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Quick answer
Rocky Mountain Photography maps sites with drone LiDAR and imagery so developers can plan solar panel LiDAR Colorado projects at the parcel scale. Our Part 107-certified pilots capture terrain, structures, and shading obstacles, delivering point clouds, surface models, and orthomosaics that solar designers in Denver and statewide can import into their tools.
People looking for a solar panel potential LiDAR Colorado map are usually trying to answer one question: how much sun does this roof or field really get? Public LiDAR and solar potential tools give a useful first look, but they can be dated or coarse. Solar designers and developers often need current, site-specific data on terrain, trees, rooftop equipment, and nearby structures that cast shade.
Rocky Mountain Photography, founded in Denver in 2016 by brothers Jeff and Nick Perry, captures that site data with drone LiDAR and high-resolution imagery. Our pilots are Part 107-certified and insured. We do not produce energy yield estimates ourselves. Instead, we deliver accurate 3D context that your solar engineer or design software uses to model shading, layout, and production.
Statewide and national LiDAR collections, along with online rooftop solar estimators, are a great way to screen many Colorado properties quickly. They are built from data that may be several years old, and they cannot account for a tree that grew, a new building next door, or rooftop units added last summer. A drone survey captures the site as it is today. For rooftop projects, LiDAR and imagery record roof planes, pitch, parapets, vents, and HVAC units that affect panel placement. For ground-mount and community solar fields, the data shows slopes, drainage paths, fences, existing utility lines, and the tree lines along the edges that may shade rows in winter, when the sun sits low over the Front Range. Designers combine this site data with their own solar modeling tools to make decisions.
Typical deliverables include a classified LiDAR point cloud in LAS or LAZ format, a digital surface model that includes trees and structures for shade analysis, a bare-earth terrain model for grading and racking design, contours, and a georeferenced orthomosaic for layout drawings and permit exhibits. For rooftops, we can add oblique photos of each roof plane and close-ups of equipment and penetrations. Files are exported in the coordinate system your team specifies and packaged for common solar design, CAD, and GIS platforms. Your engineer or designer runs the shading and production analysis, and your surveyor verifies any data used for legal boundaries or final grading. A brief report notes capture date, sensor, and any coverage limits, so everyone knows what the data represents.
Solar work does not stop at design. During construction, recurring flights document earthwork, racking installation, and panel placement, giving owners and lenders progress records alongside our construction site documentation. After commissioning, aerial imagery can document arrays for asset management and insurance records, and visual inspection flights capture close imagery of modules, combiner boxes, and fencing for your O and M team to review. Some operators also use thermal inspections from specialized providers, and our visual data can complement that work. For terrain-heavy projects, our general LiDAR mapping page explains the technology in more detail, and orthomosaic mapping covers image-based basemaps. Airspace authorization is checked before every flight, including rural sites near smaller airports. We plan each visit around your project schedule and site safety rules.
“I've had the pleasure of working with RMP for multiple commercial real estate photography projects and I can confidently say that they are the best in the business. Thev are responsive, professional, and always go above and beyond to ensure that the final product exceeds expectations.”
“Rocky Mountain Photography is a fantastic business. We used them for professional property photos for two of our commercial properties and were very satisfied with their work and help. The pictures were exactly what we needed to effectively market our properties. Thank you!”
“Our brokerage has sold millions of dollars of commercial real estate across Colorado. Rocky Mountain Photography has been an excellent partner of ours, creating high quality professional media to showcase these various investment properties. They're consistently reliable, communicative and on-time.”
“Super friendly and professional. Photos turned out great. Can't recommend highly enough.”
“Always do a fantastic job on my RE Listing photos and video. Great drone video and Twilight shots.”
“I met these guys at a CREJ conference and I am very impressed with their aerial and drone work & very happy with the results.”
Fast, Reliable & Professional Aerial Photography, Video, Virtual Media & Custom Videos for the Real Estate & Construction Professional Across the World
Scheduling made simple. Use our user-friendly website for online booking or connect with project managers for personalized service—because your time matters
Time is of the essence! Count on us for next-day delivery, adding speed and excellence to your commercial, drone, and residential projects.
With coast to coast coverage, we offer professional nationwide drone, photo, and video coverage, capturing properties and projects wherever you need!
Customer satisfaction is at the core of our business philosophy at Rocky Mountain Photography. We’ll always go the extra mile to deliver exceptional quality and beautiful media for our clients.
Trust our video expertise for creating visually stunning service videos, credible testimonial videos, and tailored training video production to meet your needs.
Serving hundreds of businesses and thousands of clients, Rocky Mountain Photography is a trusted choice for exceptional photography, video, & drone services.
Our process begins with a detailed understanding of your project, followed by the assignment of a dedicated project manager. We then determine the ideal package to meet and exceed your media needs.
Once your project needs are understood, our team schedules and captures your photography, video, or drone media professionally from ground and sky, making sure to include all client specifications and instructions.
Upon completion, we meticulously edit and upload the media for your review, providing any necessary updates or revisions before sending the final high-resolution deliverables to you on time and on budget.
No. We capture site data such as LiDAR, surface models, and imagery. Your solar installer or engineer uses that data in design software to estimate production. We focus on giving them accurate, current 3D context for the analysis.
Public maps are great for screening, but they may be older and lower resolution than your project needs. A drone survey captures today's trees, buildings, and rooftop equipment that affect shading and layout, which matters for final design decisions.
Most want a digital surface model with trees and structures, a bare-earth terrain model for ground mounts, an orthomosaic for layout, and roof details for rooftop systems. Ask your designer for their preferred formats, and we will match them.
Yes. We fly rooftop and ground-mount sites across Colorado, including rural fields. Airspace is checked before every flight, and remote sites may need extra planning for access, travel, and weather windows. We confirm travel details in the quote.
Yes. Recurring flights capture grading, racking, and panel installation for owners, contractors, and lenders. We fly consistent routes so progress is easy to compare and share in reports and meetings. Imagery hosting is included with drone packages.
Send the site address or boundary, whether it is rooftop or ground-mount, your designer's preferred formats, and the deadline in a quote request. We will recommend LiDAR, imagery, or both and confirm airspace. Roof plans help with rooftop work.
