Tex Kelly Productions
Aerial drone photograph from Victorian Main Street Overhead in Ferndale, California

Drone Photographer · Ferndale, California

Drone Photographer in Ferndale, California.

Drone FAA Part 107-certified aerial photography and cinema.

Inquire Call (707) 382-1108
Tex Kelly, drone photography and videography for Ferndale, California

Hi. I'm Tex.

Welcome to FAA Part 107 drone, Ferndale edition.

I'm a North Coast filmmaker and FAA Part 107 commercial drone pilot, voted Humboldt County's Best. Commercial drone photography and videography in Ferndale runs across real estate aerial, construction-progress documentation, brand campaigns, and the kind of broadcast-grade aerial cinema that lifts a property listing or a brand film into a different category.

My job is to fly the FAA Part 107-rated DJI Mavic 3 Pro and DJI Matrice 350 RTK platforms safely, legally, and at cinema-grade quality in Ferndale airspace. LAANC authorization handled on every commercial flight, all coordination documented in writing.

Now booking Ferndale drone projects and real estate aerial.

Book your Ferndale flight →
Tex Kelly piloting a DJI drone on a commercial FAA Part 107 flight, Ferndale, California

FAA Part 107 · The Operator

The pilot, on every flight.

Every Ferndale drone flight on the calendar is operated personally by Tex. FAA Part 107 commercial Remote Pilot Certificate current and valid, LAANC airspace coordination handled in-house, and the local-knowledge advantage of years scouting Humboldt County skies for clean takeoffs, golden-hour windows, and the airspace boundaries that matter for the flight.

Drone Photography and Videography in Ferndale, California. Tex Kelly Productions

A note from Ferndale

FAA Part 107 commercial drone work in Ferndale, California. Victorian-village aerials, wedding-venue overhead, real-estate cinematics, and the working dairy bottomland of the lower Eel River Valley.

The Approach

Drone in Ferndale. Flown with intent.

The Ferndale airspace

Ferndale from above, shot legally.

Ferndale's preserved Main Street and the surrounding Eel River bottomlands photograph beautifully from above. Victorian rooftops in golden hour, working dairy pastures, and the surrounding ag patchwork that frames the town. Every flight is FAA Part 107 certified with the right pre-flight scouting for the village's microclimate.

Drone Photography and Videography, Ferndale, California
Aerial composition, Humboldt County.
Drone Photography and Videography, Ferndale, California
FAA Part 107, LAANC-coordinated.

The Ferndale flight

FAA Part 107. LAANC-coordinated.

A Ferndale flight starts with the paperwork. We file the LAANC request in writing before we ever unfold the props, and one Part 107 pilot owns the whole shoot. Over the Cream City Victorians we time the passes around Main Street foot traffic. Out on the Eel River bottomland it's real estate aerials, construction progress on the dairy parcels, and brand films for the working farms. We log every battery and every height.

The Ferndale hometown advantage

Local to Ferndale. Scouted from above.

Knowing Ferndale from the air means knowing the valley fog that pools on the bottomland and burns off the ridge first. The light comes late here because the hills hold the morning. We've flown the Victorian Inn and the Ingomar Club, and we know Russ Park reads better from the south edge where the firs don't crowd the frame. The good rooftop angles sit low and east, before the marine layer climbs back in off the river mouth.

Drone Photography and Videography, Ferndale, California
Hometown aerial scouting, Humboldt County.

Now booking, Ferndale

Now booking Ferndale drone projects for the year ahead.

Ferndale aerial flights book on a rolling calendar, real estate listings often need 24–48 hour turnaround, commercial brand work books 4–6 weeks out. Send a note with your timeline and we'll scope the right LAANC authorization window.

Reserve your Ferndale flight → or call (707) 382-1108

Recent Work

Drone Photographer in Ferndale. A look at the work.

  • Tex Kelly piloting a DJI drone on a commercial FAA Part 107 flight
  • Aerial view of Eureka rooftops and the Humboldt Bay
  • Drone aerial captured by Tex Kelly Productions. FAA Part 107 commercial flight
  • Aerial composition from a Tex Kelly Productions drone flight
  • Coastal cliffs and Pacific surf shot from above
  • High-altitude drone aerial by Tex Kelly Productions
  • Pink Lady Victorian at sunset, drone aerial over Eureka
  • April 2024 drone flight composition. Tex Kelly Productions
  • Redwood canopy and coastline aerial composition
  • October 2025 drone aerial. Tex Kelly Productions
  • September 2023 drone flight. Tex Kelly Productions
  • July 2025 drone aerial composition. Tex Kelly Productions
  • Sequenced drone aerial. Tex Kelly Productions
  • Working harbor and fishing boats from drone elevation
  • Aerial composition over a North Coast country estate
See full drone photography and videography portfolio →

More from the studio

Beyond the aerial. Selected wedding films.

Drone work is one capability inside a broader cinematic practice. Here's the wedding-film side, feature-length wedding documentaries and editorial cinema. Click any thumbnail to play in place.

  • David & Monica's Wedding Documentary, 35 Years Before They Met, His Dad Saved Her Dad's Life

    Feature-length wedding documentary

  • Brunton Wedding Film

    Northern California wedding cinematography

  • Shane & Sofia Weekly. A 45-Minute Wedding Documentary

    Northern California long-form wedding film

  • Mrs. & Mrs. McClurg

    Cinematic wedding film

  • An Emotional, Romantic & Cinematic Wedding Film. Trinidad Elopement

    Trinidad, California elopement

DaVinci Resolve wedding-film edit in progress. Tex Kelly Productions editing suite

The Editing Process

Months in the edit suite, curating the story.

A wedding film isn't shot in a day, it's made over months. Hours of raw cinema footage, multi-camera audio, drone aerial, and second-shooter coverage get assembled, color-graded, and scored frame by frame in the edit suite.

Every transition is intentional. Every cut earns its keep. The goal is a film couples actually want to re-watch, not a montage of clips. That kind of editorial discipline is the difference between a wedding film and a wedding highlight reel, and it's why these turnarounds run weeks instead of days.

Locations + Airspace

Where I fly in Ferndale.

  • Victorian Main Street Overhead

    Heritage rooftops + Cream City patchwork from above. Coordinate around foot traffic.

  • Wedding-Venue Aerials

    Ingomar Club, Victorian Inn, Russ Park, ceremony + venue overhead capture.

  • Working Dairy Bottomlands

    Eel River agricultural patchwork, golden-hour pastoral aerials.

What's Included

What's included with drone photography and videography in Ferndale.

  • FAA Part 107 Certified Pilot

    Current, registered, and current commercial drone pilot license. LAANC airspace authorization for restricted areas. Insurance documentation on request.

  • Five-Platform Drone Fleet

    DJI Mini 3 (sub-250g, for tight regulated airspace and travel); DJI Mavic 3 Pro (broadcast-grade 4K cinema, Hasselblad sensor, three-camera array); DJI Avata 2 (cinematic FPV, immersive single-take flythroughs); DJI Matrice 350 RTK (enterprise-grade industrial workhorse); Zenmuse L2 (LiDAR payload on the M350 for survey-grade scanning). The right drone for the right job, every time.

  • Pre-Flight Risk Assessment

    Documented airspace check, weather review, property-owner permission, and flight plan for every commercial flight.

  • Commercial Insurance

    Fully insured for commercial drone operations. Certificate of insurance available before the shoot for venue or client requirements.

  • Edited Aerial Deliverables

    Color-graded 4K video clips, high-resolution stills, and any specialty formats (vertical for social, broadcast 16:9, slow-motion sequences).

  • Permit Coordination

    FAA LAANC clearance, state park permits, and venue authorizations handled ahead of the shoot, no day-of surprises.

How It Works

How it works in Ferndale.

  1. 01

    Inquiry & Scope

    Send the location, intended use (real estate, wedding, brand, industrial), and timeline. I pull the airspace map for the location.

  2. 02

    Authorization

    LAANC permit if needed (1–14 days lead time depending on airspace). Property owner releases for private land.

  3. 03

    Weather Window

    I monitor forecasts and identify the best-light, lowest-wind window. Coastal Humboldt fog often dictates timing.

  4. 04

    The Flight

    On-site arrival 30 minutes early for visual airspace check. Pre-flight checklist. Multiple altitude and angle passes for editorial flexibility.

  5. 05

    Post-Production

    Color grade, stabilization polish, format export. Standard turnaround 1–2 weeks for video, 3–5 days for still imagery.

Investment

Drone work is priced per shoot, half-day, full-day, and multi-day rates scale with scope. Most real estate aerials run a few hundred; wedding integrations and brand campaigns scale up. Send the project and timeline for a quote.

Drone Photographer in Ferndale. FAQs

Frequently asked questions.

  • Can you fly a drone over a Ferndale wedding?
    Yes. FAA Part 107 + wedding-venue coordination handled in-house. Most Ferndale ceremonies allow a short ceremonial flight or a recessional aerial as long as guest comfort is respected. We brief with the venue and the couple in advance.
  • Are you FAA Part 107 certified?
    Yes. Tex is FAA Part 107 certified, fully insured, and operates as a licensed commercial drone pilot. All flights comply with FAA regulations including airspace authorization, altitude limits, and visual line-of-sight requirements. Insurance documentation is available on request.
  • What can drone footage be used for?
    Wedding aerials, real estate listings, brand and commercial campaigns, event coverage, construction progress documentation, industrial inspections, and editorial storytelling. Output ranges from short Instagram clips to broadcast-grade 4K cinema and high-resolution stills for print.
  • What about restricted airspace?
    Most of Humboldt County is unrestricted Class G airspace, but locations near the Eureka airport, Arcata airport, or military airspace require pre-flight FAA authorization. Tex handles all permitting through LAANC. Plan two extra days of lead time for restricted areas.
  • Can you fly over private property?
    Yes, with the property owner's written permission. Tex provides a release form for property owners. For shoots over public land, we follow Park Service and BLM regulations, some redwood and state parks require special permits, which Tex coordinates ahead of the shoot.
  • What weather conditions limit drone work?
    Coastal fog, sustained winds above 25 mph, and rain are the main limits. Tex monitors forecasts in the days leading up to a shoot and will reschedule if conditions don't allow safe flight or quality footage. Coastal Humboldt fog can lift mid-morning, so we often plan flights for a forecast window with a backup time.

Nearby drone photography and videography cities

Drone Photography and Videography near Ferndale, other locations I shoot.

Flexible on where you shoot? Many clients book a hometown location + a destination second location in the same day. Below are the other cities where I'm currently booking drone photography and videography, same playbook, same editorial eye, different backdrop.

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