Drone photography is becoming more and more popular with budding photographers around the world taking to the sky with their cameras, producing the more incredible images. To celebrate this fact, Dronestagram hold an annual International Drone Photography Contest, where people can submit their very best drone photos. 2016 saw a huge amount of photos submitted but the results are in, with the following nine photos taking 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in the categories of ‘Travel’, ‘Adventure – Sports’ and ‘Nature – Wildlife’.
Karolis Janulis – Beach, Gran Canaria
3rd Place in the ‘Travel’ category went to this bird’s-eye-view shot of a beach in playa de Amadores, Gran Canaria. Karolis Janulis captured the winning image, which shows hundreds of sun loungers and umbrellas lining the beach. The top-down view really helps to emphasise the synchronicity of the rows and the sheer number of sun loungers.
High Angle Shot – Chugach Mountain Range, Alaska
3rd Place in the ‘Adventure – Sport’ category went to High Angle Shot who captured this incredible image of his friend, Jason Bilek, snowboarding down the Chugach Mountain Range in Alaska. The image shows Bilek cutting through the untouched snow as the sun splits the cliff face in two.
Jonathan Payet – Volcano, Reunion Islands, Indian Ocean
3rd Place in the ‘Nature – Wildlife’ category went to this impressive shot of an erupting volcano on the Reunion Islands in the Indian Ocean. It is believed that this is the first ever aerial shot of this volcano and Jonathan Payet managed to capture the precise moment the molten lava came spewing out (look at the smaller volcano on the right).
Todd Kennedy – Cable Beach, Western Australia
2nd Place in the ‘Travel’ category went to this simply stunning image of a caravan of camels walking along a beach at sunset. The image was taken by Todd Kennedy at Cable Beach in Western Australia and captures the serene scene perfectly, with the camels walking across a deserted beach with the water lapping at their feet.
losmanesdeldrone – Swimming Pool, Colombia
2nd Place in the ‘Sports – Adventure’ category went to this busy photo of a public swimming pool in Calcuta, Colombia. The image was captured by losmanesdeldrone and emphasises the dedication of a group of young swimmers who got up early on a cold morning in order to train for an upcoming competition.
thedon – Swarm of sheep, Romania
2nd Place in the ‘Nature – Wildlife’ category went to this rather impressive swarm of sheep. The aerial photo was taken in the beautiful countryside of Romania and shows a lone shepherd herding his sheep down a lush hillside.
Maxsiegal – Rock Climbing, Moab, Utah, USA
The winner of the ‘Sport – Adventure’ category was this incredible image of a rock climber clinging on to a cliff face in Moab, Utah. The shot was captured by Maxsiegal and the height and angle of the photo really helps to emphasise why it’s always best not to look down when you’re in the middle of a big climb!
fcattuto – Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, Umbria, Italy
The winner of the ‘Travel’ category was this beautiful shot of the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi in Umbria, Italy. The breathtaking image was captured by fcattuto and shows the stunning church and surrounding town bathing in the early morning sunshine, while being surrounded by a sea of mist.
Mbernholdt – Kalbyris forest, Denmark
The winner of the ‘Nature-Wildlife’ category was this beautiful and contrasting image captured by Mbernholdt in Denmark. The wintery shot of Kalbyris Forest manages to perfectly capture the stark and cold image of the snow and bare trees set against the lush green of the evergreen fir trees.
Kdilliard – La Jolla Cove, San Diego, USA
Unfortunately not every photo could be a winner. This incredible image by Kdilliard caught the moment 200 swimmers (and 4 canoes) entered the ocean for the La Jolla Rough Water 3 Mile Race in La Jolla Cove, San Diego. The image perfectly captures the contrast between the calmness of the sea and the hustle and bustle of the 200 strong swimming race.
