Shoge Opens Shore Studios
Published in Kent County News | Dorian Mitchell | August 30, 2017
What started out as a hobby of flying drones and taking photos has now become Chestertown resident Sam Shoge’s new business: Shore Studios.
He said the studio is a photography and videography company that uses drones to “capture stunning content from new perspectives.” He said after making preparations, the studio opened earlier this summer.
“Having a drone is one thing, but showing you can fly it well and take nice pictures and videos is another thing,” said Shoge, who also is the economic development coordinator for Talbot County and a member of the Chestertown council.
He developed an interest in drones after he received a DJI Phantom P3-Standard quadcopter drone last Christmas. As required by the Federal Aviation Administration, he learned various airspace regulations and took an exam to become certified.
“It’s a pretty comprehensive process because the federal government doesn’t treat drones as toys. It classifies them as small aerial aircrafts, so you have to operate it as an airplane,” Shoge said. “One of the regulations is that I do not go above 400 feet.
“I’ve always wanted to be artistic, but I didn’t have the proper medium or avenue to be as creative as I’ve wanted to until the drone,” he said. “I didn’t have that much experience with photography, so I dove into the process and devoured as much content as I could that would help me replicate the cool stuff I was researching.”
He said after several months of practicing with the drone, like taking aerial photographs of Washington College and videos of Rock Hall Harbor, he decided to offer his services to local businesses. He also upgraded to a DJI Phantom 4 PRO Professional quadcopter drone.
Shoge has become involved with KRM Development Corp.’s ongoing Chestertown business campus project and will be capturing progress videos and pictures. He has reached out to local real estate agents about using his services, such as taking pictures or videos of new houses on the market.
Shoge said the Talbot County Department of Economic Development and Tourism also has expressed interest in using Shore Studios.
“So I’ll be flying my drone in a professional sense,” Shoge said. “Which is great, because I kind of want to position myself as the ‘Eastern Shore drone guy.’”
Shore Studios is based in Chestertown and so far, his drone has explored the airspaces above Kent and Queen Anne’s counties. He said he loves flying his drone over local waterways.
He said though Shore Studios is a solo effort, he has contacted part-time photographers, videographers and editors about possibly collaborating. He said Kennedyville native Jacob Voorhees, who has a professional history with using drones, has been assisting him.
Shoge said the Shore is the best place for flying drones.
“The landscape is absolutely beautiful and perfect,” Shoge said. “There’s so much water and so many charming towns. ... It’s extremely scenic.”
