From the North Pole to the South Pole, just to record the love in my heart

â–²

Enjoy the breathtaking views, from the North Pole to the "Antarctic".

This film was shot using MavicPro and Canon6D 24-70

Sharing my 2017 aerial photography journey

- Graphic / _Wie

Hello everyone, I'm _Wie (follow me on Weibo @_Wie). Today, I'd like to share a little story with you. In February this year, I traveled to Iceland in the Arctic Circle with some friends, and then went to Australia, which is near the South Pole. I've been exploring different cities and capturing stunning landscapes throughout the year. This video is my aerial photography collection from 2017. Thank you for watching!

I started flying drones last year after seeing the famous "three-piece set of Lujiazui" online. That's when I got hooked on drones and bought my first one, the DJI Wizard 3A. Now, my main gear includes the Mavic Pro, Canon 6D with a 24-70mm lens, and OSMO Mobile. For this project, I used the Mavic Pro for 4K recording to ensure top-quality footage. While it might not match the image quality of more advanced models like the Phantom 4 or GoPro, its portability is unmatched.

When I first started, I recommend shooting in RAW or at least two exposure levels. If the sky is overexposed, it can be hard to fix later. For editing, I usually do rough cuts in FCPX, sort the clips, and send them to DaVinci for color grading. Then I separate the sky from the ground and finalize the edit in FCPX again.

During the first three days in Iceland, we were part of a local tour group. We were in the south, and the weather was terrible—cloudy and rainy every day. The clouds were thick, and there was no sign of the Northern Lights. According to the schedule, the last two days were free for self-driving, so I hoped to catch the aurora. We drove to the aircraft graveyard in the south, but the clouds followed us all the way. At that point, I checked an Aurora prediction website and saw that the northern region had clear skies. So we headed north toward the Sinai Peninsula. Around 6 pm, I saw my first sunset in Iceland. The golden light was shining on the snowy mountains beside Highway 1—it was absolutely magical. By 10:30 pm, we arrived at the peninsula, but the road was dark and unsafe, so we had to give up. We found a small town called Alna Stapi nearby and decided to stop there for a break. As soon as we reached the town entrance, I saw a faint green strip of light on the horizon. I didn’t recognize it at first, but I grabbed my camera, set up the tripod, adjusted the settings, and took a shot. To my surprise, it was the Northern Lights! A long green ribbon of light was dancing across the sky. I was so excited—I felt this trip was totally worth it.

Life is full of things that are easy to know but hard to experience. In Iceland, I finally saw the Aurora I had dreamed of, witnessed the most beautiful sunset of my life, rode a husky sleigh, and felt like I was in the magical world of Narnia. There are so many moments that can't be captured by just a photo or a video. I hope everyone has a meaningful and unforgettable journey in 2017.