AIR7 captured the first aerial footage of storm damage in Wrightwood after Christmas Eve's powerful storm caused flash flooding and mudslides, damaging around 50 homes and leaving residents to begin cleanup efforts.
From the sky, Gaza appears as a devastated wasteland, heavily damaged by recent Israeli military campaigns, with aid drops providing limited relief amid a severe humanitarian crisis marked by widespread destruction, loss of life, and ongoing conflict.
The winners of the Drone Photo Award showcase the extraordinary beauty found in ordinary scenes from around the world. From a bird's eye view, a rice field in Bangladesh becomes a symmetrical pattern, a Polish playground resembles a mosaic of precious stones, and a communal breakfast during Ramadan in war-ravaged Syria evokes both sorrow and holiness. The competition received nearly 14,000 images from 104 countries, all taken from above using drones. The photos aim to transmit emotion, teach something new, and be aesthetically pleasing.
Photographer Paul Seibert captured stunning photos of Manhattan, Brooklyn, New Jersey, Staten Island, Roosevelt Island, and the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge from the highest-ever open-door helicopter flight over Manhattan, almost three miles above New York City. The pilot was required to wear an oxygen mask to fly the aircraft legally. Seibert used a Canon R5 with a 15-35mm attached and a 70-200mm zoom lens for some detailed shots of the skyscrapers of Midtown. The photos were taken at dawn and show one of the most densely populated areas in the world.