Category: Photography

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Remote Pilot Small Unmanned Aircraft System

I can now fly a “drone” for commercial purposes to expand my photography reach and perspective.

pilot institute class of 2022 decal
Pilot Institute Class of 2022 Remote Pilot Graduate

The Part 107 Certificate, as it is called, provides me with an FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) license as a Remote Pilot with the rating of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems. This allows me to fly my “drone(s)” for commercial purposes. I can now capture photographs of my (our) favorite places – from a new perspective – and offer them for sale in my online galleries. The “commercial” designation deals with the actual intent of the flight – so I did not heretofore shoot any photographs with the intent of offering them as wall art. But Now I Will Begin…

I studied an online course provided by the Pilot Institute and, because of that preparation, was well-prepared to pass the FAA written exam and obtain my Part 107 Certificate. So you might say I am a successful graduate of the Pilot Institute Class of 2022. Seriously, it is a good program and I will write a review in a future article. BTW, I managed to score a 92% on the test. I’ll take it. And make use of it.

temporary airman certificate remote pilot
Remote Pilot Temporary Airman Certificate – the certificate is “temporary” until it is replaced by the actual (plastic) license itself. It will be similar in appearance to my Private Pilot license – but serves a different purpose.

It is permissible to fly a drone without a Part 107 license – for recreational purposes only. Those pilots/flyers must complete a training program and earn a TRUST Certificate. “The Recreational UAS Safety Test” is a free program and is offered through several sources. I did my TRUST training through the Pilot Institute’s TRUST Portal when I first got my drone.

However, please be aware that there are many unlicensed drone flyers out there performing commercial operations – doing things like real estate photography, inspection work, etc. – without a license. They are operating in the national airspace system without being properly trained and are, therefore, a safety hazard to others. The federal government has been monitoring, catching and (severely) fining perpetrators. Fines are even being levied against people (for example, real estate agents) who hire unlicensed drone operators.

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Local Printing Sources for Photographs

The printing equipment at your local Walgreens or CVS pharmacy is top quality.

I have a quality Epson printer that has seen years of service. It is still going strong and prints high quality images at sizes up to 13″x19″ on photo quality paper. However, I occasionally want a 16″x20″ print either for a client or to display in our own home. There are both CVS and a Walgreens drugstores (mini-department stores?) in our neighborhood. They both have quality photo processing equipment (that I only wish I could afford), offer very fast service and have reasonable prices.

Discount note: Another plus with both CVS Photo and Walgreens Photo is that they run a deep discount sale at least once a month.

While it’s true I have online galleries and can get my work printed in high quality there, sometimes I just need a 16×20 print, which is larger than my printer can handle, and find it more convenient to “shop local,” so to speak. For today’s project I’ll use the local Walgreen’s Photo service. Here is what I want to have printed in a 16″x20″ size.

Nancy's blue and purple pansies
Nancy’s Blue & Purple Pansies

What’s cool about using the service at Walgreens Photo is that I can upload the full-size image and place the order online. I may even be able to pick up the finished print in a few hours time. The store is also less than one mile from home – can’t get much more convenient that that. Right? So, I’m about ready to place this order – and will try to return here with the results (a bit later on).

Progress…
1) Order placed online Thursday at 10:44 AM – with an estimated “ready time” of Friday at 10:44 AM (24 hours – not bad).
2) Oder ready (notified by email) at 11:45 AM Thursday (TODAY). Wow, how good is that?
3) Order picked up just before 2:00 PM – and it is perfect. I will post an image when I frame it and hang it on the wall.
4) Because I found and used a coupon code (right from the Walgreens’ website) I got it for half price. Total cost was $9.49, noting that I live in Delaware so there was no sales tax.

photo print from walgreens pharmacy
Picking up the 16×20 photo print from the local Walgreens – less than four hours after the order was placed online. It is a perfect, high quality photographic print.

Oh, yes, I will also (eventually) upload this image, along with other pansy images, and make them available as wall art in my online galleries at FineArtAmerica/Pixels and Pictorem – in the “Flora” collections.

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Resurrecting an old but popular Ocean City website.

A travel/business directory style site is being repurposed for local art and entertainment.

I am in the process of resurrecting an old travel/destination website, Visit Ocean City at www.OCtheBeach.com, that had a major server crash last year. I am also repurposing it to be an art and entertainment resource for the Ocean City area. We live two miles from Ocean City and do like the music/entertainment at many venues in the area. I will focus on our favorite entertainers and venues within the Beach Resort Area from OCMD to Bethany Beach and Rehoboth Beach because those are the ones with which we are most familiar.

The focus on Ocean City art will, of course, feature photography by me – and be billed/promoted as Bill Swartwout Photography and USPictures. For “Visit Ocean City” I have chosen to feature Pictorem as our POD (Print On Demand) fulfillment partner because they offer free ground shipping within the United States and Canada, where most of our site viewers reside. The produce high quality work and have a satisfaction guarantee. See the intro article here: Ocean City Art Gallery.

Bill Swartwout Photography Ocean City MD Header Image

For many years, OCtheBeach.com was a premier travel directory for the Ocean City area and provided information about local businesses and, of course, a way to book a hotel room. The original site was launched in Late May of 1999 and served for nearly two decades as one of the more popular Ocean City Websites. We were even a member of the Ocean City Chamber of Commerce for 11 years – until they started to directly compete in the hotel reservations market, which was our main source of revenue.

OCtheBeach.com is being “reborn” to coincide with its 23rd “birthday” and is, once again, providing value to Ocean City visitors. There are myriad other websites and (of course) Facebook sites and groups that extol the virtues of every place to dine, stay and play. Visit Ocean City will offer a slightly different “view” of the Beach Resort. We hope you, too, will find it useful.