Dronestagram: sharing drone photography

“When the first camera drones arrived on the market in 2010, I bought one,” explains Lyon-based photographer Eric Dupin, 55. “My first question was, ‘Where can I share my pictures?'” By July 2013, Dupin had founded Dronestagram.

Part gallery, part social network, it’s where drone photographers can share tips and hacks. It quickly exploded: on Instagram, #dronestagram has been used nearly 700,000 times. In Dronescapes: The New Aerial Photography, out April 6, Dupin and photo editor Ayperi Karabuda Ecer share some vertiginous creations. Here are a few of their favorites:

KLEPP

Covering 21,000m2 and made by artists Ella & Pitr, Norway’s Klepp is thought to be the world’s largest mural. It can normally only be seen from planes flying from Sola Air Station, but this image was captured by a DJI Phantom 3 at 199 meters.

TONOPAH

This shows the Central Nevada Test Area, acquired by the US government in the early 60s for underground nuclear testing. At its center is a steel pipe that extends downwards by 975 meters. Its top was originally level with the ground, but the force of detonation caused the area to drop by three meters.

LAKE BALATON

On the left, the waters of Lake Balaton in Hungary; on the right, the recently opened port for the village of Balatonfenyves. The water is kept ice-free year-round so boats don’t have to be hauled ashore. This drone’s-eye-view was captured 40 meters above the lake, showing the divide between natural and man-made areas.

VERTICAL SHADOWS

Here, a camel race in Dubai is told in shadows, using a DJI F550 hovering above the track. “Khattab planned thoroughly, using the vertical angle of the drone and researching the changing light in this particular place over many days,” says Ecer.

TURGOYAK, MIAS, RUSSIAN FEDERATION

A hole drilled in a frozen lake by fisherman resembles a human eye from above.

SNOWY MARDIN

This image captures the ancient Turkish city of Mardin, which overlooks the Mesopotamian plain in the south-east of the country.