Meet the Owner

I wanted to share a little about myself as a “career chameleon”. As a military spouse I often found myself adapting frequently to new geographic locations and creating new career paths. I’m trained and licensed as a veterinarian but often my degree didn’t “travel well” and I had to change my colors. Living internationally led to the first of my career changes. A tour guide was definitely a more portable career. Little did I know this would be the jump-start for my photography skills. A lot is learned being personal photographer for 40+ guests on vacation!

After military retirement we found ourselves in the Sunshine State. Easy move as my husband is a Florida native and our daughters all lived here. Once living in Gainesville, I decided to take a specialized course in marine mammal medicine at the University of Florida. When I asked the professor of that course how to be involved with marine animal rescues he asked “do you know how to fly a drone”?

Fast forward a few months and I’m a licensed drone pilot, volunteering with marine animal rescue efforts (working under special permits and permissions). Fast forward again and I’m assisting other nonprofits (Alachua Women Build-branch of Habitat for Humanity). When there’s not a hammer or paint brush in my hand, there’s a drone controller in it, recording the construction progress of a new home build.

I still volunteer my time to nonprofits and marine mammal agencies, but decided it was time to start a business. I wouldn’t be a licensed drone pilot today if it wasn’t because of the my love for the ocean and its marine life, thus SeaLance Drones was created.

When you need a freelance drone pilot, I thank you for considering SeaLance!

Dana Lanier
Owner, SeaLance Drones

Contact Us

Photo permission granted under USFWS permit MA770191.

SeaLance Drones Reviews

“Dana Lanier has volunteered with Alachua Women Build, a Chapter of Habitat for Humanity, on the job site as a builder, and also lent her expertise as a professional drone pilot and photographer. Alachua Habitat for Humanity and Alachua Women Build maintain a presence on social media, and have email lists for interested supporters. Dana’s arresting images have been a viewer focus on our social media postings, and provided a valuable new way to document the progress of our build, especially in the early stages. We have attracted increased attention through her beautiful images.

Cheerful and professional, Dana impressed me with her ability to navigate the rule restrictions for flying over the building site near the airport, and obtaining the necessary clearances. It was fascinating to watch her fly her drone, anticipating wind currents and avoiding aerial hazards to take the arresting images. While we were all interested in seeing what our site and efforts looked like from the air, the beauty and pattern of Dana’s images caught us by surprise. In addition to being a professional and skilled drone pilot, Dana has an accomplished eye for photographic composition. We feel very fortunate to have her images of our build, and thank her for her efforts on the job site and in the air.”

Linda Arbuckle
Steering Committee
Alachua Women Build