61. Munk’s Mobula Rays Schooling
Possible Drone Used: Swellpro Spry
Where to Buy: Wellbots
Cost: $899*
Mark Carwardine entered this photo into the Siena Drone Photo Awards in 2020. Titled “Munk’s Mobula Rays Schooling,” the photo shows off a phenomenon that many people don’t get to see often. The photo depicts a school of Devil Rays, which often congregate in tropical or coastal waters. Mark Carwardine is a British zoologist who has a show on BBC, called Last Chance to See.
Munk’s Mobula Rays Schooling ©MARK CARWARDINE/ Instagram.com
He is especially interested in marine wildlife, having written over forty books on the topic. The possible drone used for this photograph would be the Swellpro Spry, which could handle the salty, wet sea air without becoming damaged.
62. Forest Path
Possible Drone Used: DJI Mavic 2 Zoom
Where to Buy: DJI Drones
Cost: $1,149*
For a second, when you look at this photo, it almost looks as though you’re looking at an up-close picture of an underwater reef. When you take a step back, you realize that it is actually a unique aerial vision of a forest, courtesy of a drone like DJI Mavic 2 Zoom, which has the clarity and altitude capabilities to take this kind of picture.
Forest Path ©MEHMET ASLAN/ Instagram.com
Titled “Forest Path,” the photo was taken by Mehmet Aslan. The photograph zeros in on a herd of sheep traveling through the forest to get back to their home. “Forest Path” was a runner-up in the Siena Drone Awards contest.
63. Skating Shadows
Possible Drone Used: Autel Evo II
Where to Buy: Best Buy
Cost: $1,299*
“Skating Shadows” by Vincent Riemersma takes an ordinary concept (seeing your shadow) and makes it extraordinary, thanks to the use of a drone like the Autel Evo II, which would be capable of taking such a clear photo, even in icy conditions. “Skating Shadows” was inspired by the famous camel photo in National Geographic, which took the same concept and applied it to camels.
“Skating Shadows” by ©Vincent Riemersma/ Instagram.com
The Autel Evo II is an 8K drone camera with a 4.3/5-star rating on Amazon. It not only takes 8K Ultra HD Video, it also takes 48MP photographs. “Skating Shadows” was a winner in the “Sport Category” of the Drone Awards.
64. Outer Space Flamingos
Possible Drone Used: DJI Mavic 2 Pro
Where to Buy: DJI Drones
Cost: $1,449*
At the Siena Drone Photo Awards in 2020, Paul McKenzie’s “Outer Space Flamingos” was an award-winner (in addition to probably having one of the most creative titles out there). McKenzie, an Irish photographer, has taken many photographs of these beautiful birds, often lying in mud for hours just to get a good snapshot.
Outer space flamingos ©PAUL MCKENZIE/ Instagram.com
“Outer Space Flamingos” was taken at the East African Soda Lakes, a series of alkaline lakes that are home to flamingos. The reason the lake is dark and galaxy-like behind the birds is because they stamp their feet on the black, muddy lakebed, which helps stir up food from the bottom. The possible drone used to take this photo was a DJI Mavic 2 Pro, which works well, even in the hot, humid climates that surround the Soda Lakes.
65. Entrance to Hell
Possible Drone Used: PowerVision PowerEgg Explorer
Where to Buy: Best Buy
Cost: $799*
Xiaoxiao Liu took this haunting photograph, appropriately titled, “Entrance to Hell.” The photograph wouldn’t have happened without a hercule an effort. Liu walked forty miles over two days, trying to find the best position to capture the active Kilauea Volcano. Located on Big Island, Hawaii, the Volcano was in the middle of an eruption.
Entrance to Hell by ©Xiaoxiao Liu/ Instagram.com
Lava flowed into the Pacific, creating the smoky dichotomy between the sea and the lava. The possible drone used is the PowerVision PowerEgg, which is a rugged enough drone to handle an atmosphere like the one surrounding Kilauea. The camera is AI-enhanced, using 4K Ultra HD.
66. Warehouse Fire
Possible Drone Used: PowerVision PowerEgg Wizard
Where to Buy: Best Buy
Cost: $1,146*
Byron du Bois captured “Warehouse Fire,” which led him to be chosen as a runner-up in the Drone Awards in 2018. Du Bois’ “Warehouse Fire” depicted a smoke-filled fire in Transnet’s warehouse. Transnet, a South African railway company, is still under investigation with regards to the fire, but results have found that they didn’t keep up on serving the hydrants.
Warehouse Fire by ©Byron du Bois/ Instagram.com
Though the warehouse fire took place in Rossburgh, it still engulfed Durban in smoke. The hectic scene kept firefighters busy for days. Du Bois’ drone of choice is unknown, but it’s possible he used a drone like the PowerVision PowerEgg Wizard, a powerful outdoors drone that could capture the photo without Du Bois having to get close to the terrifying scene.
67. Followed by Shadows
Possible Drone Used: DJI Mini 2
Where to Buy: DJI Drones
Cost: $449*
Haiquan Xiang took this Siena-award-winning photograph in 2020. Titled “Follow by Shadows,” this photo is another example of the way that drones can capture otherwise ordinary phenomena and turn them into something magical. Xiang’s photo features three zebras, trailing much-larger shadows behind them.
Followed by shadows ©HAIQUAN XIANG/ Instagram.com
The possible drone used to capture this could have been the DJI Mini 2. Though smaller than the other DJI products, the Mini 2 is still a good drone for outdoors photography. “Followed by Shadows” was shot in the plains of Africa. They were likely crossing the plans to get to the savannah woodlands, which is their usual habitat.
68. Mother and Calf
Possible Drone Used: DJI Phantom 4 Pro
Where to Buy: DJI Drones
Cost: $1,519*
Anders Carlson took this beautiful family photo, “Mother and Calf,” on February 26, 2019. He used a Phantom 4 Pro to take the photo, which is one of DJI’s most expensive (and highest-quality) drones. Carlson’s photo featured two humpback whales traveling through the ocean on a “windy day in Kona, Hawaii.”
Mother and Calf by ©Anders Carlson/ Instagram.com
Humpback whales are among the most ubiquitous of whales, and you can find them in every ocean on the planet. They’re easy to spot, as their body shape—knobby head and long pectoral fins—are distinct from other whales. Their gestation period is 11 months, and the babies (like the one in this photo) stay with their mothers for the first full year of their lives.
69. Crater Row
Possible Drone Used: DJI Mavic Air 2
Where to Buy: DJI Drones
Cost: $799*
James Rushforth is the artist behind “Crater Row,” which he entered in the Siena Drone Photo Awards in 2020. “Crater Row” was also entered in the British Photography Awards. “Crater Row” depicts Rushforth’s “favorite row” of craters, located in “Iceland’s vast interior.”
Crater Row JAMES RUSHFORTH/Instagram
Rushforth explained on Facebook that the unique red on the rims is caused by oxidation of the lava’s iron minerals coloring the scoria. The surrounding basalt is untouched by this oxidation, so it contrasts sharply. Rushforth described the scene as “otherworldly,” especially as it is in such a “remote location.” The drone he used was possibly the DJI Mavic Air 2, one of DJI’s top products.
70. Coloured Water, Huelva, Spain
Possible Drone Used: Parrot Anafi EPV
Where to Buy: Amazon
Cost: $800*
Ignacio Medem is the photographer behind this Siena-award-winning photograph, titled, “Coloured Watermix, Huelva, Spain.” This Spanish scene looks almost like something out of a fairy tale, and it depicts the Rio Tinto (“Red River”). The Rio Tinto travels through southwestern Spain into the Andalucian Sierra Morena Mountains.
Coloured water, Huelva, Spain ©IGNACIO MEDEM/ Instagram.com
The unique coloring is caused by five thousand years or ore mining. The chemicals from this mining have led to acid mine drainage. While these chemicals have caused the beautiful Rio Tinto colors, they are an environmental disaster. Medem’s possible drone of choice could have been the Parrot Anafi EPV, which comes with reality goggles and a backpack for the most dedicated nature photographers.
71. Red Sand Garden
Possible Drone Used: DJI Phantom 4
Where to Buy: DJI Drones
Cost: $1,350-$1,450*
Photographer Peter Virag used a DJI Phantom 4 drone to capture an aerial shot of the Red Sand Garden. The shot was taken from almost 394 feet in the air, which was perfect to create an all-new look at the unique garden. The Red Sand Garden is located in Cranbourne, Australia at the Royal Botanic Gardens.
Red Sand Garden ©Peter Virag/ Instagram.com
“Red Sand Garden” shows the way the unique red sand contrasts with the gray plants. When you think of a garden, you think of green and bright colors—“Red Sand Garden” challenges that depiction. The northern hill’s plants are Acacia binervia and Spinifex sericeus, which help stabilize the hills of sand.
72. Concrete Jungle
Possible Drone Used: DJI Mavic Pro 2
Where to Buy: Amazon
Cost: $1,468*
Bachir Moukarzel, a certified commercial drone operator and photographer from Dubai, captured “Concrete Jungle.” “Concrete Jungle” is a bird’s eye view of a Dubai cityscape. Bachir’s photographs are well-known on Instagram, and they often feature high-up views of cities, portraying them in ways that the rest of us on the ground wouldn’t get to see.
Concrete Jungle @ImageLab/
The DJI Mavic Pro 2 is a possible drone used to capture this amazing photograph, as it could achieve the height necessary to rise above the skyscrapers, all while taking a clear, precise photo. The Mavic Pro 2 costs around $1,468 from vendors on Amazon, or you can purchase it from the DJI website directly.
73. Peace
Possible Drone Used: DJI Phantom 4
Where to Buy: DJI Drones
Cost: $1,350-$1,450*
User @luckydron (real name: Luis Saugar Domingo) captured “Peace,” which won several prizes at urban drone photo contests. The 24-year-old photographer, according to his Instagram hashtags, used the DJI Phantom 4 to capture the arresting scene. “Peace” was shot in Madrid.
Peace @NationalGeographic/Instagram.com
Domingo said that he was traveling through Madrid and looking for a place to test his new drone. He began flying it over the city, and he thought that the Phantom 4 captured a “really cool and symmetrical” photograph. Domingo said it was “hard to take[e] a picture like that,” But he was happy he got the once-in-a-lifetime shot.
74. Spring Maple Tree Shadow
Possible Drone Used: PowerVision PowerEgg X Explorer
Where to Buy: Amazon
Cost: $1,000*
Caleb Kenna entered “Spring Maple Tree Shadow” into the Siena Drone Awards. Kenna is yet another drone photographer that uses aerial photography to capture the interesting dichotomy between shadows and solid objects. Kenna works as a freelance photographer for publications like The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, and more.
Spring Maple Tree Shadow PHOTO: ©CALEB KENNA/ Instagram.com
Kenna took “Spring Maple Tree Shadow” in Weybridge, Vermont. He said that he has used a drone for three years to photograph the natural scenes that Vermont has to offer. Right now, “Spring Maple Tree Shadow” is at Edgewater Gallery, where it is on sale for $450-$1,000. The possible drone Kenna used was PowerVision Explorer, a favorite among nature photographers.
75. End of the Line
Possible Drone Used: DJI Spark
Where to Buy: Walmart
Cost: $595*
If you saw this photograph at just a glance, you’d think it was a man falling off the side of a blue building. However, when you look closer, you can see that it is a cleverly-positioned photograph of a man lying on a tennis court. The photograph, which was taken with a DJI Spark, took first prize in the “People Category” of the Dronestagram 2017 contest.
End of the line, by ©Martin Sanchez/ Instagram.com
Martin Sanchez was the photographer, and he shot his photo in New Jersey. The photographer said he happened upon the tennis court while driving, and he immediately pulled over, realizing that the crisp blue background would be perfect for a photo. Clearly, Dronestagram judges agreed.