--- description: TIME selects the best images shot from the skies title: The 26 Best Drone Photographs of 2016 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt52125c361b21232a/6988ac415f570ff06cb23167/saturnia-hot-springs-tuscany-by-vaidas.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [LightBox](/tag/time-section-lightbox/) ## LightBox Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The Best Drone Photographs of 2016 by [Josh Raab](/author/josh-raab/) ## Josh Raab Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 29, 2016 9:00 AM CUT  Saturnia hot springs in Central Tuscany, Italy. Saturnia hot springs in Central Tuscany, Italy.Vaidas. Courtesy of Dronestagram. by [Josh Raab](/author/josh-raab/) ## Josh Raab Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 29, 2016 9:00 AM CUT Photography aims to show what has not been seen. Drone photography achieves that, providing a new perspective on the world from points we cannot easily reach. This year, thousands of images were submitted to the [Dronestagram](http://www.dronestagr.am/ "undefined") and [Skypixel](https://www.skypixel.com/ "undefined") competitions, including the photograph of a gold trout circle underwater that would have been difficult to see from the ground. Another organized the chaos of a pool packed with young swimmers preparing for competitions in Colombia. And yet another outlined the process of haystack production in Romania. In 2016, drones also became more affordable and easier to use. Every time a drone lifts off, it raises the bar. There’s no doubt that in 2017 we can expect to be continually surprised by drones’ ability to show us what we thought we knew and bring us to places we are yet to go. [**_Josh Raab_**](http://www.joshraabphoto.com/time-tearsheets "undefined") _is an Associate Photo Editor at TIME. Follow him on_ [_Instagram_](http://instagram.com/instagraabit "undefined") _and_ [_Twitter_](https://twitter.com/joshraabphoto "undefined")_._ _Follow_ **_TIME LightBox_** _on_ [_Facebook_](https://www.facebook.com/timelightbox "undefined")_,_ [_Twitter_](https://twitter.com/timepictures "undefined") _and_ [_Instagram_](https://instagram.com/timelightbox/ "undefined")_._  Saturnia hot springs in Central Tuscany, Italy. Vaidas. Courtesy of Dronestagram.  A herd in the Pantanal in Taboco, Brazil. Cesar de Oliveira. Courtesy of Dronestagram.  Over the streets of Hong Kong Cliechti. Courtesy of Dronestagram.  James Fort in Castlepark Village, Ireland. Carrigphotos. Courtesy of Dronestagram.  Rock climbing in Moab, Utah, United States. Max Seigal . Courtesy of Dronestagram.  In 2015, the Guerlédan Lake in Saint Gelven, France was drained for maintenance of the hydroelectric dam, revealing trees and houses that had been submerged when the dam was built. Nicolas Charles. Courtesy of Dronestagram.  Mingshan, Ya'an ,Sichuan Province, China 非 鱼. Courtesy of Skypixel.  Harvesting in Valensole, France. Jcourtial. Courtesy of Dronestagram.  Thousands of Venezuelans crossed the border with Colombia after it had been closed for 11 months. Villa del Rosario, Columbia. Losmanesdeldrone. Courtesy of Dronestagram.  A beach in Rotterdam, Holland. Vaidas. Courtesy of Dronestagram.  Surf session on the beach of Leblon in Rio de Janeiro. Ulysses Padilha. Courtesy of Dronestagram.  Camillus Splash Pad park for kids in Camillus, New York, United States. Bob Gates. Courtesy of Dronestagram.  Gold Trout circle in a fish farm in Holstebro, Denmark. Flemming Lauridsen. Courtesy of Dronestagram.  A car drives through a field in Kusa, Chelyabinskaya oblast, Russia. Maksim Tarasov. Courtesy of Dronestagram.  A group of young swimmers are preparing for competitions in Cúcuta, Colombia. Losmanesdeldrone. Courtesy of Dronestagram.  A Dogsledder and dogs in Satka, Chelyabinskaya oblast, Russia. Maksim Tarasov. Courtesy of Dronestagram.  The remains of Princes pier in Port Melbourne, Australia. Simon Milder. Courtesy of Dronestagram.  Haystack production in Brasov, Romania. Thedon Courtesy of Droinestagram.  A caravan of Camels walks along Cable beach at sunset in Broome, Australia. Todd Kennedy. Courtesy of Dronestagram.  A section of Corabastos, the main market in Bogota, Colombia. Alex Visbal & Alejandro Pabon. Courtesy of Dronestagram.  Sheep in pasture in Marpod, Romania. Thedon. Courtesy of Dronestagram.  Al Quadra lakes in Dubai. Desouzad. Courtesy of Dronestagram.  A winding road in Bogata Forest, Romania. Calin-Andrei Stan. Courtesy of Dronestagram.  Winter trees in Sfanta Ana, Romania. Thedon. Courtesy of Dronestagram.  Salto de Poveda in Alto Tajo National Park in Guadalajara, Spain Stillvictor. Courtesy of Dronestagram.  Green trees in Sauerland, Western Germany Carsten Kramer. Courtesy of Skypixel. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4552060/the-best-drone-photographs-of-2016/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4552060/the-best-drone-photographs-of-2016/"},"headline":"The Best Drone Photographs of 2016","datePublished":"2016-12-29T09:00:14.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:43:54.977Z","description":"TIME selects the best images shot from the skies","url":"https://time.com/4552060/the-best-drone-photographs-of-2016/","keywords":["LightBox","Tech","Gadgets","2016","photography","Drones","aircraft"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt52125c361b21232a/6988ac415f570ff06cb23167/saturnia-hot-springs-tuscany-by-vaidas.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Josh Raab","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/josh-raab/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt52125c361b21232a/6988ac415f570ff06cb23167/saturnia-hot-springs-tuscany-by-vaidas.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Saturnia hot springs. 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