If you are a drone photographer or videographer looking to beef up your archive of amazing American beauty shots, this guide will give you some great ideas from the Midwest U.S.
Matty D. Media is a video production company serving small businesses in Kansas and the Kansas City area since 2015. Our video library is growing with awesome shots of Midwest landmarks–both known and unknown. In addition to the visuals, we are also gathering knowledge about recording at these locations. Enjoy this free resource as we share tips from the sky.
If you are marketing director or small business shopping for beauty shots to license, please e-mail mattydmedia@gmail.com for a free and custom quote.
Drone Guides: First-Hand Insights from Commercial Drone Videographers
Whether you’re an FAA Part 107 commercial drone pilot, an aerial photographer, a travel videographer, or a recreational flyer looking for your next scenic destination, this growing collection of Drone Guides is designed to help you discover remarkable locations for cinematic aerial photography and video throughout America’s Midwest and Great Plains.
Every Drone Guide in this library is built from first-hand experience. Rather than relying solely on internet research, maps, or satellite imagery, these guides document observations gathered during actual commercial productions by the videographers at Matty D. Media. You’ll also find practical insights about airport proximity, FAA airspace awareness, battery planning, lighting conditions, and wildlife encounters. These are the kinds of storytelling opportunities and operational details that only become apparent after flying a location yourself.
Successful drone productions begin long before the aircraft leaves the ground. If you’re planning an upcoming shoot, our Location Scouting Guide explains how professional videographers evaluate lighting, safety, logistics, FAA considerations, and storytelling opportunities before arriving on location. Many of the same principles are referenced throughout these Drone Guides.
As new productions take us to additional destinations, this library will continue growing into a practical reference for drone photographers and videographers planning future aerial productions.
Browse Drone Flight Insights by State
- Illinois
- Kansas
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- Ohio
- Wyoming
Illinois
Gateway Arch Drone Guide | St. Louis Skyline & Mississippi River Aerial Photography
First-Hand Flight Insights
When searching for the best legal location to photograph the Gateway Arch by drone, one recommendation consistently rose to the top: Malcolm W. Martin Memorial Park in East St. Louis, Illinois. Although this Drone Guide appears under Missouri because its subject is one of America’s most recognizable landmarks, the drone actually launches from across the Mississippi River in Illinois. Sometimes the best place to photograph Missouri…is technically Illinois.
From this overlook, drone pilots can capture the Gateway Arch, downtown St. Louis, the Mississippi River, Busch Stadium, and The Dome at America’s Center within a single flight. The elevated riverfront provides multiple foreground options, including the park’s large American flag, walking paths, and river traffic, making it easy to create cinematic establishing shots for documentaries, tourism campaigns, and commercial productions.
Visual Storytelling Opportunities Revealed from Above:
Few American skylines communicate a city’s identity as quickly as St. Louis. From the air, the Gateway Arch immediately establishes location while the Mississippi River reinforces the city’s historical role as a transportation corridor and gateway to the American West. The combination of the Arch, river, bridges, and skyline makes this location especially valuable for documentaries about westward expansion, transportation, architecture, civic pride, tourism, and American history.
The oversized American flag adds another storytelling element. Depending on the wind, it can become either a dramatic foreground subject or a framing device that naturally draws the viewer’s eye toward the Arch.
Drone Pilot Considerations
The Gateway Arch National Park itself is a no-fly area, making nearby legal launch locations especially valuable for aerial photography. Malcolm W. Martin Memorial Park offers one of the best publicly accessible vantage points, but drone pilots should always verify current FAA airspace, Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs), local park policies, and any applicable permitting requirements before flying.
Morning flights generally produce the strongest lighting. With the sun rising behind the drone on the Illinois side of the river, the Gateway Arch and downtown skyline receive attractive front lighting while the Mississippi River reflects warm early-day color. As the day progresses, afternoon flights create more backlighting and stronger contrast, which can make exposure more challenging.
One final consideration is composition. While the skyline dominates the view, industrial facilities, rail infrastructure, and river commerce occasionally enter the frame. Depending on your production, these elements can either distract from a tourism-focused shot or enhance documentaries covering transportation, manufacturing, and the working Mississippi River.
Missouri
Kansas City Skyline Captured from Liberty Memorial
In this Drone Guide, Matty D. shares his first-hand experience capturing aerial video in front of Liberty Memorial and the National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri. This location provides a powerful view of the 217-foot memorial tower, with the Kansas City skyline rising directly behind it. What is the highest demand visual to capture in the Midwest? You’ll have to watch this video to find out!
First-Hand Flight Insights
I flew a DJI Mini 3 in front of Liberty Memorial to capture the 217-foot tower with the Kansas City skyline rising behind it. From this vantage point, pilots can frame Liberty Memorial, Union Station, Bartle Hall and several downtown buildings within one flight. The air became choppy during my visit, but the lightweight DJI Mini 3 remained responsive and delivered usable aerial recordings of this iconic Kansas City view.
Visual Storytelling Opportunities Revealed from Above
Liberty Memorial connects Kansas City’s history with its modern skyline. The tall stone tower immediately gives the shot a strong subject, while downtown adds depth behind it. These aerial views can support documentaries, tourism campaigns, historical programs and commercial videos about Kansas City. Wide shots show the full setting, while closer movements can use the memorial as a foreground subject before revealing the skyline.
Drone Pilot Considerations
The National WWI Museum and Memorial’s drone policy allows drones on its exterior grounds, but pilots must follow FAA requirements and inform the proper authorities when appropriate. Operators should avoid hovering over visitors, watch for changing wind around the tower and leave enough battery power for a safe return. Because the memorial is close to downtown Kansas City and Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport, pilots should also check current airspace, LAANC authorization requirements, property policies and Temporary Flight Restrictions before launching.
Nebraska
Royal, NE Drone Guide | Prairie, Agriculture & Small-Town Aerial Photography
Visual Storytelling Opportunities Revealed from Above:
Agriculture • Prairie landscapes • Rural highways • Small-town America • Patriotic landmarks • Documentary filmmaking
First-Hand Flight Insights
Matty D. Media captured these aerials during the summer of 2024 while producing the Ride for Veterans documentary. Located along U.S. Highway 20 (Medal of Honor Highway), Royal showcases the quiet beauty of rural Nebraska through expansive farm fields, grain elevators, country roads, and uninterrupted prairie. Together, these landscapes stretch toward the horizon and create a timeless portrait of the Great Plains.
The simplicity of this landscape makes it an outstanding location for agricultural documentaries, tourism promotions, patriotic productions, Americana storytelling, and cinematic establishing shots that communicate the scale of the Great Plains.
Drone Pilot Considerations
Royal, NE sits entirely within uncontrolled Class G airspace from the surface up to 700 or 1,200 feet AGL. Because there are no towered or controlled airports nearby, the airspace is managed under broad regional entities Even so, every drone pilot should verify current FAA airspace conditions before launching.
Nearby communities including Atkinson, Orchard, and Brunswick provide fuel, restaurants, and convenience stores, so there is no shortage of places to prepare before filming. The wide-open countryside also makes carrying multiple fully charged flight batteries a smart decision.
Sunrise flights looking east along Highway 20 produce dramatic golden-hour lighting and long shadows. The rising sun also creates beautiful rays that accentuate Nebraska’s seemingly endless horizon. Because you’ll be flying almost directly into the sunrise, slightly underexposing your footage can help preserve highlight detail while allowing foreground elements to silhouette naturally for a more cinematic image.
Chadron State Park Drone Guide | Pine Ridge Aerial Photography & Video
Visual Storytelling Opportunities Revealed from Above:
Pine Ridge • Limestone formations • State parks • Wildlife • Forested landscapes • Scenic overlooks • Cinematic nature photography
First-Hand Flight Insights
Chadron State Park surprises many first-time visitors by looking nothing like the stereotypical Nebraska landscape. Instead of endless prairie, drone pilots discover rugged limestone outcroppings, pine-covered ridges, grassy valleys, and dramatic elevation changes that create exceptional opportunities for cinematic aerial photography.
Wildlife is abundant throughout the region, including mule deer, wild turkeys, and even the occasional mountain lion. The contrast between rocky cliffs, evergreen forests, and rolling meadows creates exceptional aerial compositions. Better yet, all of these landscapes can be filmed within a relatively compact area.
Drone Pilot Considerations
The nearest airport is Chadron Municipal Airport (KCDR), approximately 7 miles away. Because of its proximity, drone pilots should carefully review current FAA airspace before launching.
The City of Chadron offers multiple gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, and lodging within only a few minutes of the park, making it an excellent basecamp for longer aerial photography sessions.
Nebraska maintains a relatively light regulatory approach toward drone operations, although FAA regulations, temporary flight restrictions, and park policies should always be reviewed before flying.
Learn more from the Nebraska Drone Law Guide.
Wyoming
Casper, WY Drone Guide | Skyline, Rivers & Mountain Aerial Photography
Visual Storytelling Opportunities Revealed from Above:
Downtown skylines • Western architecture • Mountain scenery • Rivers • Historic travel corridors • Documentary filmmaking
First-Hand Flight Insights
Casper tells the story of an authentic Wild West frontier town that has evolved into a modern Wyoming city while preserving its western identity. The community also sits at an important crossroads between the American Midwest and the Rocky Mountain West. That unique location gives drone videographers a compelling blend of history, commerce, and natural scenery.
The skyline is anchored by the First Interstate Bank Tower, while the surrounding downtown buildings are framed beautifully by Casper Mountain. Together with the North Platte River, the city offers a balanced composition of western architecture, public green space, and rugged natural scenery.
Drone Pilot Considerations
The nearest airport is Casper/Natrona County International Airport (KCPR), approximately 9 miles northwest of downtown. Depending on your launch location, portions of Casper may require FAA authorization before flight, so always confirm current airspace conditions before taking off.
Fuel stations, restaurants, hotels, grocery stores, and other traveler services are plentiful throughout Casper, making logistics simple for visiting drone videographers.
One unexpected challenge during Matty D. Media’s aerial production was persistent bird activity. Curious sparrows repeatedly investigated the drone during several flights, reminding pilots to remain aware of wildlife throughout the warmer months.
The North Platte River Trail System offers several attractive parks and green spaces that provide both scenic foreground elements and practical launch opportunities outside the downtown core.
Keep Producing
New Drone Guides are added as Matty D. Media travels for commercial productions, documentaries, tourism marketing, and client projects throughout the Midwest and Great Plains. Every guide is based on first-hand flight experience and is designed to help fellow drone photographers and videographers make informed decisions before arriving on location.
Looking for professionally captured aerial footage instead of planning your own drone flight? Browse Matty D. Media’s Kansas & Kansas City Archival Footage Library, featuring licensable drone and ground video of landmarks, downtown skylines, businesses, parks, and scenic locations. The collection is available for documentaries, television, corporate marketing, tourism campaigns, and commercial productions.
