This week we're getting to know Alexander Holmblad, an elite runner that has been using Skydio 2 to capture his solo-runs. When we first stumbled across Alexander he was bringing a pilot with him when he wanted to capture high quality drone shots for his Instagram. Now, he can take his Skydio 2 and get incredible footage all on his own.
My name is Alexander Holmblad. I live in Sweden, and I’m an elite runner for the Craft Elite Run Team and I have to say that my proudest accomplishment is actually to get to be part of this Craft team. My team mates are world class runners and wonderful people. My team captain is Tommy Puzey (@tommy_rivs) and he’s a pro runner that’s battling an extremely rare type of cancer. He’s been a huge inspiration for years, and he’s now my team captain. How cool is that? But I didn’t have a smooth ride getting here. I’m still myself battling to come back fully from being struck with a pulmonary embolism last year (maybe due to COVID). To have these teammates to help me back to the starting line is something I’m extremely grateful for!
Do you have experience flying manual drones? If so, How has Skydio been different? Any stories you’d like to share?
I have lot’s of experience flying drones actually! It was my hobby until the day I realized I could combine it with my running. And suddenly flying drones wasn’t a hobby no more, it became a part time job!
The Skydio has been a hugely helpful for me. I often required help with getting some of my shots, but since I sort of have been the creative director for most of my videos, and my camera crew not being experienced drone operators… the results often came back less than stellar (Sorry! I appreciate all help I’ve gotten! I wouldn’t have been where I am without my team). But the Skydio 2 has let me have more control, without even being close to the controller. Imagine that. Getting to focus on your running.
Why did you decide to partner with Skydio and how did you get involved with us?
Adam Bry (The CEO!) reached out to me. Apparently he’s an avid runner! He asked if I would be interested in in trying out the Skydio 2, and the rest is history. I had seen both the original Skydio and the Skydio 2 in action several times on YouTube (DC Rainmaker mainly), so I knew all about the products. It was a no-brainer to say yes!
What is your favorite activity to pair with your Skydio 2?
My favorite activity got to be running with the Skydio 2.
What is your favorite video that you've shot with your Skydio 2, what do you love about it?
Even though I love the Skydio-shots of the drone flying between trees in high speed, my favorite shot got to be the one I got the other day just running in an open field during sunset. The drone was automatically tracking me and leading the way (do you know how hard it is to get other drones (DJI Mavic 2 Pro) to follow you from the front? Drones generally HATE flying backwards, and do everything to get behind you so that it can fly forwards. So this shot is just the Skydio 2 flying backwards just two feet above the ground (low shots are also generally super hard in auto-mode). It’s the basics that it does incredibly good that blows me away.
What is your favorite Skydio Skill, Tip, or Trick to help other users get great content?
My tip is actually to focus on the activity you're doing. Running, biking, or whatever you're doing. You will never get a good shot of you doing your thing if you’re thinking about what your drone is doing. That’s not natural. That’s not you in your zone. Find a workflow where you get to be yourself, in your zone. And if you’re filming with a drone, make sure it can keep up with you. It’s really not fun having to think ”oh no, can’t do this, can’t go there” because you’ll crash your drone (just don’t be reckless). The Skydio 2 has helped me here a lot.
Where do you prefer to share your Skydio content and what type of content do you enjoy posting?
I post solely on Instagram at the moment! My favorite content is simply where I run in a beautiful landscape. I love running since I get to enjoy nature. And I just like catching those moments with my drone! It’s often raw clips that I post. I like the simplicity. Sometimes I add music to the videos, but people are quite vocal about my terrible taste in music, haha.
Anything else you would like to share?
The last thing I want to say is: get out there! Not everyone will get the opportunity to turn a hobby into a job, but that’s really not the point. I have fun doing what I do, and I had fun before getting the platform I have today. Find your thing.
