“Pink-Footed Geese Meeting the Winter” by Terje Kolaas. All images courtesy of the 2021 Drone Photography Awards, shared with permission
Following last year’s competition eclipsed by this serendipitous shot of a shark swimming in a heart-shaped school of fish, the 2021 Drone Photography Awards brings together a slew of aerial images framing the myriad patterns, textures, and colors found around the world. Norwegian photographer Terje Kolaas captured the winning composition, which joins a flock of thousands of pink-footed geese as they make their way to Svalbard. The shot is particularly interesting because the winged creatures are early on their journey to the snow-covered arctic region, a premature arrival that’s likely sparked by the changing climate.
Hosted by the Siena Awards Festival, the 2021 competition garnered hundreds of thousands of submissions from photographers working across 102 countries, an immense and diverse collection that was culled down to a few dozen winners. An exhibition titled Above Us Only Sky will showcase the finalists from October 23 to December 5 as part of the annual event.
“Duoyishu Terraces” by Ran Tian
“Volcano Show” by Oleg Rest
“Sheep in Congress” by Yoel Robert Assiag
“Poisoned River” by Gheorghe Popa
“Bank Of Buriganga” by Md Tanveer Hassan Rohan
“Melting Ice Cap” by Florian Ledoux
“Hippopotamus Group From Above” by Talib Almarri