Not long ago, taking aerial photographs without a plane or helicopter meant rigging up kites with cameras or inflating large helium balloons and hoping the wind would cooperate. That all changed with the arrival of drones on the mass market. Now, with a moderate investment, anyone can capture all kinds of shots from above without much stress, creating art with the push of a button.
This opened up an entirely new artistic category where height takes center stage. Awards like the Drone Awards have capitalized on this, rewarding the best drone photographs for the delight of the audience. These are the best photos of the year, with one winning photograph (the polar bear, which is great) and another six award-winning photos across each category: Abstract, Nature, People, Sports, Wildlife, and Urban. All these winning photos, plus a few others we really liked, below.
The Winning Photographs
