Drone videography is something else. Pretty much anyone who has tried it will agree; there’s nothing quite like the feeling of lifting your heart and mind to the skies, while your feet remain firmly planted on the ground. Our earth-bound existence is such that the changing our point of view by only a dozen feet into the air captures the imagination like few other fields.

This week we’re looking more closely at a video called “Hidden Victory” that Alex Quintana published a few weeks ago, featuring Volcanoes in Guatemala. The drone-work and timelapse work of the video are outstanding. I think the biggest challenge of this medium is lighting and coloring; it’s a wild, changing, moving setting, and overexposure is a constant threat lurking behind every cloud waiting to jump out and zap your sensor and blast your color range into oblivion.

Alex knocked it out of the park. He’s captured and balanced the colors, showing full and vibrant scenes, (almost always) perfectly exposed, across normal shots, aerial shots, and time-lapse exposures. The piece is balanced, beautiful, has a compelling soundtrack, and most importantly packs a punch with a powerful message about breaking out of the fear that holds us back from being who we are made to be.

Here’s the video:

Check out Alex's film and photography portfolio here.

In his own words:

“I’m a filmmaker from Austin, TX, where I began developing the craft. I now live in Guatemala, where my wife is from.

This new chapter in this beautiful country led me to shift towards photography and start AQUI Studio.
Back in February, I was brought onto a volcanic expedition as a professional photography guide and had the opportunity to capture the footage I used to create this video. The voice-over I wrote stems from my own creative struggles, which I believe we all face.

Fear keeps us from pursuing our biggest dreams, yet in overcoming that fear we are fully able to realize the unique purpose that God created us for. If fulfilled, this purpose ripples out into a culture in great need of noble pursuits.

I’ve been fortunate to work behind the camera on projects that have aired on CNN, TNT, Showtime, National Geographic, Netflix, and in theaters around the US. The secular environment has been a great training ground to develop my skills and voice.

Please pray for me as I strive to break my own chains of fear and let what’s hidden burst forth!

You can find my film work at www.alexquintanafilms.com and my photography work at www.aqui.studio.”

— Alex Quintana

What Alex says really speaks for itself. Fear is not from God. So that leaves one guess as to where, or better whom, it comes from. It’s a temptation. A temptation to smallness, to inefficiency, to holding back from doing what we are called to do and having the impact we are created to have. I think we can learn a lot from Alex’s example, and from that of so many others around us who push forward in spite of their fear. Break those chains. It may not lead you to flying a drone over a volcano in Guatemala, but I guarantee you it will take you to new horizons of possibility and impact.

You can contact Alex or hire him for your film and photography needs!