A small team of Russian photographers have been quietly creating some of the most detailed panoramas of the world’s most beautiful locations.
AirPano, made up of nine photographers and three tech specialists who have wide-ranging backgrounds (civil engineering and medical cybernetics, among others), are currently traveling around the world, shooting major cities and natural marvels.
The amateur photographers mainly shoot from helicopters, using a specialized rig that holds 3-4 cameras, arranged circularly. They also sometimes shoot from rooftops or use light jets, dirigibles, hot air balloons and radio-controlled helicopters.
The team began looking into this style of photography in 2006 after initially working with spherical panoramas on land, before deciding to take to the skies.
All of the Russian photographers are amateurs and run AirPano for fun. For this one, they traveled to Churun-meru (Dragon) fall in Venezuela.
AirPano
It could confuse at first, but this is actually the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, photographed entirely from above.
AirPano
This perfectly ordered city is Barcelona in Spain – captured in the middle is the famous Sagrada Familia church.
AirPano
Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
AirPano
Iguazu Falls, on the border of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, is considered one of the Seven New Wonders of the World.
AirPano
Flecks of white in the blue ocean, frozen Iceland as you have never seen it before.
AirPano
Dominican Republic
AirPano
The AirPano photographers typically travel to each destination for a week and take several “photo-flights” to get the shots they need. This is Halong Bay, Vietnam.
AirPano
Downtown Manhattan, New York
AirPano
This is the shot of Central Park that won first prize at the Epson International Photographic Pano Awards. It became a mini-sensation when it was first published.
AirPano
A shot of New York at sunset, with views for miles stretching out in the background.
AirPano
Concrete jungle lit up! A magical panoramic shot of Manhattan City Line at night, with the Empire State Building gleaming to the left and the Chrysler building towards the centre.
AirPano
This is Rio de Janiero, Brazil. Many of the members of AirPano have abandoned their jobs to travel and photograph the world full-time.
AirPano
Dubai never ceases to impress, but this aerial shot of the skyline shows the city in an incredible new light.
AirPano
The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 1,615 miles.
AirPano
For this panorama of Mount Everest, photographer Ivan Roslyakov traveled to a record height above Everest at 23,294 feet.
AirPano
Looking like something out of a fairy tale is Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany, captured in the midst of the rolling mountains.
AirPano
These are the Pyramids in Egypt. Sergey Semonov says the goal of AirPano is to show “our planet in a manner that nobody has ever seen them before.”
AirPano
The Singapore Flyer is the largest Ferris Wheel in the world. It reaches 42 stories high.
AirPano
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and most populous city of Malaysia.
AirPano
Is there a pot of gold? A rainbow perfectly captured at the Victoria Falls in Zambia:
AirPano
This is Plosky Tolbachik Volcano in Kamchatka. It began erupting in late November 2012.
AirPano
Santorini, Greece
AirPano
AirPano photographers Dmitry Moiseenko and Stanislav Sedov were the first people to photograph India’s Taj Mahal from above in 15 years.
AirPano