Aeriel art
- INTERVIEW SASCHA BORRÉE
The @dronegirls_ Instragram feed provides a platform for women photo artists’s drone pictures. Here, they tell us about their most beautiful and most exciting subjects
Ponsonby, New Zealand
“Patterns fascinate me. This one is at Tole Street Park, where a kids’ bike path has been painted onto an old basketball court.” Petra Leary
Moreeb Dune, Abu Dhabi
“At first, my plan was to film sandboarders, but then I noticed the shadows, the massive differences in their size. Wow, amazing!”
Huda Bin Redha
Sigiriya, Sri Lanka
“We spent the night at this little cabin near Sigiriya Rock in Sri Lanka. It was wonderful having the jungle right outside the door.” Frida Berg
Capri, Italy
“I was taken by the pretty blue-and-white umbrellas at the Fontelina Beach Club and the beauty and drama of the crashing waves.” Rajveer Johal
Ginkelse heide, Netherlands
“Every summer, my country becomes a purple sea of heather, but from the ground, you never get to see just how brilliant the color is.” Lonneke Tubbing
“Women go for vibrant colors”
An interview with Australian photographer Serena Coady, 24
On your Instagram feed, @dronegirls_, you only post photographs taken by women. No matter how spectacular, men’s work is not welcome. Why not?
There’s lots of space online for men to showcase their photographs. Drone photography is considered geeky. You have to be interested in tech and remote-control drones, something people generally associate with men. Many women photographers use drones, it’s just that they tend to get overlooked. What I’m doing here is giving us our own platform.
When did you start out?
I got into drone photography about a year ago and started posting images on Instagram. When my followers asked me if I had taken the pictures myself, I thought it was an odd question at first, but then realized it’s one that guys are never asked. So I decided to create a window exclusively for female photographers. Now there are quite a few such feeds and websites; it’s turned into a real movement.
Every day, you view photos from women around the world. Is there a distinctive style to women’s drone photography?
Men’s photos are often cooler and more clearly structured. Women go for vibrant colors, more chaos and more complex compositions. But we’re not talking about two worlds here, just slight differences.
What draws you to drone photography?
I really like movement, capturing roads and bodies of water. Also patterns and structures like mazes and hedges. Landscapes that look fairly ordinary from the ground reveal a spectacular beauty from the air. So I like to research on Google Earth, but only take the drone out once I’ve located a worthwhile subject. And I can get excited about the tech side. As they get smaller and smaller while featuring the same or an even greater range than previous models, drones offer new possibilities. The technology is making huge advances.
What’s up next for you and the drone girls?
At first, only ten women used the Instagram feed, now there are more than 50 of us. That’s just the beginning. I want to start a dronegirls’ website and maybe an agency. We need to get to know each other better and network more.
Belmore Falls, Australia
“This waterfall is one of my favorite spots. With the drone, I could see if there were any more waterfalls or rivers to swim in nearby.”
Serena Coady
© Tulpeiland, Netherlands
“There’s a sandbank close to the village of Zeewolde that looks like a tulip from the air – I just had to snap it.”
Lonneke Tubbing
High-flying performers
The University of Oslo’s Megakopter can carry 61 kilos.
The Olympic rings in Pyeongchang: formed by 1218 drones.
The Drone Racing League’s RacerX model flies 263 km/h.