If 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.
Before and After Drone Video for Sunland Asphalt in Belen New Mexico
Back flying for Sunland Asphalt, this time in Belen, New Mexico, I made two visits to Vista del Rio for a “before and after” drone video showing the crew at work putting in the new asphalt, and then the after of the fully repaved community. These types of drone flights are always dynamic and I enjoy the challenge of capturing live action with the drone. Thank you to Jeff of Sunland for continuing to choose me as your drone pilot!
Rural Land Drone Video and Photography now available for Colorado
Already the most prolific rural land real estate photographer and drone pilot in New Mexico, I am now offering my photography and drone services in southern Colorado. This expansion recently took me to Conejos County near La Jara and Alamosa. Hidden down nearly 10 miles of gravel road, and then hidden further in a small hamlet bordered by a hidden creek itself, this property was one of the most lush I have photographed for Hemingway Land (and also the first time I got bit my mosquitos in 2+ years!). This is a high value property and the client wanted the works: 4k drone video, aerial drone photos, and still photos in both daylight and at sunset. The drone video I made of this property opens with one of the single best clips I have ever made for any type of drone video starting at the creek and flying backwards between trees to reveal the mountains in the distance. My goal is to top each video, each shoot I made before and my effort for this property is evidence of that.
Drone video and photography for asphalt marketing content in Rio Rancho
Sunland Asphalt has become a new, and already returning, drone video and photography client where I go out and get “before and after” drone content of huge parking lots they have resurfaced. This time I went to a school in Rio Rancho to get drone video and aerial photos of the crew in action doing the resurfacing. It is always a challenge flying over live action where I do not know what is going to happen next and there are trees and light poles all around. I have to admit, my instincts were uncanny, or I just got super lucky, to often have the drone in the right place at the right time to capture the action just as it happens! The “after” drone content was much easier to get of course, as I just went on an evening near sunset time to get glamour shots of the finished parking lot. I really cannot believe how much of a difference a resurfaced parking lot makes aesthetically! Thank you Sunland for choosing me as your drone pilot and I have a new appreciation for the beauty of the parking lot the crew created.
Lathrop State Park in Colorado is notable for several reasons. First, it was the first state park in Colorado. Second, it is made up of not one, but two lakes! Martin Lake is for power boats and water skiers, while Horseshoe Lake is for more peaceful ventures like canoeing and kayaking. No matter which lake you choose there are stunning views of Spanish Peaks. The drone’s eye view shows how close these lakes are separated by a narrow strip of land combining for a very unique state park in Colorado! Have you ever been there?
Drone Aerial Photography for Commercial Purchases in Albuquerque
A recent client needed commercial aerial drone photography of a retail space in the northeast area of Albuquerque, New Mexico that highlighted how much traffic this area gets. What getting photos from 100+ feet in the air offers is not just the traffic passing right in front of the retail space, but traffic in all directions and even how full the parking lots are. A nice bonus of drone photos from that high was being able to get the Sandia Mountains in for a pretty background. The client will use these images in part to make an offer on two commercial businesses featured in the photos.
El Vado Lake a hidden gem in Rio Arriba County New Mexico
Rio Arriba County New Mexico is one of my favorite places to visit for my rural land real estate work in particular because of the spectacular scenery of and around El Vado Lake. This lake is part of a state park (open seasonally). The water level changes radically with the seasons. I have been at the lake and was shocked at just how low it was at that time. In these photos and drone video I would say the lake is pretty high and near its full volume. Another unique thing about this lake, is that if you are coming from the south, one option you have is to take a 16 mile dirt road right to this southern point of the lake. The dirt road is well maintained, so pretty much any vehicle with a little ground clearance could do it in the dry, and is my recommended way of visiting El Vado Lake. If you are looking for a hidden gem of a lake in New Mexico, use the map below to visit El Vado Lake yourself.
