My Lake Mead Adventure Playing with my Aquatech Gear
New Gear
As everyone knows, Las Vegas gets hot in the summer. Yeah, but it's a dry heat is what everyone says. True, and that makes a huge difference. But photographing dogs in the heat is tough on the dogs. even in the morning, it's hot. This morning, I woke up at 6:00 am and it was already 89 degrees. Yuck! This means for safety reasons, portrait sessions are limited to early morning, on cooler days, evenings at Mount Charleston, and at Lake Mead. Unfortunately, Lake Mead is not a great option this year - I'll come back to that.
To add a bit of variety to my summer life, I decided to splurge on waterproof gear. I've taken my new gear out twice now, once in a pool and the second time at the lake. It's so fun, a bit stressful, and really challenging, but fun!
This post is about my adventure with my new gear at Lake Mead.
Disappearing Lake Mead
My first two stops were a hard no. I've tried my old favorite spot twice so far this year, and both times have not been good. But I thought I would give it a third try. I pulled up and could see the water level had dropped since my last attempt. I left my car running and walked down to the water to take a look. There was a truck stuck and abandoned in the mud and I wasn't so sure the water was safe. I'm no marine biologist, and I don't have a clue how to spot algae, much less the scary blue/green stuff. There were plants that had surfaced and were looking mushy and bright green. I didn't know if that was safe, so I decided to find another spot.
I checked out Boulder Beach, and wow, that was scary. There was a boat that had surfaced on the beach. I drove towards the water, without getting too close. I have no desire to get stuck in the mud. Again, I walked to the water to see what the shoreline was like, quickly deciding it was too gross. rocky and muddy, with some funk in it. I'll leave out the details about the guy in his g-string coming to talk to me as I headed out.
Here are a few phone pics from my first two stops.
Willow Beach
After my first two stops, it was obvious that I would have to head down the Colorado River and cross the dam bridge towards Arizona. But hey, new gear to play with, my dogs wanted to swim and it was 107 degrees, so realistically our entertainment options were limited by the heat.
Being Monday, I thought I would have the place to myself. Hilarious, I know that now! Luckily there was a tiny little spot to swim my dogs while I played around with my new gear and took some photos of them having fun.
Will I go again? So hard to decide. It's a 90-minute drive, gas prices are insane, and I'll never know until I get there if I'm going to get a spot. So I don't know.
here are a few of my favorite images from the day.
Water Sessions
Even though Lake Mead may not be a session option this year, you can still schedule one of these amazing water sessions for your dog.
Don't forget to follow the pet photographer blog posts, starting with Dallas - Fort Worth pet and equine photographer Tracy Allard of Penny Whistle Photography recently traveled to the Mowdy Ranch in Oklahoma to photograph wild Mustangs.
11 Comments
Jul 6, 2022, 3:37:31 PM
Nicole Hrustyk - Thank you!
Jul 5, 2022, 6:53:19 AM
Tracy Allard - I've got a few of those "Seemed like such a good idea on paper" excursions under my belt as well, but everything is a learning experience, so chalk this one up as the same. Love the images, can't wait to see more of what you do with your new gear!
Jul 5, 2022, 6:27:07 AM
Darlene - So excited for your water sessions, Nicole! What a fun and unique offering! These images are fantastic! Woohoo!
Jul 4, 2022, 11:55:13 AM
Nicole Hrustyk - hahahahaha I'm not really a fan of dead things, so I'm thankful I didn't find anything. Plus you know, I was really prepared to be on the evening news. That would at the very least require a shower.
Jul 4, 2022, 11:37:17 AM
Angela Schneider - I love the direction you're taking with your work. These images are amazing! I am kind of disappointed you didn't find any bodies in barrels, though. How fun would that be?
Jul 1, 2022, 1:52:50 PM
Nicole Hrustyk - Thank you everyone!
Jul 1, 2022, 12:17:24 PM
Holly - Ahhh! These are fantastic Nicole! Congratulations! I'm so happy this all worked out for you!
Jul 1, 2022, 11:11:51 AM
Elaine - That was definitely an adventure, especially in the heat, when you need that cooling water to make your day. The guy on Boulder Beach...LOLOLOL.
Jul 1, 2022, 8:11:45 AM
Cahlean - Oooo! Underwater pictures! You've got some great captures! I've always thought it could be cool to do (10,000+ lakes here in MN). Bummer that the water level of Lake Mead is so dreadfully low.
Jul 1, 2022, 5:34:41 AM
Kim Hollis - I live in Charlotte NC where it is hot and humid all summer so I can relate to your issues with trying to photograph dogs in the summer. It's so sad to see how low the water is around you. Congrats on the new gear - that will be so much fun!!
Jul 1, 2022, 5:27:46 AM
Carol Mudra - So fun! I'm dying to get me some waterproof housing gear. I swear I'd live underwater if the whole "oxygen" thing wasn't a thing. Even better with dogs! Great photos! Glad you managed to get some practice in. Shrinking lake and algae aside.