It was the adventure of a lifetime for Nate Brubaker of Rock Shore Media. In the midst of wildfire season, the Maryland-based filmmaker hit the Wyoming wilderness with his brother. The two explored Green River Lakes, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, and parts of Montana … clocking a couple hundred miles and only popping one tire.
Apart from the fires limiting visibility at times, the biggest challenge for Nate was with his new DJI Phantom 3. It was his first time owning, never mind flying, a drone, and he hadn’t allowed himself enough time to get used to it. “Let’s just say I had to overnight a few props to Wyoming and leave it at that,” says Nate. Then there was the day it lost signal and crashed into a river. So it’s not surprising that Nate’s most memorable moment was with the drone too: On his way up to Yellowstone, he captured 42 wild mustangs trotting across a field — it was his first successful flight. “I was nervous as hell!”
Nate’s favorite location was Green River Lakes. They drove 20 miles off the main road to reach their location. No one was in sight … until “one random guy” showed up to share the view. Turned out, he worked for a company that manufactures parts for Freefly. “What a small world — you never know who you’ll run into in the middle of Wyoming.”
See all Rock Shore Media footage — it’s exclusive to Dissolve. Follow Nate’s adventures on Instagram.
Nate’s equipment:
Sony A7s
Atomos Shogun
24-105
70-200 with 2x Extender
DJI Phantom 3