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As you may or may not know, this past spring I hurt my knee. I tore my ACL and both my medial and lateral meniscus. Up until about two weeks ago, shooting landscape images and action sports were pretty much put on hold for me. It was very limiting for me as I am such an active person and I was stuck to flat ground, places right next the road/car and it was quite tiring throwing a heavy pack on your back.
Finally, after 6 weeks of being non-weight bearing I was finally allowed to start getting out to shoot (while of course sticking to flat ground/trails). Slowly I started getting back into the groove of things with one big shoot (a 10-hour wedding) coming up at 8 weeks. I did a couple shoots for Edgewood Tahoe (thanks to the help of my good buddy Aj Marino) the Rock Tahoe Half Marathon and some drone work for Lake Tahoe AleWorx. I reached that 8-week mark and my doctor and PT's were all beyond stoked with how my knee was doing and I was finally crutch free. The wedding went really well with the help of Aj (assistant) and Casey Simon (second shooter) and the couple was beyond ecstatic with how the images came out.
Fast forward another week and my PT says the words that I have been dying to hear, you can start slowly making your way off flat trails. This meant the world to me as I have been thinking of shots left and right that I want to shoot and now I finally have the chance. There is one shot in particular that I have been thinking about for a long time and have been waiting to do. A few factors had affected me in the past for completing this shot, but now it is finally possible. The night of July 1st I went out with Aj to go capture this shot that has been stuck in the back of my head. This particular location I have shot at many times, Glen Alpine Falls, and it is a location I truly love. There is your textbook angle that everyone can easily access, but I try to always strive for something different. The angle I picked is one I have shot many times before and I actually came out to this exact spot two weeks after blowing my knee to see if I could get the shot done then. Light winds, a new moon, and mild temps were just what I wanted. After a small hike, we finally arrived at my shooting location. We set up the tripods and cameras and started shooting. It was very calming under the stars listening to the roaring waters of the falls. After getting my shot lined up and I was happy it was time to put up my secret weapon to create this shot, my drone. It's a bit nerve racking flying at night, but I was at ease knowing I was finally going to complete this shot. I took a few test shots and had the exact lighting I wanted.
Overall I am very happy with how this image turned out and beyond excited for what else I can create using this same technique. Until then enjoy the image below, a bts shot by Aj, and if you're in the US, have a great 4th! Cheers.