I met this new friend in the Valley of Fires. It was hanging out on a metal grill by a picnic table (see photo below). I only now learned it is a New Mexico whiptail lizard. Let's just say the lizard was female for convenience sake. She was on the aforementioned metal grill first, which is not the best backdrop to photograph a wild creature on. I got a few quick shots though because I wanted to fly my drone over the lava fields. When I was done flying, the lizard had moved onto to some twigs -- a much better background! I was using my new Tamron 90mm f/2.8 SP Macro lens for the latter shots, which can focus less than a foot away from a subject. I just kept getting closer and closer to the lizard, and she did not move at all! Thank you friendly whiptail for hanging out and letting me make your portrait!
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!
In my second trip to the Navajo Dam Lake area, I was able to fly my drone more over the lake itself and make aerial photos with my DJI Mavic Pro drone as well! The first time was only able to fly over the dam, this time I got to fly out over the lake, even very low and fast to the water! There is a surprisingly large marina at this lake, and not something one would expect to find in a land-locked, desert state that's for sure! A head's up though, if you are thinking of renting any kind of watercraft, be there early! Me and Jessica and the dogs were too late (even at 10am!) to get a boat, but that could not stop us from having fun!
A few months ago I went to Dona Ana County, New Mexico for the first time for a rural land photography shoot and drone video flight. I visited White Sands on the way back, and after that the desert highway took me through a wild landscape of lava. There was no time to stop then, but on my return to the area for another photo and drone shoot in Cloudcroft, I made sure I had time to stop and fly my DJI Mavic Pro drone over the Valley of Fires!
On a recent overnight photo shoot trip to Cloudcroft, New Mexico the excellent true bed & breakfast I stayed at, The Crofting Inn, had this wonderful flower garden. Being still totally enamored with my recent purchase of the Tamron 90mm f/2.8 SP Macro lens, I am always looking for opportunities to use it. These flowers on their own would have been beautiful to photograph, but the color of the bokeh really makes this macroflora image. Then upon further exam, I thought these flowers looked like the classic rocket popsicles I used to enjoy on hot summer days growing up! Tell me what you think in the comments below.
Last week I invested in getting a macro lens, the new Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Macro SP. For those of you with really good memories, you will have realized this is my third Tamron lens in the past 9 months. Tamron is just simply producing the best lenses available for Nikon right now. I had the Nikon 105mm VR Micro (they use micro not macro in the name) lens from 2009 until about 2013 and loved it. It was such a fun lens to shoot with, as making macro shots always had a sense of wonder at showing a hidden world the naked eye cannot see. It had very creamy bokeh and was very, very sharp. I also loved it for portraits and just as my walking around lens.
An oasis in the central southern desert area of New Mexico, Elephant Butte Lake is in the town of Elephant Butte itself. The lake is surprisingly large with small islands, many peninsulas and beaches, a dam and a marina! I flew my DJI Mavic Prodrone further than ever before, as far as I dared, which is why did not circle Elephant Butte from very low. I did not want to risk losing connection between the drone and the remote with a large, elephant shaped butte blocking the way! Look closely in the drone photos for me and Jessica and the dogs in one of them! If you eat to see ground level photos of Elephant Butte Lake, check out this photo gallery.
