Even the simplest of moments can look surreal when seen from a different perspective. That’s one of the standout features of drone photography that captures everyday moments from the sky, creating some jaw-dropping images we can’t stop admiring. Using drones and helicopters, photographers from all over the world capture everything from natural landscapes to poignant moments.
The Drone Photo Awards is a great platform that gives opportunities to talented shutterbugs from around the world to display their stunning aerial shots. Produced by the Siena Awards, a photo showing thousands of geese coming to roost in the Arctic Circle was awarded as the overall winner this year. Along with it, many other striking images – from a wedding in a garden to a herd of zebra running on dry land – were showcased in the competition.
Here, we have presented some of the best photographs from the 2021 Drone Photo Awards that celebrate the unique beauty of our world.
Related: These Drone Photos Elevate the Art of Aerial Photography!
“Pink-footed Geese Meeting the Winter” by Terje Koalas. Overall Winner.
Thousands of Pink-footed Geese roost in central Norway during spring. They are on their way to the breeding grounds on Svalbard in the Arctic.
“Verso l'Infinito Insieme a Te (I love you to infinity)” by Matteo Originale. First Place, Wedding.
A wedding in progress at the Marina di Pisa, a seaside resort of Tuscany, Italy, during a late summer evening at sunset.
“Gold at the End of the Rainbow” by Phil De Glanville. First Place, Sport.
Surfer Ollie Henry escapes a monster wave off the coast of South Western Australia.
“Metaphorical Statement About City and Winter” by Sergei Poletaev. First Place, Urban.
“A 500-year-old monastery in the Moscow region and a large power plant in the background. The steam from the cooling towers is particularly dense due to severe frost.”
“Fishing in Mangrove Forest” by Trung Pham Huy. First Place, People.
A fisherman begins his fishing day in the mangrove forest in the lagoon of Tam Giang in the Hue province of Vietnam.
“Abstract nature” by Manuel Enrique González Carmona. Runner-Up, Series.
While it looks like a canvas from above, this photo is actually a pond of toxic waste from a copper mine located in the province of Huelva in Spain.
“Back to Adventure” by Qasim Al Farsi. First Place, Wildlife.
A green turtle heads back to the water after laying eggs in her nest at Oman coastline between Ras Al Jinz and Rashad turtle reserve.
“Fairy Circles” by George Steinmetz. Highly Commended, Wildlife.
A zebra herd running through the Namib Rand Nature Reserve in Namibia.
“The Kingdom Centre” by George Steinmetz. Runner-Up, Urban.
The Kingdom Centre is a 99-story skyscraper in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which stands 302.3 m (992 feet) tall.
“Collecting Water from Driedout Riverbeds” by Sujon Adhikary. Highly Commended, People
“Around 263 million people globally have access to water sources that are considered safe but need to spend at least 30 minutes walking or queuing to collect their water. And the task of providing water for households falls disproportionately to women and girls, especially in rural areas.”
“Sleeping Beauty” by Martin Gregus. Commended, Wildlife.
An intimate photo of a polar bear seen catching a relaxing wink.
“Entrance to Another World” by Laura Bennett. Commended, Nature.
Sunset lits the walls of a rugged canyon in Utah, the US.
“Boundless sea of love” by Wujiang Zhu. Runner-Up, Wedding.
A couple gets married in the middle of a beautifully kept garden.
“Poisoned River” by Gheorghe Popa. First Place, Abstract.
According to the photographer, this image tells the story of the natural disaster in the Apuseni Mountains in Romania "in a beautifully abstract way."
“Beach Season” by Alexandr Vlassyuk. Runner-Up, People.
A couple relaxes on ice hummocks at the Kapchagai reservoir in the Almaty region of Kazakhstan. The temperature during the day of the photoshoot was -10 degrees Celsius (14°F)!
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