Gallery of Yann Arthus-Bertrand's aerial photography.

January 12, 2002 6:46 PM

Gallery of Yann Arthus-Bertrand's aerial photography. Many parts of the earth look truly surreal at a certain distance. I never thought a mudslide could look this good.
posted by skallas (11 comments total)

That mudslide sure looks pretty. The vats in Morocco look like a poster colour box from Crayola.
posted by riffola at 6:52 PM on January 12, 2002

BEAUTIFUL ~ thanks
posted by scarabic at 7:01 PM on January 12, 2002

I think this is a strikingly beautiful picture.

I also like that he gives us this definition at the bottom of the page:

"Photography: process of producing images through the action of light on sensitised surfaces."

For some reason, that really tickles my funny bone.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 7:02 PM on January 12, 2002

If you haven't seen these images before, get yourself to a bookstore and check them out. They're amazing. There's a large coffee table version, and a smaller version now, too. Makes a great gift for anyone. I've got this one in my room--it's stunning.
posted by gramcracker at 7:05 PM on January 12, 2002

I like the way he explains how to use helicopters to find ready-made compositions, as if it were a gigantic reverse-zoom lens. Or a glass-bottom boat in the sky.

I wish all photography sites were like this. Plus, I'd never heard of him. So that's just perfect. Thanks, skallas.
posted by MiguelCardoso at 8:40 PM on January 12, 2002

The book is really worth it.

I recall an old Ray Gun heli-snowboarding article which stated: there are
two kinds of helicopters, those that have crashed and those that
will crash. I remember that everytime I fly.

I'm no Arthus-Bertrand, but i've done a bit of flying and shooting
myself:

http://www.lost.art.br/air.htm

For some really incredible air-to-air photos, check out Richard Cooke's photos:

http://www.richard-cooke.com/

His VERY expensive shots, such as the one described below, are just amazing:

"The shot of the Harrier firing its rockets brought further
problems. The whole firing procedure is over in 0.2 seconds, and haphazard
shooting with a motor drive at five frames per second, could result in you
missing the whole episode. With the burst of rockets costing around £14,000
there would be "such a lot of egg on your face" that a more reliable
method had to be found."

from:

http://www.northampton.org.uk/special/cooke/
posted by ig at 9:29 PM on January 12, 2002

Large prints of this work were displayed all last year on the fence surrounding Jardin de Luxembourg in Paris last year. An incredibly pleasant way to encounter art.
posted by Mo Nickels at 10:36 PM on January 12, 2002

Gorgeous photos, A-B's and ig's. But why is it that neither of the sites works in IE5?
posted by diddlegnome at 1:28 AM on January 13, 2002

These photos have been available on the Fuji site for quite some time, including some interesting flash presentations of the photos.
posted by Zootoon at 4:01 AM on January 13, 2002

And while we're on the topic of aerial photos, check out Kite Aerial Photography, apparently just as difficult as it sounds, and the results can just not be compared to any other type of aerial photography.
posted by Zootoon at 4:04 AM on January 13, 2002

Great photos. Thanks for the links.
posted by Flor at 9:29 AM on January 13, 2002