#HTE

Drone Photography On A Frisbee Budget

Finally, an aerial photography option for people who don’t care about drones but do like throwing their equipment around! 

Do you go to interesting places and do fun things, but get bored with pictures of your friends and face taken from the same old angles? If so, Birdie is a fledgling design that might put some wind under your photographic wings. Birdie might be the very first badminton-based actioncam equipment to hit the internet, and its design is pretty fun.

Instead of a stick, a string, or a tiny helicopter, Birdie straps your GoPro Hero 3 or 4 into a projectile with the interactivity of a nerf football and the aerodynamics of certain winged sports equipment. Set your frame rate nice and high, grab the plastic spines to fling it upwards and let gravity drag it down camera first. Or just grip the head and toss it sportily to a friend for flattering No-Wait-I-Think-I-Got-It action portraits. 

Though your ability to throw and catch elegantly could impact the quality of your shot or footage, the ability to get a high-level view is intriguing. The bumper system seems to provide decent impact protection, and the materials add buoyancy that could make for fun shots when paired with a waterproof camera.

The designers also identify that a lot of our picture-taking potential lies in our personal lives. They suggest use at the beach, during hikes, and around other people-centric activities. Who knows, tossing the ol’ camera with friends could add a more collaborative (or competitive) element to your standard selfie cycle.

While I can’t say I’ve personally been hurting for overhead pictures of my squinting face, Birdie explores a fun niche within the existing GoPro and action photography world, and might spur some creative work in the right hands. 

The campaign is up on IndieGoGo now, and runs through mid-May 2016.

http://www.core77.com/posts/51941/Drone-Photography-On-A-Frisbee-Budget