By Isabel Santoyo
Dragon Echo Staff
The theme for the yearbook this year is “The Eye of the Dragon,” and sophomore Grant Leonard is helping to capture the vision for this theme through drone photography.
After all, Dragons can fly, so “a Dragon’s eye view” is often seen from the sky.
Grant said he has been taking drone photos for about a year now. He loves taking photos and he loves flying drones, so he found a way to combine them into one hobby.
“I have two types of drones,” Grant said. “One is a DJI Mavic Pro and the other is a DJI Phantom.”
Some of the coolest photos he has taken are of downtown Nacogdoches. He also took drone photos, following a major flood in town, which were shared widely on social media.
“I took my drone on a road trip to Wyoming,” Grant said. “I flew it near Devil’s Tower and over the Badlands. It was really cool. I made a video on that trip, as well.”
He hopes to take his drone to the Grand Canyon one day.
Grant recently used his drone to take photos of Dragon Stadium during a Friday night football game, and he photographed the homecoming parade from the sky, as well.
“As a school photographer, taking my drone to these events shows a different perspective,” he said. “It shows how many people attend our events and how many care about our school. It shows the magnitude.”
Grant hopes to one day have a career that utilizes drone photography.
“It’s amazing to take photos from a drone, he said. “It’s indescribable.”