Some views of the American Southwest from above.
Mike Reyfman, who has led three photo excursions that included flights with Flying M Air, was kind enough to send me a link to one of the photos he took during his most recent excursion — my Big September Gig. This is Monument Valley from the air:
Mike’s Web site includes a number of images taken during flights with me over the past three years. You can find them in two “galleries” (so far) on the site:
All of Mike’s aerial photography images are wonderful examples of artistic aerial photography. It’s a real pleasure to be one of the tools he uses to get images like these.
Stay tuned…I hope to be able to show off more images by Mike and his most recent group here soon.
And if you really like one of Mike’s images, why not treat yourself to a print? Just click the Order button in the window for the image you want to buy. All of Mike’s images are also available as stock photography. You can learn more on Mike’s Web site.
Discover more from An Eclectic Mind
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Just: WOW. That image is astounding.
Normally, when I take photos of these beautiful places, I can’t begin to capture the “big picture” of how incredible the place is. Mike and the photographers he takes on these excursions can.
I distinctly remember lining up for this shot on the last morning of our Monument Valley flights. The sun had just risen into a bank of thin clouds, so the light was very soft. We flew up and around the formation you see here from a much closer distance than the image would suggest. (Mike obviously used a wide angle lens.) We made several passes at several altitudes and, as you can imagine, the light was different each time. Later, the sun broke free of the clouds and cast a much harder light on the whole valley.
What’s interesting about this photo is that it includes one of the most photographed formations in Monument Valley: the Totem Pole. Can you see it? You’re probably used to seeing it from the ground. The rest of the butte is seldom shown — at least not like this. That makes Mike’s photo a very original look at this place.
The sad part of all this is that when you see sights like this all the time, they’re just not as astounding anymore. You become somewhat immune to them. Sure, they’re pretty, but they’re never quite the same as the first time you set eyes on them. I think that’s one of the reasons I like to take people to places like this. So I can get some of that first look experience through their eyes.
I’m probably used to seeing these places from the never :-)
I really need a wide angle lens.
I can’t see that particular shot on Mike’s site yet, but I’m very tempted to get one of his prints.
This photo is from his most recent trip with me. He probably won’t get it online for a few weeks.
I just picked up a 18-55 Zoom for my Nikon D80 on eBay. I’m looking forward to trying it out. But I still don’t expect to get images like this.