2 Pro Red Rocks Canyon, Las Vegas

[macfawlty]

I've been to Las Vegas about 8 times over the last 10 years, but my most recent trip over New Years this year was the first time I visited Red Rocks Canyon. Surprisingly, I never realized this stunning park was only 30 minutes from the strip. I drove out to Red Rocks on the first day and every day thereafter. I did both ground-based photography and aerial video. I finally found my most happy place in Vegas. I could spend a year filming and photographing this place.

 

[GFields]

Awesome video and photos

 

[mavic3usa]

Very nice. One of the few "national" park/monument/conservatory/grassland that actually allow drone flight without super special non-existent permission. Definitely on my list next time I'm there, despite the few restrictions.

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[WV. Rootman]

2:00 on was my favorite part of the video.
Man the west has some great rock formations. I was at the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs at the end of March. Red rocks galore. Lol.
The canyon at Sedona, Az. wasn't bad either.

 

[Dale D]

I've been to Las Vegas about 8 times over the last 10 years, but my most recent trip over New Years this year was the first time I visited Red Rocks Canyon. Surprisingly, I never realized this stunning park was only 30 minutes from the strip. I drove out to Red Rocks on the first day and every day thereafter. I did both ground-based photography and aerial video. I finally found my most happy place in Vegas. I could spend a year filming and photographing this place.

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David:

The video was absolutely perfect in every way. Interesting subject, nice pacing, beautiful flying, wonderful music selection, great reveal shots and flying along the cliffs made me feel like a bird. The still images, which I believe are pans, were also beautifully done. As a small detraction I would have edited out the jam packed parking lots to leave the viewer with a feeling of finding a totally isolated place, which is hard to find these days. Overall, extremely well done.

Dale
Miami

 

[hagman23]

Great video and photos! Making me more stoked for my trip out there in two days.

 

[PHZ]

I've been to Las Vegas about 8 times over the last 10 years, but my most recent trip over New Years this year was the first time I visited Red Rocks Canyon. Surprisingly, I never realized this stunning park was only 30 minutes from the strip. I drove out to Red Rocks on the first day and every day thereafter. I did both ground-based photography and aerial video. I finally found my most happy place in Vegas. I could spend a year filming and photographing this place.

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A terrific video of a very beautiful place. Great shot and scene selection. I watched it to the end (which doesn’t happen often enough).
Thanks for sharing with the Forum!

 

[Hauptmann]

Great video and photos! Making me more stoked for my trip out there in two days.

While you're out there, ask where you can find the wild burros. They wander throughout the park. It's fun to see and film them!

Rich R (aka Hauptmann)

 

[Hauptmann]

I've been to Las Vegas about 8 times over the last 10 years, but my most recent trip over New Years this year was the first time I visited Red Rocks Canyon. Surprisingly, I never realized this stunning park was only 30 minutes from the strip. I drove out to Red Rocks on the first day and every day thereafter. I did both ground-based photography and aerial video. I finally found my most happy place in Vegas. I could spend a year filming and photographing this place.

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Stunning video! Loved your Seattle one as well.

 

[macfawlty]

David:

The video was absolutely perfect in every way. Interesting subject, nice pacing, beautiful flying, wonderful music selection, great reveal shots and flying along the cliffs made me feel like a bird. The still images, which I believe are pans, were also beautifully done. As a small detraction I would have edited out the jam packed parking lots to leave the viewer with a feeling of finding a totally isolated place, which is hard to find these days. Overall, extremely well done.

Dale
Miami

Yeh, I worked with what I was able to capture given the conditions and times of day I was there. I did a lot of still photos (all panos of course) with my Sony a7r2, where I normally would just focus on the aerials. I was with other people on the last day, doing a quick drive through, conditions were super windy and clouded over and running out of daylight (December). The parking area does provide some scale and is the second (?) parking area on the loop. The first lot is on the opposite side of that feature, where I did my first flight after hiking in a little ways. As you’ll notice, that scene/composition from the 2nd lot was an important vista. You can imagine how much the park changes hour to hour and day to day. It’s a 17 mile drive, one-way traffic flow, and the parking areas are packed with people driving round and round anxiously waiting for an open spot. It leaves you with a choice of wasting 45 minutes of critical flight time or moving on to the next parking area hoping for more luck finding a spot and a worthy locale for flying/filming. Once you find a spot, you have to guess where to hike in order to find an area to launch with a good VLOS, not knowing what kind of worthy subjects are in the area. There’s NO cell service, so NO satellite images. You just have to launch, ascend to a really high elevation over a feature and start filming because you’ve already burned battery life on the ascent and need to save some for the long, slow return and descent. I’d highly recommend renting an e-bike, which would solve a lot of problems. I just received my new Mavic 3 Classic today, looking forward to longer flight times than the M2P.

 

[mavic3usa]

^Yeah, it's never easy when you actually arrive and find out there are so many variables working against you. Even with a ton of planning, it's never seems to go right. You did a great job for what you had and same with me, I always think about what it's gonna be like "the next time I visit."

 

[macfawlty]

^Yeah, it's never easy when you actually arrive and find out there are so many variables working against you. Even with a ton of planning, it's never seems to go right. You did a great job for what you had and same with me, I always think about what it's gonna be like "the next time I visit."

Ya know, it’s a very common experience when visiting a new locale. As a photographer, my first stop was always the gift shop to look at the postcards and picture books. Then ask a staff member about specific locations and be on your way. But truly, a blind person could point their smartphone in any direction and get great photos at Red Rocks Canyon. I could go there every day.

 

[thusly]

I've been to Las Vegas about 8 times over the last 10 years, but my most recent trip over New Years this year was the first time I visited Red Rocks Canyon. Surprisingly, I never realized this stunning park was only 30 minutes from the strip. I drove out to Red Rocks on the first day and every day thereafter. I did both ground-based photography and aerial video. I finally found my most happy place in Vegas. I could spend a year filming and photographing this place.

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Excellent presentation! Las Vegas' incredible treasure..... If you haven't already, don't forget the Valley of FIre to the NE of the city - a spectacular drive there through Lake Mead park too!

 

[808Hiphotog]

Very nice. I was just there also but I didn’t think I could fly that close to the mountains. My video is all from the main road and lookout parking area. That is also my favorite place in Las Vegas.