The Drone Dish: DanielKordan

On this episode of the Drone Dish, Tyler talks to Daniel Kordan, a world-renowned nature photographer who has recently explored the use of drones in his work. Though new to drones, Kordan (AV profile: DanielKordan) has already captured some stunning aerial footage of some remote and arctic locations. Daniel has gained a large following on social media for his work as a photographer, and says he hopes to continue to use drones as another way to showcase the beautiful landscapes he features with his camera. But since he flies in cold climates, Daniel is presented with challenges of flying his drone that most drone pilots don't encounter. Overcoming those obstacles is well worth it for the footage Kordan has produced. You can see Daniel's work on AirVuz, here. For more highlights from the world’s best drone pilots, click HERE. And for more amazing aerial views, keep it tuned to AirVūz.com. VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: Tyler: All the way from Russia, we're joined by Daniel Kordan today on The Drone Dish. Daniel, thanks for coming on the show. Daniel: Hey, hello. Tyler: Now, you were interested in photography from a very young age. What is it about photography that drew you in at the beginning? Daniel: Before university, I was studying painting when I was a kid, and after graduating from university, I returned to a sort of painting: Photography. Tyler: Now, you're known for your nature photography and wildlife. What is it about nature photography that you enjoy the most? Daniel: What I enjoy most is landscape photography. I travel all around the world. I mainly prefer cold areas, snowy landscapes, Arctic landscapes. I find it a challenge to make good pictures. It's not that easy to make a nice shot in harsh conditions. Sometimes, I can spend weeks in the Falkland Islands to wait for Aurora Borealis, and this challenge actually drives me. [00:01:03] Tyler: Now, you've recently added a drone as another camera in your arsenal. Daniel: The day before the trip on the yacht, I bought a drone, brought it with me to Greenland, unpacked it straight on the yacht, and started flying around icebergs. So, I took lots of aerial pictures of icebergs, and meanwhile, I was also filming very short video footage. This year - just last month - I realized that I had tons of footage in my storage and I made my first short movie clip out of it. It's a beginning, and I think in the future, I will make lots of drone footage. Tyler: What about flying the drone? Did you have any issues because of the cold there? Daniel: There were many issues flying in the Arctic. The first thing that was quite complicated was that we needed to fly from the yacht. Basically, the yacht is moving, and it's got lots of steel parts, so the compass goes completely crazy when you start flying. [00:02:04] So, what we need to do is hold the drone like this above the sea and launch it by hand. So, basically, you just drop it into the sea. The second challenge is actually that in polar latitudes, the compass also sometimes gets completely mad because it's 68 to 71 degrees north, and at these latitudes, it's really complicated to work with GPS. The solar activity is strong. You also have issues - you need to check the solar activity, you need to check wind. It's very complicated to fly there. Tyler: Well, in your Greenland video, you had some shots of people, and I know you do that occasionally in your regular photography as well. What does it add when you have a person in the shot or the video? [00:02:56] Daniel: Well, it's like a sense of presence. The person in the images starts to imagine that he's traveling and making these pictures. Also, of course, it's a sense of scale. If we're talking about Greenland, you can see why this series of pictures was taken with the yacht. Without the scale, without the boat, people don't realize how huge these creatures are - these monster icebergs. Tyler: You mentioned that you hope to use drones more in the future. How do you see yourself using drones with your work? Daniel: Well, as I mentioned before, I think I will start to make more films, more movies, so I feel a very good reaction to video. Many locations are personally depleted for me. I've made lots of compositions there, and now I can start thinking more about another dimension - time - and of course, drones will help me work. Tyler: Daniel, your work is incredible. I was glad to be able to talk to you on The Drone Dish today, and we can't wait to see what else you do with the drone in the future. Thanks for joining us today. Daniel: You're welcome. [00:04:04] [End of Audio] Duration: 4 minutes