DRONES IN BUSINESS: Between heaven and earth, a lot of gray

By Jennifer Nesslar

When Jared Serfozo first saw drones being sold in America, the technology caught his attention.

“I had to have one,” he said.

Serfozo is a videographer who makes training videos for a software company. But he has freelanced for others since he was in high school.

Since purchasing his first drone, Serfozo bought the domain name sarasotadrone.com, where he promotes drone videography as a way to help clients tell their stories. But he uses drone footage to enhance his videos rather than making all his videos with drones.

“The drone should be a tool in making your video,” he said.

Drones, also known as unmanned aircraft systems, seem like a smart investment for a photographer or videographer. Buyers on Amazon can purchase drones fitted with a camera for as little as $70. Serfozo spent almost $3,000 on his latest drone, the DJI Inspire 1. He now recommends the DJI Phantom 3, which costs about $1,200.

These low overhead costs allow drone photographers to market themselves as a cheap, high-quality alternative to regular aerial photographers.

Aerial photography typically costs nearly $1,000 — per shoot — to pay plane or helicopter pilots and photographers for their time and equipment, according to the website for Sarasota Aerial Videography, another drone photography company based in Sarasota.

Getting legal approval to use drones in a business, however, is complicated and more costly.

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