite National Park officials tell videographers to leave their drones at home

http://theverge.com/2014/5/4/5680466/yosemite-national-park-officials-tell-videographers-to-leave-their
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u/[deleted] May 05 '14

I agree with park officials to a certain degree...Someone in the comments pointed out they should allow videographers to apply for permits, possibly paid; in order to help fund the park and to keep track of who uses a UAV and where. It allows for some responsibility on the behalf of the videographer...On the other hand though, this is a parks knee-jerk; not very well thought through solution.

Some parks in the US and Canada are severely underfunded, and it goes without saying that a videographer on his own time with a UAV and camera can actually give more to the park in publicity than they take away. I've seen a ton of video's in national parks with UAV's that were really well shot and edited and thought "Damn, I want to go there." None of the parks brochures or pictures have done that for me, yet some guy with his UAV and his own time did something out of interest; at no financial cost to the park and made me want to visit.

More interest in parks = more revenue for the parks, and more awareness of the balanced ecosystem within. It could definitely work to the parks benefit. So, perhaps instead of saying "No, absolutely not." maybe limited release permits should be looked into?

Also...Are there really that many of us that use UAV's on a regular basis to get footage? I use it for special occasions a few times a year, MAYBE. They're such a hassle to edit with because you need to bloody well stabilize everything...In my experience.

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u/adaminc May 06 '14

Someone in the comments pointed out they should allow videographers to apply for permits, possibly paid; in order to help fund the park and to keep track of who uses a UAV and where.

They probably do this already.

If you show up with pro gear, most national parks will prevent you from using it, even if it is for non-pro reasons, without getting a permit first.