Fstoppers Post: If You're Flying a Drone in a National Park Without a Permit, You're Hurting the Industry

In this article for Fstoppers, I discuss how the National Park Service in the United States is one of the few organizations with clear policies regarding the use of drones, or small unmanned aircraft systems (SUAS) on their property. There are some pilots who ignore these rules, and it makes doing business as a licensed operator very difficult. Be sure to read the comments for some very interesting speculation about future developments, changes, and what other people see as a solution.

Fstoppers Post, EditorialMike WilkinsonAugust 7, 2017aerial, drone, video, dji, inspire, suas, mike wilkinson, wilkinsonvisual, faaComment

2016 and the Cost of Running a Video and Photography Business, By the Numbers

As a filmmaker & photographer, you might only see pressing the big red RECORD button on my camera and setting up a few lights, but trust me when I say there is a lot that goes in to what it takes for me to have even gotten to that point. Business costs, time, maintenance, training, are just a fraction of what it takes myself, and other working professionals, to operate legally and at a standard of quality that enables us to (try) and make a living.

BusinessMike WilkinsonFebruary 8, 2017business, wilkinsonvisual, mike wilkinson, kentucky, lexington, video production, filmmaking, photographyComment

Creating a Logo for Wilkinson Visual: the Process, Collaborators, and the Final Design

In the last 4-6 months, I've been slowly working on re-aligning the focus of Wilkinson Visual, and strategizing on where and how to proceed next. As part of that process, I wanted to actually create a proper logo and rewrite what is basically the mission of the business, so that potential clients would know exactly the kind of work we specialize in, and hopefully get us better SEO ranking.

BusinessMike WilkinsonJune 27, 2015design, business, wilkinsonvisual, logoComment

Fstoppers Post: Thinking Of Crowdfunding Your Next Video Project? Learn From My Failed Attempt

During its 30-day run, and weeks of planning that went into it beforehand, I got my own crash course in fundraising and marketing while trying to raise $10,000 through Kickstarter for the Ascending India project. I’ll share what I learned in this article.

Ascending India: The Documentary That Almost Didn't Happen

The documentary project Ascending India that I had been working on for the past 6 months, and spent countless hours planning, fundraising, hosting a kickstarter, shooting clips for, and preparing to travel to India to complete? I was denied entry into the country, and a film that would stand to benefit the country of India was almost ruined from their own actions. I share my story inside.

Hoppin Around At Summer Beerfest 2013

What do you do when asked to shoot photos to document a microbrew beer festival? You pack your bag and ask where to park!