photography

More Amazing Aerial Photos

And while we’re on the subject of awesome aerial photos, check out the Daily Overview.

The project, founded by NYC-based Benjamin Grant, was inspired by the Overview Effect:

This term refers to the sensation astronauts have when given the opportunity to look down and view the Earth as a whole. They have the chance to appreciate our home in its entirety, to reflect on its beauty and its fragility all at once.

Grant strives to give viewers that same feeling by showcasing thought-provoking aerials of places around the world where people have affected the landscape.

The images are beautiful and often astounding—and they really do make you think. A few of my favorite recent images include the Istanbul Shipyard…

…Kuala Lumpur’s palm tree plantations…

…California’s Roseville Yard…

…and Lollapalooza in Chicago.

Check out the Daily Overview’s site or follow them on Instagram for even more images.

(Images via the Daily Overview)

Stunning National Park Photos

I stumbled across this Tumblr the other day, and I’m admittedly a bit obsessedВ with it. Run by the U.S. Department of the Interior, “America’s Great Outdoors” is just what it claims to be—gorgeous photos (and.gif"http://www.nps.gov/hale/index.htm">Haleakala National Park…

…Yosemite‘s El Capitan…

…Joshua Tree National ParkВ (I’ve been wanting to do a Palm Springs/Joshua Tree trip for a few years now)…

В …Alaska’sВ Glacier Bay National Park…

…and the Grand Canyon—love how it looks when filled with clouds! (When I was there, it was breathtaking, but boy, I would have liked to have seen that!)

Conjures up some stateside wanderlust, huh?

(Images via America’s Great Outdoors)

The Water Tank Project

Water tanks are such an integral part of the New York cityscape. If you look around most neighborhoods, you’ll see the structures perched atop many buildings.

This summer, the city’s tanks will be dressed up a bit.В The Water Tank Project is wrapping the vessels in artwork from both renowned artists—like Maya Lin and Jeff Koons—and NYC public school children. Besides being a public art installation, it’s also a campaign toВ bring awareness to theВ global water shortage, via social media messaging and on-the-ground events.

I love the idea of using the city’s iconic water tanks as canvases, especially when it’s attached to a good cause.

The first water tower, by Laurie Simmons, has already gone up in Chelsea. I haven’t seen it yet, but I’m hoping to, soon!

Previous water tank love, here and here.

(Image via the Water Tank Project)

NYC Summer, from Above

While we’re on the topic of feel-good summer photos, here are a few others I came across, recently:В George Steinmetz’s aerial photos of NYC.

He perfectly captures the lighting that isВ summer in the city—it’s that brilliant, goldenВ haze that envelops the boroughs, then disappears all too quickly.

A few of my favorite shots:

Other amazing aerials, from previous posts: beachesВ and airports.

(Images by George Steinmetz; found via NPR )

Waterslide Fun

Over the weekend, I came across a photo series that embodies much of what I love about summer: Krista Long’s photos of people being shot out of a water slide. The looks of surprise and excitement on everyone’s face are priceless!

Appropriately, the series is titled, I Love Summer . See all the images and check out her awesome diving board series, as well.

(Images by Krista Long; found via Laughing Squid)

Awesome Aerial Views of Airports

I don’t particularly enjoy the in-flight experience, but I do have an affinity for airplanes. They are, after all, the vessels that can take us anywhere in the world.

I have a pretty bad case of wanderlust, at the moment, so I’m particularly loving Holding Pattern , a wonderful Tumblr that showcases awesome aerial views of airports. It’s a side project from Lauren O’Neill, a Brooklyn-based designer and art director.

As she describes it:

During layovers, I often find myself observing the activity on the runway and thinking that IвЂ™d love to see this from above. With a creative block on a project, I took to google mapping airports and was enamored by the beautiful satellite shots on my screen. Since then, wanderlust has often inspired me to get lost in the satellite imagery of various destinations even when IвЂ™m glued to my desk.

O’Neill seeks out and crops all theВ Holding Pattern В images—and they’re stunning to behold:

RVV, French Polynesia, via Holding Pattern

RVV

CPH

MAD

BOS

ATL

(Images viaВ Holding Pattern ; found via Chris Guillebeau)

Clark Little’s Incredible Wave Photography

It hasn’t felt quite like summer, over the past few weeks. The weather has been cool, cloudy and rainy–more like early spring or fall. I’m hoping that the last few weeks of summer will heat up, so I can cram in as much beach time as possible.

But even if it stays this way, I can beach vicariously through Clark Little‘s amazing wave photos.

Little is a surfer-turned-photog who lives and mainly shoots on Oahu’s North Shore. He captures shorebreaks by jumping right in and getting under the waves. (I think it takes a surfer to have that much fearlessness and confidence in the ocean!) His resulting shots are pretty incredible:

Little has a new book out, the aptly title Shorebreak . It’s one that I’d love to have around my apartment year-round—especially during the chilly winter months when I’m dreaming of the beach!

(Images by Clark Little; I first learned of Little through my friend Tania, and of his new book via NPR)

NYC Expeditionist

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