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This New Book Showcases the World’s Best Drone Photography

2 minute read

When publisher Thames & Hudson approached editor Ayperi Karabuda Ecer about curating a book on drone photography, she was brand new to aerial imagery. But that quickly changed for the former VP at Thomson Reuters and editor in chief of Magnum Photos Paris.

To curate the book, Dronescapes: The New Aerial Photography from Dronestagram, Karabuda Ecer sifted through about 70,000 to 100,000 drone photos submitted as part of a contest. Only 250 made the final cut.

Always keeping an eye on photography trends, Karabuda Ecer is fascinated by drones. “The selfie was big, drone photography is kind of the opposite,” she tells TIME. “It’s always about the big picture. Seeing what’s around us. I think with all the narcissistic things, portraits of each other or pictures of ourselves, it’s really liberating to look at things where the surroundings are the center. There is a lot of space in these and that is really welcome.”

Karabuda Ecer is particularly excited to see how drone photography evolves from here. She believes it has potential to help photojournalists cover topics like our changing environment, and to help artists create new works involving patterns and shadows. “Anything today that opens doors for new uses of photography is exciting,” she says. “There is a whole generation of people now who will become drone photographers. Clearly it is an opportunity.”

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Swimmers in Oceanside, New York. Taken from 157 feet.kdilliard
Bali Barat National Park, Indonesia. Taken from 492 feet.capungaero
Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro. Taken from 2,942 feet.Alexandre Salem
A cruise ship in Miami. Taken from 131 feet.iMaerial.com
The Statue of Liberty in New York City. Taken from 256 feet. Fdnyfish
The Montreal Biosphere. Taken from 586 feet. pixup
Dead trees between sky and earth
Dead trees in Lake Gueriedan, France. Taken from 98 feet.Nicolas Charles
The Inspiration space shuttle being transported in Merritt Island, Flo. Taken from 59 feet. 2DroneGals
Waves crash into a barrier in Saint-Malo, France. Taken from 53 feet.Easy Ride
An abandoned rollercoaster in Limbiate, Italy. Taken from 259 feet.pescart

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