My Favorite Drone Footage From The Last Five years
As many of you know, I love flying my drone. Of all the camera gear I own it’s my personal favorite for several reasons:
It requires complete focus, allowing me to really zone in and find that flow state
With some creativity, it offers endless perspectives
It makes for some rad sunset footage
I’m good at it
S/O to my nephew Cole, who at the age of 12 taught me how to fly a drone. Sorry to say, buddy, the student has out mastered the teacher!
This video is 90 minutes of my favorite drone shots since I first got a drone in 2019. It’s perfect to play on a second monitor while you’re at work, in waiting rooms of your business, or on tv at home as you are doing chores or entertaining guests.
My Perspective
I’ve been fortunate enough to travel in places like Hawaii, Costa Rica, Alaska, and Croatia over the last few years and there’s one thing that blew my mind:
How similar landscapes are in different regions of the world.
In 2019 when I went to Alaska and Croatia in back-to-back weeks I had no idea how many similarities I would find in the hues and tones of the water in both locations.
I was not surprised by how colorful the water was in Croatia. I mean come on, it’s the Mediterranean. But Alaska really surprised me.
We were there for five days and on some days the water of the NakNek River, which is this massive glacier-fed river that goes into Bristol Bay, would change colors.
I found out that on windy days the river would turn a turquoise blue. When I threw the drone up you could literally see the difference where the current was compared to where water moving a little slower.
The reason it turns such a vivid blue is because of fine sediment from the glacier crushing up boulders and rocks. Light from the sun is transmitted and scattered when it hits the suspended particles, resulting in a bright blue color.
HOW DOPE IS THAT!?
Do you have a favorite shot?
As with redoing my website, making this video has made me realize how many visually dope video clips I have on my hard drives that have never seen the light of day.
It’s also a great reminder of how much I’ve done and seen over the last five years since I started this journey. With being a business owner and freelancer I’m always go-go-go.
It’s so easy to be focused on balancing client projects, business admin, social media, SEO, putting out fires, accounting, etc. etc.
As a freelancer, I’m always looking ahead to make sure I’m getting enough projects to maintain a steady cash flow, planning for the next big trip and future projects.
Spending time (waaaay more than I thought) to go through all this footage was a great opportunity for me to reflect and appreciate how far I’ve come along.
I have a little over an hour of my favorite drone shots in the video above. I’d love to know what some of your favorite shots are!
Feel free to comment on the Youtube video and if you have any questions about where the footage is from let me know!
Only a few feet from the surface, I love the reflections of the sky in this one.
A few miles from my parents farm in Iowa. A view so familiar, but so new from a different perspective.
Most my drone shots have a lot of color in them which is why I love the minimalism in this one.
The last picture I took was in Colorado before moving to Florida.
Stormy clouds roll in the coastal town Vis, Croatia
I’m a sucker for a nice reflection. Shot in Florida.
Call Me Brende
I’m Josh Berendes (Brende for short), a filmmaker, drone operator, and creative entrepreneur based in Denver, CO.
My mission is to inspire, entertain, and connect with viewers while showing people my perspective of the world.
My camera has taken me from Red Rocks shows and Super Bowl parties to deep canyons and high mountain peaks.
I’ve also been fortunate to work with brands like EA Sports, NFL, The Matador Network, and TDE.
My work ranges from raw emotional storytelling pieces on people and places to exciting visually dope bite-sized content.
I’d love the chance to bring your video ideas to life—let’s connect below.
