Travel photographer & start-up Instagrammer Matthias Hoffner Soars in Iceland
In the first SOAR Cast, travel photographer Mathias Hoffner discussed how he shot his winning image for Soar’s drone photography competition and why you should always keep your eyes on the drone when flying it. Finally, an overview is given of current drone regulations in Iceland, where Hoffner shot his prize-winning imagery.
When Dutch travel photographer Matthias Hoffner saw the SOAR2Win Drone Photography Competition being featured on the popular Ready Set Drone YouTube channel, he immediately decided to participate with some drone imagery he shot while on a trip to Iceland with his girlfriend. Iceland is known as the most sparsely populated country in Europe, where two-thirds of the population lives in its capital city Reykjavik. The interior consists of a plateau characterized by lava fields, mountains, and glaciers. One of these glacial rivers was captured by Hoffner, which landed him the first place of the SOAR2Win contest and a DJI Spark drone. On the image, you see the overhead of a canyon and a river flowing through it. The image is displayed below and can also be found on Mathias’ SOAR profile page.
The SOAR2Win contest was held by SOAR and Ready Set Drone last May, giving drone photographers a chance to share their imagery showing “nature’s beauty from above” and upload it to the SOAR platform, where the best imagery was shared online. Not long after winning the drone photography competition, Hoffner created an Instagram page that is dedicated to his drone imagery exclusively. In the account details, you can find a video of the Icelandic scenery shot with his DJI 2 Mavic Zoom & Air, showing the waterfalls, glaciers and hot springs that characterize Iceland so well.
Darren and Mathias discussed how the winning image was shot, and when it became clear to him that the material was outstanding;
Darren: How long did it take you to get the winning shot and when did you know it was that good?
Mathias: We had rented a car and drove around Iceland. I just got a new drone before the trip that I took up to take some shots after stopping in this pretty rural area. When the drone was below these cliffs, I took this top-down image. I didn’t realize how good the picture was at the moment. It wasn’t until I got back home that I realized it was that awesome.
The most important skill for drone photographers
Hoffner’s winning image was made with DJI Mavic Pro II. While usually deploying a phone screen instead of a tablet screen when flying a drone, he admits that image only came to life later, when looking at it on a large computer screen. It was then that he decided to enter the competition, already anticipating on winning a prize as a result of the image quality.
Before entering the competition, Hoffner had already gained experience as a travel photographer. He tells about his experiences in Australia, where he lost a drone flying into a high cliff with a lot of trees: “this happened when I was not looking at the drone, but instead looking for cover in order to avoid the sun blinding my phone screen. Unfortunately, I never found the drone back”. That’s when he learned his most important lesson as a drone photographer: to always keep your eyes on the drone.
Darren and Mathias had a good laugh over Mathias’s most memorable drone crash;
Darren: Mathias, have you ever crashed a drone?
Mathias: Well yes, once I was flying in the Blue Mountains and wanted to get a shot of a waterfall. I tried to find some cover so I could see my screen, as there was too much sunlight to actually see the screen. And as a result of not having my eyes on the drone, I flew into a high cliff with a lot of trees. I never found the drone.
Current Iceland drone regulations
While drone regulations change from year to year, it’s interesting to look at the current drone regulations in Iceland to get an idea of what’s legal and what’s not. As per 2019, drone use is legal in Iceland, but certain rules must be followed. In general, privacy must be taken into account by not flying over crowds or individuals. Drones can only be flown by daylight hours, during clear, bright weather with little wind. This also makes it easier to follow the drone with the eye.
There are areas where you cannot fly drones in Iceland, such as near government areas or military facilities. Additionally, because Reykjavik Domestic Airport lies nearby the city’s downtown area, drone operators are not allowed to fly above building heights there. It is not permitted to fly drones within 2 km of a commercial airport, or 1.5 km near any other airport. Other excluded areas are national parks, power plants, state institutes, and hospitals. In urban areas, drones are not allowed to weigh more than 3 kgs and must show the name, address and phone number of the person flying it.
Near the end of the podcast, Darren and Mathias briefly discussed drone swarms and what to do when there’s a crash:
Darren: Do you know what a drone swarm is? It’s a group of ten or twenty drones that are programmed to fly under the same interface. They are used for light shows and sports events such as the Olympics. Let’s say your drone was in a drone swarm and they would all crash except for your drone, what would you do?
Mathias: I would feel very lucky. Also, I would take the drone down immediately!
With regards to distances, it is forbidden to fly closer than 150 meters to any public building while in Iceland. For rural areas, this limit is 50 meters. These limits don’t apply once permission is granted to fly closer, for example from landowners of residential buildings. Drone permits are not required for both commercial and recreational use. However, anyone planning a commercial or recreational drone flight above 120 meters must register their drone and ask permission to fly above this height from the Icelandic Authority.
If you fly to Iceland and want to bring a drone, use carry-on luggage for this as airlines are only liable for losses up to $1,000 USD. For a drone that cannot be brought on to the plane and is worth more than $1,000 USD, one should consider shipping it using DHL or UPS and fully insure the shipment. Batteries should not be placed in checked baggage but placed in a special battery bag in a carry-on bag.
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