Recreational / Hobbyist UAS pilot reported flew in controlled airspace without authorization and cited lack of unawaress of LAANC authorization requirements as contributing.

Narrative

At XA:32; my wife and I were attempting to complete an operation for some UAS video of downtown; visibility was clear. The sun was setting and the skyline was beautiful. I brought her with to visually observe as I knew that I wanted to be careful with where I was flying beings that it was downtown and just a couple of blocks away from many people. I chose the parking garage as what I thought was a secluded location that would offer me the ability to not need to fly over people and to potentially get a higher altitude shot without getting too far away from my drone physically yet achieving the shot of the skyline. When we arrived at the top of the parking garage there was a memo on my screen about an authorization zone; which I clicked on and first said I needed to be logged in; which I did. Then the second step was authorization which I mistook for requesting authorization. Upon doing so I looked to authorize the flight; thinking that I would perhaps be able to do this in the app and since I had never actually done this before; I followed through the prompts to see what would happen. When asked if I was authorized to fly in the space; I thought I had just been authorized by the app so I said yes. And after clicking through safety measures I felt that I could uphold; I found my UAS unlocked. Though; after I was in the air and thinking about the prompts and how they were phrased; I felt uneasy and chose to not stay in the air for very long; I did not fly over people or allow the UAS to leave my direct sight line; the flight totaled 1:19. After landing I quickly started researching flight zones again and came to understand what I had done by self unlocking and not getting prior approval from the FAA for my flight through the proper channels. I attempted calling the FAA hotline though they did not have anyone available on those lines to speak with. At one time in my training I knew these bits of information better but honestly feel that my lack of flying lately may have played a part in familiarity with airspaces; I don't know what to say besides the fact that I honestly had a lapse of judgement and depended too heavily on the software within the app to tell me whether it was okay for me to fly or not; as many other occasions it has safeguarded me. For whatever reason in that moment I was thinking that I have my part 107; and they just sent me the code for the unlock; so yes I am authorized to fly. However; I can see now where the operation could have been planned and executed better; authorization could have been asked for appropriately through several services from what I've read or honestly and wishfully not done at all. At no time did I feel I put anyone at risk or threat of danger and the onsite mission was carried out mindfully. So there was no kind of crash or physical wreck. It all comes down to my misunderstanding in that moment. I now understand what it means when being asked about authorization. I've spent the last several hours researching and trying to find numbers and email addresses to contact; until I found this form. I take this very seriously.I fully recognize and accept that I did not comply with the rules and regulations of preauthorization and want to do whatever I can do to comply with this situation. I am not someone that is a rule-breaker; so honestly I am quite shook by this lapse in my judgement and can't believe I put myself into this situation. I take every mission very seriously and am always concerned about the safety of others as well as following the guidelines. I plan to call and make contact with my local FSDO when they open in the morning as well. I am truly and terribly sorry for this happening. Please reach out if you have any questions or anything to discuss. I just really want to be transparent about the situation and not try and hide the fact that I made a mistake.