Becoming King
April 10, 2021
Battle-Tested
April 14, 2021Bird’s Eye Enterprise
BY BRENDAN GAUTHIER
Springfield Mural (2018) by Zach Bednarzyck
AIC’s major in visual and digital arts, explains Susanne Swanker, PhD, dean of the School of Business, Arts and Sciences, “prepares students for the creative opportunities that continue to emerge in our increasingly digital world.” New England Drone Enterprises (NEDE), a drone photography company founded by young alumnus ZACH BEDNARCZYK ’18, reflects the burgeoning program’s emphasis on the use of new technologies in the creation of what faculty call “tactile” art.
In this interview—edited for clarity and brevity— Bednarczyk details the impetus for NEDE and his entry into the field of drone photography, and offers context for several choice images.
I had the pleasure of working with the group that put the mural up in the first place. Fresh Paint Springfield organized the event where different artists were brought in to put up several murals on buildings and walls throughout downtown Springfield. This one, painted by WaneOne, is my personal favorite for the vibrant colors used throughout the painting.”
Crumbling Towers (2018) by Zach Bednarzyck
How did you get started in drone photography?
My first glimpse of a drone was when my family and I were on vacation on Cape Cod. We were fascinated by it, but back then it was simply mount a GoPro to the bottom of the drone and pray for some good footage. There were no controls to the camera or fancy stabilization. I started drone photography in my days of radio-controlled helicopters. I worked my way up to a decent-sized helicopter and decided to attach a very small camera to the bottom of it. It didn’t work too well because all the vibrations caused distortion. I ended up crashing it because the camera was too heavy for the helicopter. I started looking into drones from there, and it didn’t take long for me to become addicted to them. They were much easier to fly and I had usable footage, as well! It started off as intermittent flying as a hobby and quickly became a part of my routine to fly at some time during the day.
What makes drone photography a uniquely effective marketing tool?
I think it’s two aspects that make drones uniquely effective as marketing tools. The first is the cost to use a drone. Between upkeep and insurance and everything, it is much cheaper to hire a drone operator, such as myself, over a helicopter pilot. Whereas most helicopters for a rental day can cost thousands, a drone pilot (depending on the job type) will charge a fraction of that. The other is the show of a drone. I feel like in any type of photography, there is a bit of a show to it, regardless of how well the photos come out, and drones are just that. As a species, humans have thought about flying robots in our future for a very long time. Drones are the closest things to flying robots on the civilian level that we can get. For a lot of people who have never seen them—especially kids—there is a huge wow factor, and it feels like we are at the forefront of the industry by using drones.
Lizzie (2018) by Zach Bednarzyck
What makes drone photography a uniquely effective marketing tool?
I think it’s two aspects that make drones uniquely effective as marketing tools. The first is the cost to use a drone. Between upkeep and insurance and everything, it is much cheaper to hire a drone operator, such as myself, over a helicopter pilot. Whereas most helicopters for a rental day can cost thousands, a drone pilot (depending on the job type) will charge a fraction of that. The other is the show of a drone. I feel like in any type of photography, there is a bit of a show to it, regardless of how well the photos come out, and drones are just that. As a species, humans have thought about flying robots in our future for a very long time. Drones are the closest things to flying robots on the civilian level that we can get. For a lot of people who have never seen them—especially kids—there is a huge wow factor, and it feels like we are at the forefront of the industry by using drones.
The Covered Bridge (2018) by Zach Bednarzyck
What is NEDE, and how did it come to fruition?
NEDE is short for New England Drone Enterprises. It is the culmination of my passion and enthusiasm for photography, videography, and drones themselves. The company started out as a simple LLC to cover me for what I did for full-time work, which is inspections for residential solar panel using a drone. There was no name for my LLC at that time. I had always thought about starting up my own drone business, but didn’t really know where to start. It wasn’t until I had a photo that went locally viral that I knew I had to give my company a definite name and make it public. Thus, New England Drone Enterprises was born. It took a little time, but a website, Instagram, and Facebook were set up as main points of contact.
To the World, from Springfield. With Love. (2020) by Zach Bednarzyck
What’s the story behind the locally viral photo?
The Monarch Place building was the image that went locally viral. I had taken the photo in the beginning of the pandemic, say around late March 2020. Seeing how a lot of landmarks were doing something for the essential workers symbolically, I decided that this one would be perfect. I titled it “To the World, from Springfield. With Love.” I shared it once I had finished editing the photo, and it got a little over one thousand shares.
What services does NEDE offer?
New England Drone Enterprises can offer almost any drone service you can imagine—anything photo- and video-related, 4K footage in Apple ProRes formats, mapping services, flight training, even aid in search and rescue, if needed. Most of NEDE’s current projects are mainly photo- and video-related, but I look to expand into more fields in the future, as the company has only been public for about six months.
What’s in store for the future of NEDE?
My hope is that NEDE will eventually turn into a full-time job for me. NEDE is my dream job, and it’s one that I couldn’t go out and find; I had to create it. I don’t see NEDE growing beyond myself as a person who is self-employed. Any additional staff that may be brought on would be visual observers or other operators used when the Federal Aviation Administration calls for them, and they would be on a flight-by-flight basis. I have no plans for world domination with my drones, but I am willing to travel wherever and get paid to do my dream job.
