About Us
ABOUT US
More Than a Drone. A Different Point of View.
Story. Content. Memories!
Professional Aerial Drone Media for Greater Western New York and Northwest Pennsylvania.
Aerial Drone Photo Video was built around one simple idea — that every place, every business, and every moment looks different from above. Better, in most cases. More complete. More honest. More alive.
We are a FAA Part 107 certified, fully licensed and commercially insured aerial drone photography and videography company based in South Dayton, New York. We serve clients across two of the most visually rich and underserved markets in the entire region — the Greater Buffalo and Erie metro corridor and the rural landscape of Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, and Allegany counties. Working farms and vineyards. Historic golf courses. Lakefront estates. Family homesteads. Commercial developments. Event venues. Real estate listings. We fly for all of it.
What Makes Us Different.
Most drone operators in this region are hobbyists with a Part 107 certificate. We are a business — with professional-grade equipment, a full post-production editing suite, transparent pricing, signed service agreements, and a genuine understanding of what our clients need the footage to accomplish. We do not just capture content. We deliver a finished product that works — for listings that need to sell, for businesses that need to stand out, for families that want to remember.
Every shoot is backed by commercial liability insurance, FAA aircraft registration, Remote ID compliance, and airspace authorization through the FAA's LAANC system. When you book with us you are protected from the first phone call to the final file delivery.
Our Background in Golf.
Our background runs deeper than drone operation. With years of experience in golf course management, we bring an understanding of the golf industry that no outside creative can replicate. We know how a course is marketed, what a membership prospectus needs to convey, what makes a layout sing visually, and what a golfer sees when they look at a hole from above. That insider knowledge translates directly into better content — for course tours, tournament coverage, membership campaigns, and social media that actually connects with a golf audience. For courses throughout Chautauqua County and Western New York, we are not just a vendor. We are the aerial partner who understands your world.
The Editing Difference.
Capturing great footage is only half the job. What happens in post-production is what separates raw content from finished media that actually performs. We edit every project in-house using Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, and After Effects — the same professional tools used in commercial film and television production. Every delivery includes color-graded, music-licensed, platform-ready files. Standard delivery on most projects is 24 to 48 hours.
Where We Fly.
We are based in South Dayton, New York — positioned at the heart of Cattaraugus and Chautauqua County and within reach of two distinct markets that most operators ignore entirely.
To the north and west we serve the Greater Buffalo metro, Niagara Falls, Lockport, Hamburg, Orchard Park, East Aurora, Springville, Gowanda, and the Erie, Pennsylvania corridor including Warren and Corry.
To the south and east we cover the full rural landscape that defines this region — Jamestown, Lakewood, Dunkirk, Fredonia, Westfield, Brocton, Silver Creek, Bemus Point, Mayville, Chautauqua, Findley Lake, Ellicottville, Salamanca, Olean, Cattaraugus, Franklinville, Falconer, Frewsburg, Allegany, Wellsville, Cuba, Bolivar, and every community in between.
This is our home region. We know the land, the light, the seasons, and the communities we serve. For projects beyond our standard service radius — contact us. We travel for the right project.
Who We Fly For.
Real estate agents and brokerages who need MLS-ready aerial photography and listing video with fast turnaround.
Golf courses and country clubs throughout Chautauqua County and Western New York who need cinematic course tours, tournament coverage, and ongoing social media content.
Farms, vineyards, and wineries across the Lake Erie Wine Trail and Chautauqua grape belt who have extraordinary properties and no aerial content to show for it.
Local businesses — restaurants, marinas, retail, hospitality, professional services — who want aerial content that makes their location and their brand impossible to ignore.
Families who want to preserve their property, their homestead, or their land as it exists today — for the people who will want to see it tomorrow.
Construction contractors, developers, insurance professionals, and legal teams who need certified aerial documentation they can rely on.
Event planners, wedding coordinators, corporate teams, and community organizations who want cinematic coverage of the moments that matter.
Licensed. Insured. Professional.
✦ FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate — publicly verifiable in the FAA Airmen Registry
✦ Commercial General Liability Insurance — $1M+ coverage, Certificate of Insurance available on request
✦ FAA Aircraft Registration — every aircraft legally registered
✦ Remote ID Compliant — broadcasting digital identification on every commercial flight
✦ LAANC Authorized — instant airspace clearance for all regional controlled airspace
✦ Licensed in New York State and Pennsylvania
✦ Flying commercially since 2020
✦ Full professional post-production — Adobe Premiere Pro
✦ All commercial work backed by signed service agreements
Our Standard.
We built this business on the belief that Western New York and Northwest Pennsylvania — a region with extraordinary landscapes, deep agricultural roots, world-class golf, lakefront beauty, and communities that have been here for generations — deserves aerial media that does justice to all of it. Not quick-and-cheap. Not unlicensed-and-uninsured. Professional, cinematic, and delivered with the care this region deserves.
Every flight we take is a commitment to that standard.
We don't just fly drones. We tell stories from above. STORY. CONTENT. MEMORIES!
All services by appointment only.
📞 (716) 485-1459
✉️ derk@derksdoodads.com
📅 Text us to Schedule a FREE Consultation