>>> HAVE YOU NOTICED MORE SWEEPING AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY IN
THE NEWS COVERAGE LATELY?
THAT'S DUE IN LARGE PART TO DRONES.
BUT THERE ARE STRICT RULES AND
REGULATIONS GOVERNING THE USE O DRONES FOR NEWS GATHERING.
MASSLIVE AND THE REPUBLICAN REPORTER PATRICK JOHNSON SPOKE
WITH ME ABOUT THE HOOPS HE NEEDED TO JUMP THROUGH AND SOME
OF THE WAYS HE'S USED A DRONE T COVER REGIONAL NEWS.
EXPWHRR THE FAA, PEOPLE CONSIDER THIS A TOY,
THE FAA CONSIDERS THIS A REALLY TINY HELICOPTER.
THEY DON'T WANT YOU FLYING OVER CROWDS OF PEOPLE.
BECAUSE IF IT CONGRESSES OUT IT JUST COMES DOWN LIKE A ROCK.
THEY DON'T LIKE YOU FLYING OVER PEOPLE IF THEY DON'T KNOW ABOUT
IT.
SO ANYTHING LIKE THE PANCAKE BREAKFAST, THE BIGGIE, A
FOOTBALL GAME, NO FLYING OVER THE CROWD.
THERE ARE WAYS AROUND IT.
IF THE CROWD IS HERE, YOU CAN BE OVER HERE.
FILMING THEM AT AN ANGLE.
CHANNEL 40 HAS ONE AND THEY SHOT SPECTACULAR FOOTAGE OF A FIRE A
COUPLE WEEKS AGO.
I WAS AT THE SAME FIRE COVERING IT ON THE GROUND.
I HAD THE DRONE IN THE BACK OF THE CAR.
I ONLY HAD IT FOR THREE DAYS AT THAT TIME SO I DIDN'T FEEL
COMFORTABLE SENDING IT UP.
BUT THEY WERE, I DON'T KNOW, BLOCK AND A HALF AWAYING LIEUING
DOWN AT THE FIRE ON ANG ANGLE.
THE VIEW WAS JUST STACK.
>> AS A NEWS PHOTOGRAPHER THE GENERAL RULE OF THUMB IS IF YOU
ARE ON PUBLIC PROPERTY, SHOOTING IMAGES, YOU ARE OK.
IS IT THE SAME THING WITH A DRONE?
>> YES.
BECAUSE YOU OWN A PIECE OF LAND BUT YOU DON'T OWN THE AIR OVER
IT NECESSARILY.
THAT'S, THE AIR IS CONSIDERED PUBLIC SPACE ACCORDING TO THE
FAA.
I AM IN A PUBLIC SIDEWALK, I AM UP IN THE AIR, IF I HAPPEN TO
FILM SOMEBODY'S PRIVATE PROPERTY, WELL, I'M, IT'S NO
DIFFERENT THAN AN ACTUAL HELICOPTER FLYING OVER.
>> BUT YOU ARE NOW SORT OF RECORDING THAT FOR POSITIVE
TEARTY.
DO YOU TALK ABOUT THAT IN THE NEWSROOM IN TERMS OF WHERE THAT
LINE OF PRIVACY IS?
OR IS IT ALL SORT OF FAIR GAME?
>> IT'S KIND OF FAIR GAME.
I MEAN, I TELL PEOPLE THAT IF YOU EVEN SEE IT UP IN THE SKY, I
MUST BE DOING SOMETHING WRONG.
IF I'M 400 FEET UP, YOU CAN'T S SEE IT, YOU CAN'T HEAR IT.
IF I'M LOWER THAN THAT, SURE, IF I'M 100 FEET OFF THE GROUND AND
I FLY OVER YOUR BACKYARDS, YOU ARE GOING TO BE ABLE TO HEAR
IT.
I AM NOT GOING TO PUT MYSELF IN A POSITION WHERE THAT'S GOING TO
HAPPEN.
>> I HAVE NOTICED YOUR VIDEO, THERE'S ALMOST THIS MED I DID
TAKE ACTIVE QUALITY TO THEM.
IT'S REALLY SMOOTH AND HOW ARE YOU, IS THAT SOMETHING YOU'RE
THINKING ABOUT?
HOW YOU WANT THE IMAGE TO BE CAPTURED?
>> IT'S BASICALLY A POINT AND SHOOT CAMERA WITH ROW PELL HE
WILL -- PROPELLERS ON IT.
YOU GO UP AND THE SAME THOUGHTS THAT YOU PUT INTO FRAMING A
PHOTO AT BEACH OR YOUR BACKYARD OR A FAMILY REUNION OR
SOMETHING.
>> WE ARE AT A PARK WHERE YOU SHOT THAT FOOTAGE THE POINT OF
THAT IS IT'S IN UNDERUTILIZED SPACE.
I COULD NOT FIND A SINGLE PERSON IN THE FOOTAGE THAT I SAW THAT I
WATCHED OF THAT.
>> THERE WERE THREE IF YOU LOOK CROWSLY ENOUGH.
>> LIKE WHERE'S WALDO?
>> I HAVE GONE DOWN TO RIVERFRONT PARK SEVERAL TIMES.
AND IT'S PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST DECEMBER LATED PLACES IN
THE CITY.
AND IN TERMS OF AN UNDERUSED RESOURCE IT'S TOTALLY UNUSED.
ONE OF THE REASONS I DID THAT VIDEO WAS JUST TO SHOW HOW
SPECTACULAR IT IS.
I MEAN, I THINK IT'S A TOTALLY UNDERUSED RESOURCE.
YOU HAVE THESE WONDERFUL VIEWS OF THE RIVER AND THE BRIDGE AND
THE CITY SKYLINE AND NOBODY KNOWS IT'S THERE.
PEOPLE KNOW IT'S THERE AND THEY'RE AFRAID TO GO THERE AND I
DON'T NECESSARILY THINK PEOPLE SHOULD BE AFRAID TO GO THERE.
>> IS THAT ONE OF THE THINGS YOU ARE HOPING TO DO WITH THE DRONE
IS CALL YOUR ATTENTION TO MAYBE HIDDEN GEMS IN THE REGION?
WHAT'S YOUR PURPOSE, DO YOU THINK?
>> THE LARGER POINT OF JOURNALISM IS TO CALL ATTENTION
TO SOMETHING.
BUT ALSO TO PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW.
YOU KNOW, THIS IS AN ISSUE AND THE OVERVIEW IS THIS IS WHERE
IT'S IMPORTANT, THIS IS WHERE IT MATTERS TO YOU.
THIS IS A PERFECT TOOL FOR PROVIDING AN OVERVIEW.
SPRINGFIELD IS TALKING ABOUT PUTTING A BIKE PATH UP ON
McKNIGHT.
WE CAN WRITE ABOUT IT AND DESCRIBE WHERE IT IS AND HOW HOW
MUCH IT WOULD COST AND EVERYTHING OR YOU COULD FLY OVER
IT AND SHOW EXACTLY WHERE IT IS AND WHERE IT WOULD BE.
AND THAT PROVIDES AN OVERVIEW.
THAT PHOTO I TOOK OF A THE CASINO FROM THE AIR, THAT GOT
PICKED UP BY NEWSPAPERS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.
THAT'S A GOOD EXAMPLE OF AN OVERVIEW THING.
EVERYBODY'S SEEN THE CASINO RISING FROM MAIN STREET BUT
NOBODY'S EVER SEEN IT LIKE THAT BEFORE.
>> WHAT'S NEXT?
WHAT ARE YOU HOPING TO TAKE ON NEXT?
>> WE HAVE A WHOLE LIST OF THINGS THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO DO
IN THE SUMMER WHEN THE WEATHER IS NICE.
WRECKAL USE, WATER WAYS, PEOPLE BOATING ON THE RIVER, THINGS
LIKE THAT.
>> IF PEOPLE ARE INTERESTED THEY CAN ALWAYS CHECK IT OUT ON
MASSLIVE.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR COMING IN TODAY.