The market for drone photography is exploding. Thanks to the smooth, controlled flight a drone can offer, it enables the filming of incredible vistas with professional-level cinematography techniques. But drones are expensive investments that only pros can afford.

Ryan Chatfield is one photographer and videographer who knows this very well. He regularly films and photographs weddings, corporate events, business promotions, music videos, fashion shoots and more for his business, Ryan Chatfield Images. One of the services he offers is – you guessed it – drone-based photography.

During one such shoot, Chatfield found himself in the worst of all scenarios. It's the nightmare that every drone photographer fears: the battery began to die mid-flight and the drone was going down. Chatfield was far away when the device began to slowly descend. The worst part? It was all hapening over the water — and this wasn't a waterproof drone.

A photo posted by Ryan Chatfield (@ryan_chatfield_images) on Apr 18, 2015 at 6:50am PDT

 
So Chatfield did the only thing he could: he ran for it. The photographer had a wide swath of beach to cross and a huge pile of rocks to navigate, but he did the impossible — and just in the nick of time. The camera attached to the drone caught the whole thing on film, making for a remarkable and exciting video framed against a gorgeous seascape.

Chatfield starts out as a tiny dot near the center of the screen. If you can't find him at first, don't worry. You'll catch him for sure as he's sprinting toward the spot where the drone is falling.

Pretty amazing, eh? We've seen drone rescues before, and owners willing to go to great lengths to save them — but this may be the best one ever.

Seriously, that was one incredible save. Just the sprint alone was impresive. (Our theory: had to be the short shorts.) Dude wasn't even winded after he climbed back up the rocks!

Bravo, Ryan. You done good.

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