Tex Kelly Productions
Drone Photography and Videography in Mendocino County, California

Drone Photography and Videography · Mendocino County, California

Mendocino County Drone Photographer.

Drone FAA Part 107-certified aerial photography and cinema.

Inquire Call (707) 382-1108

FAA Part 107 certified commercial drone photography and videography across Mendocino County, a five-platform fleet for coastal weddings, vineyard brand work, real estate, and industrial inspections. Licensed, registered, and insured.

Drone Photography and Videography · Mendocino County

What it actually looks like in Mendocino County.

Mendocino drone work covers two distinct geographies: coastal (Mendocino, Fort Bragg, Point Arena, dramatic cliffs and tide pools, all Class G) and inland (Ukiah, Anderson Valley wine country, vineyards and rolling hills, mostly Class G with some Ukiah airport considerations). Different visual language, same five-platform fleet. DJI Mini 3, Mavic 3 Pro, Avata 2 FPV, Matrice 350 RTK, and the Zenmuse L2 LiDAR payload.

Most Mendocino drone projects are wine-country brand cinematography (vineyard sweeps, harvest aerials, barrel-room reveals) or coastal wedding aerials (Mendocino headland sweeps, Glass Beach detail, Pomo Bluffs reveals). Real estate aerials for Mendocino + Fort Bragg coastal properties are also a steady stream.

Every flight is Part 107 compliant. Unauthorized commercial drone work exposes both the pilot and the client to FAA civil penalties in the tens of thousands per violation, and standard commercial liability insurance won't pay out on a flight that violated FAA regulations. Hiring a registered, insured Part 107 pilot moves that exposure where it belongs, onto the pilot.

Where in Mendocino County

  • Mendocino Headlands Sweep

    Cliff-and-coast aerial. Class G. Plan for fog patterns.

  • Anderson Valley Vineyards

    Wine-country aerial. Late afternoon for shadow definition.

  • Glass Beach + Pomo Bluffs

    Fort Bragg coastal aerial. Tide-dependent ground detail.

Recent Work

Drone Photography and Videography in Mendocino County. 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 the full drone photography and videography portfolio
Tex Kelly piloting a DJI drone on a commercial FAA Part 107 flight — Mendocino County, California

FAA Part 107 · The Operator

The pilot, on every flight.

Every Mendocino County 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 a working knowledge of the Mendocino County microclimate and airspace boundaries built from years of regional flight scouting.

What's Included

What you actually get with drone photography and videography.

  • 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.

Drone Photography and Videography by City

Drone Photography and Videography across 4 Mendocino County cities.

We work drone photography and videography engagements throughout Mendocino County, from the Eureka studio across the entire county. Click into a city for venue notes and the work I've done there.

All 4 cities in Mendocino County →

How It Works

From first message to final delivery.

  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 Photography and Videography FAQs

Common questions.

  • 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.

Inquire

Drone Photography and Videography in Mendocino County. Tell me about your project.

Every inquiry gets a personal reply within 24 hours.

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