Summer along the San Juan River is still freezing in the water!
Navajo Lake and Navajo Dam is one of my favorite areas of New Mexico, and having just made my tenth visit to the area, this was the first time to be there in the heart of summertime. I thought this, finally, was my chance to go for a swim in the San Juan River. The air temperature was in the low 80s. This made me totally unprepared for just how cold the river was. You could not ease your way into the water, which is not my custom anyway, so I made the plunge completely under water, only to have to immediately bounce back up and make my way out. The cold was so intense I felt something like frost bite! After warming back up, I took out my brand new lens, the Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II, and made a few photos of the river mostly from a low angle. Doesn’t the water look inviting on a hot summer day??
Drone photography delivers the Albuquerque image wow factor
Needing a signature look of Albuquerque for their client, WSI Web Enhancers asked me what I think that would be. They sent me a few samples from other cities, and most of those included water. Well, the only water around Albuquerque is the Rio Grande River, so I knew I needed to incorporate that in the 360 panorama drone photo I was to make for them. That same evening there was a spectacular sunset in the making, so I took my drone to an area near the river and put it into position to capture the Rio and the Albuquerque city skyline plus the Sandia Mountains as the background. You can see the results for yourself above. Both WSI and their client were very, very happy with the final 360 drone product!
Back out on another project for WSP, this time flying my drone over the Rio Bravo Blvd bridge over the Rio Gande River. This was quite a change from the urban area in central Albuquerque for the first project. Surprisingly there were more flying restrictions in this more remote area than in the city. I had to for the first time use a DJI custom unlock request to even be able to launch the drone here. Once up in the air, the views were quite stunning with some color in the trees stills and the Sandia Mountains providing the background and the Rio Grande River the foreground.
From a summer western trip, I present in these photos the less famous bendy rivercanyon wonder of the southwest, Goosenecks State Park in southern Utah. The size and scope of this natural feature is tremendous, yet it is not apparent at all until you walk to the very edge of it. There is a tiny cabin booth to collect your entry fee, then that’s it. You walk yourself to the edge and behold the expanse of Goosenecks on your own. What must have it been like 200 years ago to be riding your horse and all of a sudden this is in front of you?
While out on a rural land real estate assignment in northwest New Mexico near the town of Aztec, the client wanted to include some drone video of the nearby Animas River. I have flown over the Animas River before in an area north of Durango, Colorado even catching some people jumping high off the cliffs into the river! The river there had a beautiful matte emerald green color to it. In this area of New Mexico, the river was an unattractive brown, but nonetheless the surrounding mesas still made for a stunning scene. This drone video shows a small, hidden area of New Mexico True.
Me and Jessica and the dogs had some free time on a rural land shoot weekend in Navajo Dam, New Mexico, and saw that Durango, Colorado was not that far away. We took the Jeep Renegade Trailhawk up a scenic highway, and kept on going right through Durango finding first a natural hot spring, and then later a crowd gathered around this small bridge. Not until you get up on the bridge do you have any idea the amazing views of the Animas River from it, and you really get a better look at the beauty of this area from the drone’s eye view! The crowd there, however, were mostly to watch people jump off the cliff bank 30+ feet into the Animas River below! It was tricky to time out and capture with the drone, but in the video you can see two people making the plunge!
Return to the San Juan River in northern New Mexico
The very green and beautiful San Juan River flows for miles through New Mexico. This portion of the river is near Navajo Dam, an area I first visited in February. I only had time for a quick drone flight over the dam area itself, but on this trip I was able to fly over a large stretch of the river! I was out on another rural land property assignment, but now since I have my own off road capable vehicle (Jeep Renegade Trailhawk), I no longer have to rush back to Albuquerque to return the rental truck to Enterprise so I can stay in places like this with Jessica and the dogs at our leisure!
