In this month’s blog post we meet one of our long time media ambassadors for GoWorx who has supplied us with great content for years! He’s been an inspiration to us and many of our followers when it comes to content creation and drone photography. His name is Pierce Gainey (IG: @PierceGainey) and he’s based in sunny South Florida; where the beaches always tend to provide epic scenery. We asked him a few questions regarding his photography hobby in a short GoWorx Ambassador Interview.

GoWorx: What’s up Pierce? You’ve been a GoWorx Ambassador for a little while now.
Where are you from?
Pierce: Hey GoWorx, I’m stoked to be a GoWorx ambassador! I’m from Fort Lauderdale, FL
GoWorx: How is it living there?
Pierce: It’s so great and beautiful! It’s cool to say that I live where people vacation. I’m constantly surrounded by warm weather and the beach. Plus, there’s so much diversity in Ft. Lauderdale, which gives me a lot of opportunity to meet new people and learn from them.

GoWorx: Nice! So what exactly do you do for living?

Pierce: I do something normal, I sell Insurance. But, in my off time, my job is to capture beauty.
GoWorx: How did you get started doing that?
Pierce: My father is in the insurance world and encouraged me to at least give it a try and ever since then I have loved learning the trade.
GoWorx: Interesting. What do you like about it?
Pierce: I love the social aspect. I get to meet a lot of people every day and have quality conversations while informing them about insurance and how to save money. I also am a problem-solver, so I enjoy being able to analyze a client’s current situation and figure out ways to best meet their needs.

GoWorx: As for photography, what’s a part of your daily gear bundle?
Pierce: First and foremost, my drones! Those are what I never leave without. They are getting better and smaller and that is huge for any photographer, especially traveling photographers. I fly the DJI Phantom 4 Pro and the DJI Mavic 2 Pro. After that, I have my Sony A6300 and my Canon 6D, when I’m not photographing from a bird’s eye view.
GoWorx: Where are your 3 favorite places on this earth?
Pierce: That’s such a tough question as there are still so many places I want to travel to… but on my top list right now it would be Barbados, Iceland & the Maldives. Give me a couple of years (and maybe some more $$) and I’m sure my answer will change.

GoWorx: Sounds Beautiful! Why those places?
Pierce: I like Barbados and the Maldives for their crazy clear and beautiful oceans. Iceland is just a photographers dream, everywhere you look there is something new to photograph. I have yet to go but it is on my bucket list and I can’t wait to travel there.
GoWorx: Random: Got any life hacks?
Pierce: The best life hack I have is to live near an Amazon distribution center so you can get literally anything in less than 4 hours. I'd say that's a pretty great life hack lol.

GoWorx: What type of music do you vibe to?
Pierce: I listen to so much music so it’s hard to pinpoint exactly my vibe. I listen mostly to Indie/Alternative and a lot of Oldies - 70s and 80s music. I grew up listening to oldies with my dad, so I have a great appreciation for that style. Since then, I’ve gathered an impressive vinyl collection if I do say so myself.

GoWorx: How did you get into photography, droning, and just general content creation?

Pierce: I love the idea of capturing a moment. I started out with a GoPro because it was such a unique way to capture moments in my life. From there, I started to realize how much I loved capturing moments and I decided I wanted to continue to pursue this and get better! Then I heard about drones being released and how cool of a perspective they could capture.  I, then, saved my money and finally purchased one! That was the phantom 2, which was made without a screen so you couldn’t even see what kind of video you were capturing. Now, I own a DJI Phantom 4 Pro and DJI Mavic 2 Pro and spend a lot of my weekends practicing and pushing the limits of my drones.

GoWorx: That's great! So what are 3 things you’d recommend to anyone wanting to start drone photography?
Pierce: PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE! I know it’s cliche, but practice really does make all the difference.  After that, I’d say don’t be afraid to push boundaries - think outside the box. Also, try to find your niche. There’s a lot of new drone pilots and you have to know what kind of beauty you will capture .
GoWorx: Got it. What program do you use to edit your photos? Any useful tips with that program?
Pierce: I use Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop & Premiere Pro for all of my editing necessities! The applications may seem intimidating, but the more you use them, the more you’ll like them.
GoWorx: What is your favorite scenery to photograph and why?
Pierce: If you take a look at my Instagram you will see exactly what that is! The ocean is my favorite and I am constantly looking for the next spot over the Atlantic!

GoWorx: I once lost my brand new Mavic Pro in a New Year’s fireworks show and never found it! Do you have any photography horror stories?
Pierce: My very first drone and very first flight… I ran it into a tree. This was horrifying as I had been saving up for this drone for a while. Luckily, it wasn’t damaged too badly and it was repairable. My next drone that I had lost connection and flew straight into a high rise. Luckily, it landed on the pool deck and wasn’t too badly damaged either… always be careful and follow the rules. Now, drones have great obstacle avoidance and have become very reliable!
GoWorx: Close call! What is one of your best photography stories or moments?
Pierce: One of my favorite moments was when I was hiking in Yosemite. I started hiking from the bottom where it was hot and surrounded by trees and then the higher I got, the closer I got to snow-capped mountains. It was an incredible experience being able to capture such contrasting views. It was a humbling experience. It made me feel so small.

GoWorx: What are some things you never leave the house without?
Pierce: Wallet and a bathing suit. You gotta be prepared for anything.
GoWorx: Smart! Who are some of your role-models?
Pierce: My parents for sure. They’ve taught me the art of hard work and how it’s necessary for the things I want in life. They have always been a prime example of who I want to grow up to be like.

GoWorx: What is 1 thing you wish you would have known when you started taking photos?
Pierce: Oh man… photography is ever changing and you learn something new all the time. I can’t exactly say one thing that I wish I knew beforehand, because I just kept experimenting and learning.  YouTube is your friend and there are so many great resources out there that are free to help you learn! Don’t be afraid to try new things and ask for help from others. I am always willing to help anyone who is interested in starting photography.

GoWorx: Last question, what is your spirit animal and why?
Pierce: Flamingo. I got them long legs. Plus, I think they’re fun and quirky, which is who I am.

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