photography takes flight Junior Zane Harris flew drones to find a unique perspective on and off campus. As of the fall 2019 semester, junior electronic media production major Zane Harris had flown drones professionally and captured overview pictures for 2 1/2 years. Harris said hebegan flying small remote control helicopters when he was 5 years old, moving on to bigger projects as he got older. Harris' interest in drone photography sparked when he discovered how to take photos on GoPro cameras. "One day when I was at a beach before drones were so popular, I attached a GoPro to a kite to take an overview picture of the beach," Harris said. "Once I did that, I thought it was a really cool perspective that not a lot of people get to see. It's lower than a helicopter but above what anyone can normally capture with a camera." He worked with a photographer named Tim Sitler, who went to his church. Sitler taught him how to use the camera features of the GoPro, and Harris taught himself the drone features of the device. Sitler gave Harris advice on marketing skills. "Continue to network and market yourself, but make sure to show only your best work," Sitler said. "You never know where your next big job will come from. You need to stay informed about your market and competition, but don't obsess. Obsess on your own business and service." Beginning in 2016, Harris captured aerial pictures with his commercial license. He had the opportunity to work with many different companies in Arkansas in the fields of construction, real estate and roofing. He also gained experience in college by capturing shots for a recruitment video for women's social club Zeta Rho. In fall 2019, junior Abigail King, Zeta Rho recruitment director, wanted to make their video stand out, which was where Harris stepped in. "We were trying to figure out a way to do something interesting for our recruitment video since a lot of times it can be repetitive," King said. "It was so cool that Zane got to use his talents to help us out and make that a reality." Harris hoped to work with drones for movies, advertisements and professional athletes in the future. "I would love to do something for a professional surfer, snowboarder or skier and get to travel to a lot of different places for it and document a lot of things that people don't get to see on a regular basis," Harris said. story by Grace Baker 144 juniors Junior Zane Harris flies his drone through the Colorado mountains while vacationing March 14, 2019. He photographed his travels with his drone and GoPro. I photo courtesy of Zane Harris
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