Don’t be that person who starts to learn about drone photography only to be in trouble with the law because of neglect. As a new drone pilot, you should educate yourself on the airspace regulations of your country and the general rules of safely flying an unmanned aircraft or most commonly referred to as a drone.

Register your drone with the FAA

The FAA is the governing agency that covers all those concerning flying, even a non-commercial vehicle like a drone. Technically, you don’t have to register your drone if you are flying under the Special Rule for Model Aircraft but it’s not always possible to fit in this criteria.

It’s better to be safe than sorry, of course. It’s an easy and inexpensive process. If it’s a toy drone less than the limit of 0.5 pounds, you don’t have to register it.

Stay at least 5 miles away from airports

Drones are not allowed near airports. Remember that. If you live near an airport or you want to take a shot of airplanes flying off the runway, you may have to ask permission from the governing agencies.

The reason why drones are not allowed near an airport is that the signals may interfere with that of the ones being used by planes to communicate with the tower.

Don’t fly over people without permission

Some photographers like taking shots of people walking to and from work. That will not be acceptable for especially sensitive people who don’t even like the top of their heads photographed.

If you are going to do this, ask permission from the people who you need to take a photo of. Or, try not to do this too often because your photos will be generic.

Don’t fly over government facilities

This could create a lot of legal problems for you. Flying over government facilities is a no-no. You cannot fly over the White House, the Congress, or any other departments because you may risk the chance of being thought of as a surveillance team.

If you need to take a photo of a government facility, you may have to ask permission from that agency but you might only be allowed to take a shot from a particular angle (a far one, most probably).

Be polite when approached by the police

If the police flags you down and asks you to explain what you’re doing with the drone, be polite and respectfully explain why you’re flying over the area. You can also brief the police about the drone photography project you’re doing.