4/7/12  As of my last blog I predicted two more snow days in the Albuquerque area. One happened last week and I still think there is a good chance for one more snow day. With the warmer days, the color is returning, which makes the aerial photos more interesting.  The airplane under went it’s annual, required inspection.  It passed with flying colors.  Soon it will be time to wax the airplane again.  With the continued rise of fuel prices, now at 6.70 per gallon, one must do everything possible to get the most out of each gallon.

3/21/12  Yesterday was the first day of spring…YEA. And the wind roared in with it.  The storm system just going through did not bring any snow to town as forcast by the media.  Guess I am not totally surprised.  With the track of the jet stream, I did not think we would.  But then I am just an aerial photographer that has to be able to forecast.  A Lot of info can be derived just from watching satellite images in motion – time lapse.  Since all my photo work is weather dependent, I watch this on a daily basis so when I get a call for a new assignment, I can provide a semi accurate projection as to when I think I will be able to fly.  I am still predicting two more snows in the area this year.

2/25/12  Soon the spring winds will be arriving.  This always presents a challenge in planning photo flights.  It is strange how winds seem to blow longer into the season.  I recall when I was younger, the winds would start about March 1st and end no later than the middle of April.  Now they seem to start mid late march and continue into May.  The same with out winter weather.  I am still predicting perhaps 3 more days of snow here in the Albuquerque area.  Its a shame to see everything blossom so early with this nice warm weather.  Aviation fuel is on the rise again just like the auto gas.  6.55 per gallon and 6.37 self serv.

2/12/12  In my travels around the state on the ground, I am always on the look out for interesting, picturesque sites like the two images shown above of what were once someones home.  

1/12/12  Where is this year going? I am seeing a number of new construction projects starting all around Albuquerque.  It is interesting being able to see the projects from my perspective each month as they are under construction.  My aerial services provide a unique perspective of the project on a monthly or bi monthly basis.  This has become an effective management tool.  

12/2/11  Constantly watching the weather….Now that winter has set in, out time period for the best light to take aerial images is between 11am  and 1 pm plus we have to plan around all the little snow and winds storms.  Its hard to believe this year is almost over.  I am thankful for the clients who continue to depend on my service.  

10/20/11  This year is coming to a rapid close. Once the state fair passes, then Balloon Fiesta we only have Thanksgiving and then Christmas is upon us and we are in a new year.  Business this year has been irratic but I can continue to make ends meet.  Fuel prices are still quite high at 6.07 per gallon self-serve. I am thankful for all the clients who continue to depend on the quality photographic services we provide.  With the election year coming, it will be interesting to see how business can continue to operate.  

8/17/11  Here we are the midway point of August already. This year continues to speed by.  August has been a productive month and its great to hear from some of my long time clients.  As October approaches, I will be completing my 33rd full-time year of business.  I was asked recently by a client, what is the most challenging part of your business.  Besides the fact of trying to locate new work due to the economic slow down, the most challenging part is just to get people to return a call.  I have never been a high pressure sales type person and never will be.  But when I call someone to give them some information, it would be great to get a return call, even better in a timely fashion.  I always relate to communications while flying.  This is one of the best and well proven types of communication. A controller gives out a direction, and the pilot confirms he understands the communication by repeating it or replying, “Roger or Affirmative”.  Its so simple yet quite effective.  In any business, great communication is a real key to success.  

I continue to try to hold down and absorb my fee’s as aviation fuel has risen so drastically.  Fuel finally went down to 6.44 per gallon, self serv.  

7/23/11 Here we all are rapidly approaching the end of July.  July has been a frustrating flying month with all the forest fire.  The Los Alamos fire was started by a downed power line apparently, so that makes it man made basically.  Had that not occurred, it could have been caused by a lighting strike, something that has been occuring since the beginning of our weather patterns.  It is just natures way of cleaning things up.  The burned forest will never be the same in our life time, but it will return for those in the future.  Gas prices when down for a couple weeks, but now the prices are at the highest point we have seen at Double Eagle.  6.70 per gallon for 100LL and 6.45 for self serv.  This certainly makes it difficult for many people to get out and fly.  

7/9/11  Trying to figure out what happened to June.  Already starting plans for the upcoming Balloon Fiesta activities.  Hopefully this year we will have great weather the whole week.  We did survive the March, Arpril and June winds.  The smoke from the fires continues to be an issue especially for the planned flights up to Los Alamos ans Santa Fe.  The TFR (temporary Flight restriction) area is very large. We feel so bad for those who have lost the forest in their area and their homes.  

6/8/11  Each new week contains new twists and turns to our flight scheduling.  Now it is the SMOKE from Arizona.  This has created so many problems for so many people.  With the smoke so bad here in the city in the evening, I really feel for those in the fire line.  I can’t even begin to imagine the horror and feeling of losing a home and all you life belongings.  We certainly have to count our blessing eash day.  Took a photo flight today to do a site near Belen and one south of Soccorro.  The smoke haze was moderately bad and I questioned being able to fly safely all the way to Socorro. It turned out to be okay and actually cleared up some on the way back.  Had a great tail wind coming home.  Upon my return to Double Eagle Ariport the wind had kicked up to 15knots and the ridy was quite bumpy.  Coming soon to my blog, I am going to start posting some interesting facts about our Universe.  This has been one of my hobbies learning what I can about areas outside our world.  WE are such a tiny spec out here in the vast area of space.  The study brings our everyday problems back into perspective.  

5/26/11    A most difficult month with all of the winds. SAFETY is always a key factor when planning any flight. The weather forecasts we get will tell us the winds are forecast to start blowing at an approximate time and guess what….they arrive 2 hours early.  It certainly is not a perfect system.  We always want to make sure if the winds are not blowing abd when we take off, we especially don’t want them excessive when we land.  Aviatin fuel prices are still at 6.35 per gallon self serve.  We are hopefull the next load of fuel to the pump will have a lower price.  We are always open to new ideas and the input from our clients is invaluable.  We want to make sure we are doing a good job for you and being an effective member of your team.  Please do not hesitate to contact us.  

4/24/11  

Now April is winding down.  We have completed all the tax record stuff and mailed it in.  This is now the season when our business traditionally picks back up.  I am hopeful this will once again be the reality.  Since my last post I have had a number of calls from past clients and have received a number of new calls regarding the aerial service.  I am thankful for all the calls as I try to provide the best service possible to each caller.  This month I have started to post a photograph of the month selection for those that follow my BLOG.  Fuel continues to go up.  I am totally amazed.  A recent survey was conducted by the Professinal Aerial Photographer Association on the cost of Aviation fuel around the country. I was so surprised to see Albuquerque is close to the most expensive.  Currently self serv is $6.32 per gallon and line service is 6.60 per gallon.  This however will not deter me from continuing to serve you in the best way possible, in providing high quality aerial and ground photography support services you are use to and deserve.  

One question I always get asked is, what effect has google earth had on the business. It is difficult to compete with the concept of free, however many of my clients realize the importance of providing their clients current demographic information which includes the use of current aerials.  Google earth images may be quick and free, but they are low resolution and  unless you subscribe to it for higher resolution prints.  Also the images are old, not depicting actual conditions.  The oblique aerial images are much easier for a person to relate to as they give a clearer definition of what the property really looks like.  

4/6/11  

Well the March winds are still here.  As a result we constantly watch the weather forecast using other meteorology sites to help us predict future flying conditions.  When an assignment call comes in, its nice to know how soon we may be able to get airbourne.  Fuel prices are still on the rise as we are all experiencing at the gas station.  Aviation fuel is now up to 6.27 per gallon.  Our photo plane still uses 12 gallons per hour making the fuel cost alone, just over 75.00 per hour.  The fuel cost has doubled in the past year.  As a result we have been forced to add a Fuel Adjustment fee until the prices come back down.  We just could not absorb that cost any longer. Please call should you have any questions.  We appreciate all the clients who still depend on our photographic services.  

3/31/11 What happened to March?  Its been a blur with all the continuing ed conferences I needed to attend along with having to constantly alter my schedule to fly on the few non-windy days.   It is so useful to keep up with all the new technology available in the photographic industry.  Although anyone can go into a store and buy cameras that a pro would use, there is still so much more to the actual use of that camera.  It is certainly the experienced eye behind the camera that makes the difference, just like the experienced hand that guides the bow on a fiddle.  I am thankful that I have so many clients that know and invest in the products and knowledge that I offer to help keep making them successful.  

3/21/11Just got back last week from attending the International conference of aerial photographers.  A well spent 3 days in Las Vegas. Being able to exchange ideas and hear about what others are doing in the aerial photography market place is invaluable, to help design new programs to make sure I am offering the best of the best.  I am encouraged that my fee’s are still below the national averages and that I continue to have work come in from my clients who realize the importance of making a great first impression through the use of aerial photographic work.  Thanks to all.  As usual, I am always looking for new ideas.  Let me know what your specific photographic needs are so I can help design a program to photographically present your ideas.  

2/25/11 A relief…  The airplane annual was completed and the plane has been given a great bill of health for another year.  No major problems were expected.  None found.  Did replace one tire which was due and also replaced the brake pads. The engine tested excellent on all the compressions which is always a comfort.  Glad to have the plane back in service now.  As soon as the wind dies down, I can ferry it back to Double Eagle Airport.  Fuel prices for aviation fuel are out of sight.  Now 5.54 per gallon at Double Eagle.  

2/18/11 Over half of February gone already.  The plane is in the shop for its annual inspection.  The weather is warming back up and now we are entering our windy season which always makes for interesting flying.  All the photography is hand held to provide custom work as I deal with all of the environmental elements.  There are so many  to consider when out on an aerial assignment. Vibration, wind drift, thermals creating unstable air, thus creating a bumpy ride, air traffic delays and always looking out for other traffic.  All photo flights are in communication with the folks at the FAA tower or route centers. Its a great working relationship.  

1/29/11 January is almost past and we are well into the years activities.  Despite the slow economy, folks are determined to make ends meet.  I appreciate the opportunity to be a part of so many teams in providing aerial and ground photographic services.  This is my 33rd year of being a full time aerial photographer.  Don’t hesitate to call for a free consultation on what services can best meet your photographic needs.  Let the eye behind the camera, create images to help make a great first impression of your project.  

1/14/11A cold week.  Our next planned photo flight is Monday the 17th.  

1/5/11HAPPY NEW YEAR. The new web site continues to draw attention. Several new features have just been added. Now our clients have a tool to use to be able to outline the exact location of the property they need to have an aerial photograph of. This will help streamline our ability to quickly identify the property, which helps us to control the cost of producing the images. The tool is called the Site Locator and is found on a number of pages throughout the web site, depending on your specific needs.  

Also, in the lower right corner of each page, you can give feed back as to how helpful the information was to you. Our clients feed back helps us to maintain photo programs which will help provide the srongest images to give the ultimate presentation and call for action.  

12/29/10 As we approach the new year, there is a sigh of relief that with the economic down turn and devastating effects on the commercial real estate market and construction industry, we have been able to survive another year of business.  Fortunately living in Albuquerque, we do not feel the full force effect of the national/worldwide recession, however there have been consequences which we have definitely been effected by.  

Aviation gas is a major expense in the aerial photography business. I am in anticipation of further rise in this cost in the coming year, as the production of aviaition  remains low and the cost per barrel continues to rise.  Currently the cost per gallon of fuel is 5.24. at the Double Eagle Airport where the airplane is based.  We have tried to keep fee’s as they have been, allowing us to continue to make the photographic service affordable for our good and loyal clients, to continue to justify the marketing investment in using current aerial images.  We certainly appreciate all of our clients.  

For 2010, I have made 89 photo flights covering thousands of miles, working on the documentation of many interesting assignments, both locally and state wide. I wish everyone a Happy New Year and look forward to continuing to work with my existing clients, as well as any new future clients who come to me for photographic services.  

12/18/10 Our aerial stock file of images continues to increase with each flight.  

It  appears that the I-25 reconstruction from Tramway, north to just short of the first exit to Bernalillo will be completed by the first of the year.  

Hope you enjoy reading through out newly designed web site.  It is loaded with lots of aerial samples for you to review, giving new clients a great sampling of what Eagle’s Eye can produce.  Be sure to check out the scenic aerials. All these are available for enlargements and framing.  

All your comments are welcome. Please enter them on the Contact us page.  

I have a new fall aerial showing the golden  river valley looking across downtown toward the Sandias.  This image is available in 12×18, 16×24 and 20×30. Call to place your order.  

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