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USA Dronebase, Skycatch, etc. - anyone willing to share their experience?

Here's some perspective,

The age of digital cameras changed the photography business considerably. For example, A single image that sell online with iStockphoto, now iStock by Getty Images has sold 150 copies and I have made $150 from it. The price of the image is $12 USD. I get $1 per picture or about 8% of the revenue. Service gathering groups like the drone groups listed above are virtually an identical business model used by Getty Images, iTunes, and any other content provider. They value their services at a premium while underbidding cheap pilot rates. They depend on quantity to become large enough to capture the market share and to be "The Place" for buyers to go for drone pilots and services. Value skewing is a common practice to creating a business model, value what you do as high and reduce the value of what you depend on, the bigger your business becomes, the more valuable your model becomes until it is the standard.

Stock Photo Example
Them = $1650, Their network
Me = $150, My camera, my image, my skills

Passed on the comments above I would avoid those groups altogether, or better accept jobs and then "No Show" to damage their credibility.
"Passed on the comments above I would avoid those groups altogether, or better accept jobs and then "No Show" to damage their credibility."
You would do this and call yourself a professional?
 
yep owner need my help and the drone killers (trees) are gone by the storm, will be more humanitarian job plus some good pics for my website
 
I got contacted by Dronebase yesterday about a "client" job with a $250 payout for what would have taken me about an hour but... The location is well know to me and almost every tourist in Nashville. The shoot was to be of a financial institution and asked for some very detailed photographs of the building including roof and entry and access points. Before I accepted I made a ride over to the site only 5 miles from my door and talked to the director of building security and operations only to find they had no knowledge of the request and said they would most certainly object. By the time I got home the job had been pulled or accepted by another pilot. It's stuff like this that worries me.
 
I have been signed up with Drone Base since the beginning. One job was sent, a shopping mall that was in a very busy area. Job was requested at 5pm to show the busiest time, full parking lot, lots of people, very high risk with the shot list they wanted. Pay was to be 200 for about an hours work.
I would not count on their insurance covering any incidents as they will directly point to the PIC as the responsible party. They will push for you to complete the job even if there are concerns.

At least this was my experience, YMMV.
 
DB requires you have your own insurance:
"Do I need to have my own insurance?

It is recommended that you provide your own insurance. Typical minimums include $1 Million in General Liability. We may ask for your Certificate of Insurance. "
 
DB requires you have your own insurance:
"Do I need to have my own insurance?

It is recommended that you provide your own insurance. Typical minimums include $1 Million in General Liability. We may ask for your Certificate of Insurance. "
if you use verifly and get pay $25 for panos is ? have you heard of skyswoop? LP
 
if you are asking is the job pay sufficient the answer is no, some panos are only $19 (!) when you factor in insurance, driving time, etc.
I don't do a lot of DB jobs. I started to sign up with Skyswoop but stopped at the tax info, TMI.
 
yes that where I bail out, got me the Idea of licence picture plus, if your doing a service is non taxable in TX they are the ones selling the good and collecting taxes, One more Q LP? going to IL for family get together bringing my Mavic for fun, but there is a heliport (Hospital) with class D air close to the area any advice on best action to take Martinez?
Thanks
Mariano
 

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