Marc Hennige
Drone Instagramer
Aerial photography never fails to amaze us and provides us with a different view, which was once accessible only for birds.
With this trend, came the passionate aerial photographers who travel around the world to capture fantastic drone images and videos.
Our today’s guest Marc Hennige is one of them who hails from Germany. He is a drone Instagrammer, photographer, and travel addict who loves landscape, nature, travel type of photography.
In this interview, we talk in-depth with Marc on how he got into drones, what’s inside his drone/photography gear, how Instagram has changed his life, tips for capturing images like him, prediction about the drone industry, his favorite shoots, and so on.
So, if you have some interest in aerial photography, this exclusive interview can come in handy. Without any further delay, let us dive in and see what Marc has to say!
Let’s Start the Interview
Welcome Marc Hennige, Tell us about yourself & your background?
I am an aerial and landscape photographer from Germany who loves being outdoors exploring the most beautiful places. If you’re interested in my work you may check out my Instagram and leave a comment or direct message.
When did you initially get started on drone photography, yourself?
Although I photograph for a long time now, I started with my first drone at the end of 2019 – so really not long ago.
You have a very particular way to shoot. How would you explain your style?
I think the particular style comes a lot from post-processing. I would say it is a kind of a moody style, meaning desaturated colors and shifting the colors in a specific way with the color grading. When shooting, I always want the attention on the “star” in the picture, meaning, for example, a castle or an iconic landmark.
You are in Stuttgart, Germany – what is the best thing about shooting there?
We have really nice castles in the region. Also, the Black Forest and even the Alps are not that far away. And if you want to make bigger trips, then you can even head to the North Sea, Bretagne/Normandie in France or Italy, and the Mediterranean Sea by car.
What does your current drone and photography kit look like?
My drone is the DJI Mavic 2 Pro with Fly More Kit, added some ND-filters and use it with my mobile. The camera is Sony A7R with battery grip, Zeiss 16-35 F4, and Sony 24-105 F4 in addition to the Sony 50 F1.8. Always have a remote and Haida ND-filters with me, but I don’t use them often anymore.
What is your most favorite drone shoot?
Most of my favorite drone shots were taken on the Lofoten Islands. I love that landscape, especially in winter and from above!
For drone shots, I think the Instagram format of 4:5 works just perfect because you can show everything from nearly top down to the horizon. If the drone does not support portrait mode for the gimbal (like my DJI Mavic 2 Pro), do a vertorama (vertical panorama) with 3 to 5 pictures (raw files). It gives you a huge image file in terms of pixels and even with cheaper drones a great quality!
How do you stay motivated to upload drone content during the pandemic?
When people like my stuff, comment, direct message me, or even show how they have my shots as their background on the mobile, that’s a great feeling!
How have customers/fans reacted to your drone shots in Instagram?
Drone shots are always a bit more special, and as I took many of them on Lofoten Islands in winter, the shots are quite popular.
Who are a few drone Instagramers you feel others ought to check?
For drone photography, there is @airpixels, probably one of the best! Also @manueldietrichphotography has great drone shots, although it is not the main part of his profile.
Where do you wish to travel next to get drone images?
Well, I would be in the Italian Dolomites right now. There will be great drone spots for sure.
How much of your experience of still photography comes into your drone photography?
It is, of course, something different, and it is an entirely new perspective, but I think having an eye for composition is also very important for drone shots.
What are a few of the most exciting ways you have noticed drones getting used?
I have never seen it in real, but drone racing seems to be interesting. Also, FPV filming with a drone, flying crazy maneuvers is great (haven’t did that yet)
Where do you predict drones in the foreseeable future?
I see them as a standard for every professional and most of the ambitious amateur photographers. And I guess the image quality will be further improved, so there won’t be significant differences between DSLRs and drones.
Thank you for having me in the interview! And if someone is interested now, just check out my Instagram!