mesa
My work as a rural land real estate drone pilot takes me to some very small and out of the way places, like Regina, New Mexico. You probably have never heard of it, but I know it well! It’s northeast of Cuba, New Mexico (heard of it??) and as you can see from the 4K drone video above, has some great views of mesas and mountains.
Read MoreBack out in the New Mexico desert for the first time in a while for rural land real estate photography. This time I was in McKinley County New Mexico somewhere west of Grants and east of Thoreau. The obvious highlight of this area were the many red rock mesas creating a dramatic view and landscape. I sent the drone up and over the mesas showing the view from atop, ground level, and in between. If you want to own these views, contact Hemingway Land Company.
Read MoreDriving further down dirt road than I nearly ever did before on a rural land shoot, I passed by Ladron Peak along the way to my actual destination. After nearly 20 miles on seldom traveled dirt road, I pulled over to send the drone up to capture views of Ladron Peak and the surrounding mesas. Even from the view of my DJI Mavic 3 Cine drone, I saw no one and nothing in this area. If you are looking for a remote mountain peak to hike, Ladron Peak is for you!
Read MoreIf you are a mountain biker in New Mexico, the trail name Dragon’s Back is probably known to you. It is my single favorite trail to ride in the state that I’ve found so far. If you just like to explore hidden gems and hike, this is also one of the most incredible landscapes in the world, not just New Mexico. Check out the range in topography and geological features the aerial drone photos reveal for this area. It truly is an alien or martian landscape. Is it hard to hike this trail? Not at all. After a bit of a steep incline from parking lot to trailhead, the tail is mostly a rolling trail that even a beginner hiker could do an out and back on. Pack for a longer hike and do the full loop to see the other side. This was also my first time flying my brand new DJI Mavic 3 Cine drone! It was really windy, but you could not tell that from the drone footage. I would like to come back with the drone and better light, and more practice flying it, to really show you what the Dragon’s Back Trail is like and how it definitely is a New Mexico True experience.
Read MoreFor me Sedona is a place of long time mystery and intrigue. It was a stop on my very first trip out west in 2000, where I ate one of the best meals of my life, a vegan chimichanga, while looking out at Snoopy Rock. I can only remember about 7 eating experiences in my life, and that is one of them. A second visit three years ago was all too brief and I could not find that chimichanga restaurant again, and lost my dog’s favorite traveling blanket. A third visit 1.5 years ago was more extended, where I got to drive my own Jeep offroad and over the most challenging obstacle I’ve ever encountered offroad. It was also the height of winter and in contrast to that amazing chimichanga meal, I had an outdoor meal (cannot remember the dish) that was one the coldest experience’s of my life. It was outdoor dining (even before Covid-19) in about 30F temps. It might as well have been 20 below. Still, I look forward to returning to Sedona again soon, this time with my mountain bike to explore the red rock like one only can from such an intimate machine. What are your Sedona experiences? Let me know in the comments below.
Read MoreAt the end of a rural land real estate shoot in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, near Abiquiu Lake, I noticed some mesas in the distance. I did not need to get photographs of them for the client, but one of my axioms is a real photographer always stops to get a photo if he/she sees an opportunity. So I got out my Sony a7 III with Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master lens attached to get these shots, as the mesas were quite far away and they would look tiny in a wide angle lens one might normally think to use for landscape photography. The sun was going down, and there were good clouds in the sky, a recipe for near ideal landscape photography conditions.
Read MoreMany times I have driven up and down HWY 550 in New Mexico on my way to and from home in Albuquerque to Navajo Dam or Farmington in northern New Mexico. Each time I stared at this mesa, or rather a volcanic plug as Wikipedia describes it, off to the west visible from great distance. This rock formation is named Cabezon Peak, and finally, I had the time to actually drive right up to its base. From this vantage point I sent up my DJI Mavic 2 Pro drone to capture 4K drone video, a 360 panorama drone photo, as well as regular aerial drone photos, before finishing with sone telephoto shots of the peak with my Sony a7 III mirrorless camera. I actually found viewing Cabezon Peak from a little bit of distance to be the more impressive view than standing right before it.
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