High Dynamic Range Photography by Carl Roessler

This is another favorite for visitors to Twin Falls. It is the only legal place to BASE jump in the United States, and visitors come from around the country and the world.

I have made earlier visits in which I photographed from the bridge!

Then, last year, I flew the drone out and shot videos.

So, I highly anticipated this year’s adventure! However…

Disaster for my BASE jumpers…

On Sunday the 29th of May, 2016, I went to the Perrine Bridge to see Sean and his customers at the jumping school and other visiting jumpers do their flights. I shot for hours, making nine filming flights out to the center of the bridge. Unfortunately, I hung around a minute too long to squeeze in that last jumper, the drone’s battery started ringing an alarm—and in racing back to shore a propeller flew off the drone.

The good news is that somehow the drone hit a bush before it landed on the stony slope, and ended up near the trail the jumpers use to climb back up to the bridge.

The good news for me is that Sean immediately called two intrepid jumpers, Ray McCormick and Brad Tudor, who did a jump, climbed up the path and brought the drone back.

The bad news is that the crash had broken off the golf-ball-sized camera. It was out there on the talus slope somewhere (see still photo 1)—with the entire day of videos on its card!

Ah, but miracles do happen…

After having the propeller fly off my drone and having it crash (described above) I was amazed when Ray and Brad first recovered the drone and then on yet another jump miraculously found the tiny camera (see still photo 2) which had broken off in the crash. I was floored, and grateful to the two men for their efforts. My guardian angels were put through their paces on this adventure!