Combining tilt shift processing with low level aerial photographic views of the desert

Flew back across the bootheel to Playas Valley this morning for some more photography. Below are several images of drainages in Playas Valley processed with tilt shift software. Most of the photographs were taken at an altitude between 50' and 100' AGL. This technique works quite well with low level images and is recommended it to anyone photographing the landscape.

Of course the Border Patrol was there as usual as backup.

Click image to enlarge


Inverted tilt shift modified desert drainage. Inverting the photograph gives the appearance the drainage's rise out of the desert floor.


Desert tilt shift


Draining the Desert

Flight to the Playa

Above, Looking West towards Animas New Mexico
Below, Student on Cross Country, Headed South

Flew east past Animas New Mexcio and over to the Playa yesterday morning to take video and still photographs. A student was also on their cross country and I found them in Playas Valley. I captured several photographs of the student in transit but only 1 was acceptable, above. The other photographs from the flight are in the sidebar aerial pictures or just go straight to the photograph hosting site.

After I had returned and finished my post flight, a border patrol agent drove up. I had seen him on my way back from the playa driving along highway 9. Apparently someone had called the Lordsburg office to say there was a light aircraft flying east and he had been dispatched to drive around the countryside looking for me or the student, he finally found me. Apparently there had been another incursion up Animas Valley from Mexico the previous night, so he was sent out to see if this were part of that event. I gave the usual indoctrination spiel about registered aircraft, pilot’s license, CFIs, DPEs, student training, and recreational aviation. Then invited him and his coworkers to come out and take an introductory lesson. Well, we had a nice chat and he departed with a little more information about weight shift control light sport aircraft. At some point they will pop for the introductory lesson and then we can show them how training and experience results in competent pilots.

As I noted in the previous post Smugglers in Trikes weight shift control aircraft are being used to smuggle drugs into the US. Photographs of the recovered aircraft show pretty rickety aircraft which did not look airworthy, missing nose cones and home made front forks, overall pretty scary looking aircraft. It is surprising they made it as far as they did.