230. Human, Light, and Water, All in One
Possible Drone Used: DJI Mavic 2 Zoom
Where to Buy: DJI Drones
Cost: $1,149*
Winner of the 2021 Drone Photo Awards in the “Sports” category, this drone-captured image is truly a sight to behold with its amalgamation of the depiction of man, water, light, and sky. Captured by Phil De Glanville, it shows surfer Ollie Henry tactically escaping a jumbo wave off the South Western Australian coast.
Human, Light, and Water All In One Phil De Glanville/Drone Awards 2021
The sheer magnitude of the wave and immensity of the ocean, when compared to the tiny human, truly presents man with a humbling image. The beautiful rainbow formed by the ocean’s water spray acts like the cherry on top, completing the overall animated vibe of the picture.
231. Deadly Yet Mesmerising Iceland
Possible Drone Used: Yuneec Typhoon H Plus Hexacopter
Where to Buy: Drones Direct
Cost: $1,862*
This image seems to be extracted from a cleverly produced sci-fi movie featuring either the end of the world or the birth of something sinister. But the picture is 100% real and captured in Iceland, showcasing one of the most deadly yet mesmerizing qualities of the Earth: the eruption of a volcano.
Deadly Yet Mesmerising Iceland Martin Sanchez/Drone Awards 2021
Winner of the 2021 Drone Photo Awards in the Nature category, this image perfectly depicts the heavenly yet deadly ways we can find beauty in Mother Earth.
232. The Trail
Possible Drone Used: DJI Phantom Pro V2.0
Where to Buy: Amazon
Cost: $2,500*
If images had emotions, this picture would have the words “comfort” and “peace” written all over it. Winner of the 2021 Drone Photo Awards in the “Wildlife” category, this drone photo depicts nature in a very simple visual: a turtle casually strolling through the sand to reach water, leaving a trail behind.
The Trail Kassim El Persi/Pop Photo
The image was captured on the Omani coastline nestled between the Rashad turtle reserve and Ras Al Jinz. The green turtle peacefully returning to the water after laying its eggs in her nearby nest is enough to give a dopamine boost to whoever looks at it.
233. The City In The Sky
Possible Drone Used: Swellpro Spry
Where to Buy: Wellbots
Cost: $899*
Most of us used to wonder what the world above the clouds looked like. Was there a city up there too? This image answers many of our childhood questions, showing us that there is, indeed, a city up above the clouds.
The City In The Sky Hugo Healy/Skypixel
This entry to the 2021 Drone Photo Awards was commended in the “Urban” category and depicts a rare image of the downtown Dubai skyline from the sky. Not all aerial pictures are this perfect; this one was the result of warm mornings and cold nights, creating the perfect blend of weather conditions to capture Dubai’s iconic skyscrapers peeking from above the clouds.
234. A Fight From Above
Possible Drone Used: Parrot HydroFoil MiniDrone
Where to Buy: Amazon
Cost: $88*
This image was ranked as a “commended entry” in the 2021 Drone Photo Awards in the “Sport” category and perfectly depicts the intricate culture of an Eastern bazaar. A makeshift wrestling arena is the center of attention in the market closed for a holiday, where a tournament is underway under the watchful gaze and hollering mouths of hundreds of onlookers.
A Fight From Above Amitava Chandra/Drone Awards 2021
This timeless image was captured from an old high-rise structure attic using a drone and is undoubtedly a simple yet fascinating show of culture intermingled with sports.
235. Color From Above
Possible Drone Used: DJI Inspire 2
Where to Buy: DJI Drones
Cost: $3,000*
Creativity knows no bounds, especially in the amalgamation of nature’s creations with those of man’s. This innovative and nifty image depicts such creativity, giving us a bird’s eye view of a colorful field that seems to be painted by different-colored cars.
Color From Above F. Dilek Yurdakul/Drone Awards 2021
The red car standing in front of the red plants gives the impression that man’s creation left these trailing colors behind, which are actually nature’s offspring. A participant of the Drone Awards, this image is undoubtedly one of its kind, whether it’s the visuals or the underlying concepts.
237. Four Moo Moos
Possible Drone Used: PowerVision PowerEgg X Explorer
Where to Buy: Amazon
Cost: $1,000*
This iconic picture was captured by chance when Cape Town-based photographer and videographer Luke Bell spotted two cows peacefully gulping water from a stream. Bell spotted the cows on a cold September morning in the early dawn hours while strolling along a farm.
Four Moo Moos @LukeMaximoBell/Dronestagram
The long shadows of the cows in the picture almost seem like a separate entity, which is precisely what Bell thought before whipping out his camera and capturing the concept at an angle perfect enough to capture the scene’s true beauty.
238. Tower Cleaning Spidermen
Possible Drone Used: Traxxas Aton Quadcopter Drone
Where to Buy: Traxxas.com
Cost: $399*
This image of tower cleaners clinging to the surface of the Mercury Tower at dawn is quite simple but exceptionally pleasing. The visuals of these cleaning Spidermen were captured by Alexey Goncharov, who is not even a photographer to begin with. A physicist by profession, Goncharov says that he likes taking pictures with his drone before going in for work, which is exactly what he did this morning.
Tower Cleaning Spidermen Alexey Goncharov/Dronestagram
According to Goncharov, the sight held his attention because of how the workers “seemed to wash the city itself,” not the building’s windows alone.
239. The Castle of Our Dreams
Possible Drone Used: DJI Mavic 2 Zoom
Where to Buy: Amazon
Cost: $1,267*
It is not every day we get to see a real-time image of a castle that we have been dreaming about since our childhood, prompted by the animated cinematic experiences of our time. This image is not that of a castle but rather comes with an even richer history.
The Castle of Our Dreams r/AbandonedPorn/Reddit
It offers a glimpse of an abandoned college in the beautiful countryside in the Republic of Abkhazia, where ethnic cleansing expelled people from their home in the 1990s. The abandoned building now stands as an epitome of ruin, plunder, and injustice, seemingly shrouded in eternal gloom.
240. A Wallpaper From Iceland
Possible Drone Used: DJI Mavic Pro
Where to Buy: DJI Drones
Cost: $899*
This image seems the perfect choice for a natural wallpaper capable of inducing both wonder and a soothing sensation. But it almost seems animated, which may be because it is not one image but rather 12 distinct images put together to give a panoramic depiction of this beautiful sight.
A Wallpaper From Iceland olivier/Skypixel
A single drone image cannot do justice to the brilliant landscapes of Iceland, shrouded with cloud-capped mountains and gushing, vein-like rivers. That is precisely why this image, made by stitching 12 together, offers a better real-time experience of the scenery.
241. Saint Petersburg and Its Churches
Possible Drone Used: Potensic T25 GPS Drone
Where to Buy: Amazon
Cost: $200-$250*
This exceptional drone image is truly one-of-a-kind when it comes to capturing the beauty of history. It captures the glory of the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood. Located in Saint Petersburg, Russia, this splendid structure started construction in 1893, adopting Archimandrite Ignaty and Alfred A. Parland’s romantic yet nationalism-infused architectural style.
Saint Petersburg And Its Churches ©Amos Chapple/stock.adobe.com
Certain perfectly captured images can surely take you back to the past, and this historic shot is one of those images.
244. A Desolate Image
Possible Drone Used: DJI Spark
Where to Buy: Walmart
Cost: $595*
Not all drone images depict the positive, bubbly, and gleeful side of the Earth; some of them are bleak representations of the only certainty on Earth: death. This drone shot is of the latter category, showing a healthy tree and the shriveled remnant of a dead one in the same frame.
A Desolate Image @Photographersworld/Dronestagram
The vein-like remnants of life seem to cast a gloomy shadow over the entire scenery, rendering it black and white, devoid of all color. The white ground looks like ice, opening up the possibility that the tree ended up sinking to its death in the icy waters underneath.
245. Trees Laced With Gold
Possible Drone Used: DJI Mavic 2 Zoom
Where to Buy: DJI Drones
Cost: $1,149*
It may be hard to believe that this aerial shot’s brilliant gold-laced symmetrical patterns are Spain’s olive tree groves captured in the perfect angle and light. Captured by Javier del Cerro, this shot is truly a mesmerizing sight to behold, the true nature of which may not become visible at first glance.
Trees Laced With Gold Javier del Cerro/Skypixel
The brilliant golden sun rays seem to illuminate the Earth in a way that makes it seem like it was spun with gold, with beautiful green and yellow buttons adorning this expensive-looking piece of cloth that we call home.
248. A Real-Life Mermaid
Possible Drone Used: Yuneec Q500
Where to Buy: Amazon
Cost: $600*
Disney’s Little Mermaid has got nothing in front of this exceptional drone shot blending nature with mankind to achieve the metaphysical. The idea behind this image is elementary: a woman lays on the edge of a beach clad in a white gown as the sea’s foamy waves approach her.
A Real Life Mermaid Bobo/Skypixel
The image was captured in Taiwan as the country’s whitewashed waves blended into the woman’s clothing, elevating her status as a mortal being.
249. A Whiff of Childhood
Possible Drone Used: Parrot ANAFI
Where to Buy: Amazon
Cost: $700*
It is not just scents that take you back to your childhood: pictures can do that too. This drone image is enough to make everyone time travel back to the innocent days of their childhood spent drawing little pointed huts in the sand, thinking that was how the world looked to grownups.
A Wiff Of Childhood RGA/National Geographic
It brilliantly captures the essence of childhood in a simple shot, giving us an aerial view of a child’s simple drawings in the sand. This drone image gives off a scent of childhood, and everyone can pick up on it.
250. Grim Reaper or Fisherman?
Possible Drone Used: DJI Spark
Where to Buy: Amazon
Cost: $499*
One look at this drone image may make you wonder whether you’re looking at the grim reaper caught on camera or a human. Thankfully, this drone shot features a fisherman from China plying his trade.
Grim Reaper or Fisherman ©Imaginechina-Tuchong/Depositphotos
He almost seems to glide over the water, marking his territory through the years of his life he gave over to the sea to learn the tricks of capturing its creatures. The image is so different it may be astonishing, and even scary, to look at when all it does is depict an average day in the life of a fisherman.