“Around 2021” My Year-end Aerial Video Compilation

January 31, 2022 by admin | Comments Off

Hello Friends,

It’s Monday and the end of the month, but we’re still in the first part of the year. For me at this moment in any year it’s hard to get excited about much. You know: short and cold days, long and cold nights, rain, wind, fog, etc. etc. But I have a dive trip coming up real soon and another later in the year so there’s that, and then there is my year-end video of drone footage.

I compiled a number of “shorts” throughout the year, some of those shorts were single knock-off videos and wouldn’t make it into the garbage can when compiling a year-end video, but this one is a little more deliberate and thought out, planned, executed, edited with love and care and contains footage that I have not released until this.

Some of the sites included in this video are around Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helens, Puget Sound, Lake Tapps, and the Methow Valley to name just a few. I had a few snow scenes that technically I shot in 2021 but well after I started working on this video that didn’t make the cut. Those will definitely make it into the 2022 compilation.

I hope that you enjoy this video. Please follow the link back to YouTube, “like” the video, and comment if you so feel inclined.

Blessings,

Chris.

Posted in Drone Photography, Landscape and Nature Photography Tagged , , , , , , |

Giggsters One of Tacoma’s Best Landscape Photographers in 2021

January 6, 2022 by admin | 4 Comments

Hi Friends.

It’s no secret that the Pacific Northwest is home to some of the most majestic scenery in the United States. Breathtaking coastlines, lush forests, and gushing waterfalls lie around every corner, offering plenty of inspiration for landscape photographers. As a result, Tacoma and Pierce County is home to some of the best in the business, who have made documenting natural scenes their mission.

We are happy to report that I made Giggsters list as “One of Tacoma’s Best Landscape Photographers” for 2021. Quite an honor to be sure.

Head over to their page at this link to see: https://giggster.com/blog/landscape-photographers-tacoma-wa/

And as always, check out my landscape portfolio page or scroll through this blog to see some of my work.

Blessings,

Chris.

Posted in General, Landscape and Nature Photography Tagged , , , , , |

2022 Commercial Real Estate Video Available

January 1, 2022 by admin | Comments Off

Happy New Years my Friends,

I hope that you were able to ring in the New Years is a safe and sane manner. We did-it was very quiet for us after about 10 p.m. when we left a friends house after a fun time playing cards and catching up on old times. Except for having the neighborhood fireworks going off until after 1 a.m. it was a tranquil way to usher in a new year and a new start.

Anyway, 2022 will bring me a full year of drone and real estate photography and video. In case you missed it, I passed my FAA Part 107 exam last summer and am able to fly an unmanned aerial system (drone) legally and without any issues with the proper certifications in place to put a commercial drone in the air.

So with a full year, I want to extend an offer to you to have me come out and film and photograph your commercial real estate and use the product as part of your marketing campaigns.

If you haven’t seen what that might look at, you can find an example of my video work at the link below. And as far as photographs are concerned, you can see some examples of that work on my real estate portfolio page, albeit that most of it is non-commercial RE. The video I take can be used independently or as part of a sales pitch published by commercial real estate agents. An example of a total marketing piece can be found at the following link: https://vimeo.com/showcase/7164490/video/471901549 (please note this example is not my work nor am I associated with it in any way, shape, or form).

My rates are reasonable, my turn-around is quick, I’m insured, and available most of the time within reason. So don’t hesitate to call me and let’s at least discuss.

Blessings and God’s peace.

Chris

Posted in Drone Photography, Real Estate Photography Tagged , , , , , , , |

Peeps of 2021

December 31, 2021 by admin | Comments Off

It’s the end of 2021, and even though this has been a tough year all around, some pretty amazing photography was done at Chris McKenna Photography! These are just a few of my favs from each of my photo shoots this year. I did have to cancel a few due to weather and Covid, but will be rescheduling for sometime this spring. And, I can’t wait to share those with you when they happen!

Please enjoy a few of my pics from this past year. And, Happy New Year to you all!! See you in 2022!!

~Lynette

P.S. you can see more of our senior photos by clicking on this link: https://chrismckennaphotography.com/portfolio/seniors/ and more of our family portraits at this link: https://chrismckennaphotography.com/portfolio/portraits/

And don’t forget to visit us on SmugMug.

Posted in Baby and Children Portraits, Family Portraits, Portraits, Senior Portraits Tagged , , , , , , , , , |

It’s Another Snow Day 2021

December 31, 2021 by admin | Comments Off

Happy New Years my Friends,

If you live in the Puget Sound region, you are well aware that we had a bit of a snow event that kicked off on Christmas Day. As I mentioned in my last post it wasn’t quite the white Christmas that we always dream about but it was close enough for us not to complain. That event kicked off the week with a number of inches and as it continued into the week picked up a few more inches.

So I took the drone out for a couple of flights as the weather allowed. First around the neighborhood and surrounding areas and then down to a local lake for a bit of a flyaround. I tried the another lake yesterday and I was able to unlock the drone and get it airborne-something that I hadn’t been able to do in at that location for a while. I got a few interesting shots and compiled a bit of video for your enjoyment.

Enjoy the video. I’ll post some of the pics next week.

Blessings,

Chris.

Posted in Drone Photography, Landscape and Nature Photography Tagged , , , , , , |

It’s a Snow Day 2021

December 28, 2021 by admin | Comments Off

Greetings Friends,

And Merry Christmas / Happy New Years to you.

If you live in the Puget Sound region, you are well aware that we had a bit of a snow event that kicked off on Christmas Day. It wasn’t quite a white Christmas for us but it was close enough for us not to complain. Overnight we accumulated a number of inches and for this area it means catastrophe, meteorologicly speaking. And in continued into Sunday and subsided yesterday.

So I took the drone out for a bit of a flight. First around the neighborhood and surrounding areas and then down to a local lake for a bit of a flyaround. I tried another lake but I couldn’t unlock the drone and get it airborne due to my own mistake with the coding. Nonetheless, I got a few interesting shots and compiled a bit of video for your enjoyment.

Enjoy the video.

Blessings,

Chris.

Posted in Drone Photography, Landscape and Nature Photography Tagged , , , , , , , |

Drone Launch Aerial Photography Contest 2021 Finalist!

December 17, 2021 by admin | Comments Off

Hello friends,

I’m so happy to report today that one of my photographs (see below) was one of the finalists in the Drone Launch Academy’s 2021 Aerial Photography Contest.

Earlier this year, I was out flying my drone in the Mt. St. Helens area attempting to find a good vantage point of the volcano while still maintaining the legal ability to do so. When I was done and working my way back home, I decided to take the scenic route and find areas to fly around and shoot some photographs and video.

When low and behold I came across a lake that I knew had an incredible view of Mt. Rainier on one side, but it was inaccessible. Fortunately for me, I had the drone and was able to position it in an area to capture the photo. Luck was on my side, too, as it was during the golden hour and the light falling on the mountain gave me an incredible site to behold.

Anyway, you can find their post on their blog at the following link: https://dronelaunchacademy.com/dla-photography-contest-2021-finalists/

As always, thank you for your support and for being my friend. And if you want to view some more our my work, visit some of my portfolio pages.

Chris

Blessings and Merry Christmas to you.

Posted in Drone Photography, Landscape and Nature Photography Tagged , , , , , , , |

Photos of Mt. St. Helens in Summer

October 28, 2021 by admin | Comments Off

Hi Friends,

So in one of my last posts, I shared about a road trip I recently completed to Mt. St. Helens, specifically to Windy Ridge. Of course I brought my camera and drone and got some photographs but unfortunately they are not ready to share yet.

So as an alternative, I thought that I would share a few photos from a trip I took to the other side of the mountain a couple of years ago. These pics are from the Johnson Ridge side of the mountain. Looking right down into the crater is an amazing sight and one that everyone should take the trip to witness.

Anyway, I hope that you enjoy these pictures.

Blessings to you.

Chris.

Posted in Landscape and Nature Photography Tagged , , , , , , , |

Some of my Aerial Drone Photographs Around Kona, Hawaii

October 23, 2021 by admin | Comments Off

Aloha e na makamaka (Aloha my friends),

Last month I finally made it back to the big island of Hawaii. We have been trying to get back there for two years, but something called Covid kept getting in the way (you know, travel restrictions, testing, quarantines, etc.). But thanks be to God we got back for a week of diving and some relaxation. Ok, well not much relaxation but definitely some diving.

One of the things that I was able to do this time was bring the drone with me and get out flying a little bit. I managed to get it into the air more than once or twice and flew a little bit outside downtown Kona, on a lava field east of the airport (with FAA permission and all safety precautions taken, of course) and another close to South Point, around the Kona Small Boat Harbor, around Puako, and more sites along the south end of the island. And yes, the blobs are old lava fields.

I have to say that I am really enjoying the challenge of aerial photography. It is providing me some things to learn, new places to photograph, and new perspectives to see. It is not easy but it is something that I really enjoyed on this trip.

Lana koʻu manaʻo e hauʻoli ʻoe i kēia mau kiʻi paʻi e like me ka hauʻoli i ka hana ʻana iā lākou (I hope that you enjoy these photographs as much as enjoyed working on them).

Mahalo.

Chris

P.S. Want to see more of my aerial photography content. Click on the portfolio to see more. Thanks.

Posted in Drone Photography, Landscape and Nature Photography, Travel Photography Tagged , , , , , , , , |

Shot of the Day, October 3, 2021

October 3, 2021 by admin | Comments Off

Good morning Friends,

For today’s photograph of the day, I am choosing another aerial photo that I took last week.

I had some extra time to myself on Friday, so I decided to get into the car and drive. Once I loaded my car with my camera (of course) and the drone, I just set off without a destination in mind. I figured I would just let the car guide where and I was just going along for the ride.

Well, it wasn’t too long before the car decided that it wanted to head into the mountains. Headed south, it ended up near Mt. St. Helens past Randle, Wa. Well, not to belabor the point I got a chance to fly the drone on the outside of the no-fly area before heading back down and stopping at a few places along the way to get some more photographs.

One such place was at Mineral Lake. I used to fish there decades ago so I was somewhat familiar with the view, but the clouds and such were such that I knew that if conditions were such I would have a lovely view of the mountains. I launched the bird and off I flew to the other end of the lake, composed my photograph, and snapped away.

This stop did not disappoint. And the photograph didn’t disappoint either. In fact, its my favorite of the year so far (not that that is saying much with all the Covid crap going on) but still it far outranks all the others.

I hope that you enjoy this photograph as much as I do.

Blessings,

Chris.

Posted in Drone Photography, Landscape and Nature Photography, Shot of the Day Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , |