Here Are The 30 Best Photos From Our #Aerial2020 Contest

Some photos make you say, “Nice.” These aerial photos make you say, “Wait… is Earth allowed to look like that?” Our #Aerial2020 contest was a full-on love letter to the bird’s-eye view: fog rolling over windmills, beaches turning into living patterns, cities looking like circuit boards, and deserts pretending they’re on another planet (spoiler: they’re still on this planet, they’re just showing off).

If you’ve ever wondered why aerial photography is so addictive, it’s simple: the sky is an instant “reset button” for your brain. Familiar places become abstract art. A road becomes a brushstroke. A market becomes a mosaic. A whale becomes a punctuation mark in the ocean. And yessometimes your drone battery becomes a ticking clock in your chest. (Ask any drone photographer. We all have the same haunted look.)

What Was #Aerial2020?

#Aerial2020 was an aerial photography competition hosted through the Agora photo communityinviting photographers worldwide to share their best overhead perspectives for a shot at recognition (and a cash prize). Thousands of submissions poured in, and the winning images proved a point: “from above” isn’t just a camera angleit’s a storytelling superpower.

How We Picked the “Best” (Because the Sky Refused to Rank Itself)

“Best” is subjective, but the strongest aerial images tend to share a few traits. Here’s what stood out across the finalists:

• Graphic impact: bold shapes, patterns, or leading lines that pull your eyes into the frame.
• Scale cues: a boat, a person, a caranything that helps your brain understand size (and feel awe).
• Light with a job: fog, shadows, sunrise glowlight isn’t decoration; it’s the plot.
• A clear idea: the photo “says something” quicklybeauty, tension, humor, calm, chaos.
• Technical polish: sharp where it matters, clean color, no “oops-I-shot-through-the-prop” vibes.

The 30 Best Photos From Our #Aerial2020 Contest

Since we’re not embedding images here, think of this as a guided tour: where each photo was taken, what makes it memorable, and the takeaway you can apply to your own aerial photography (whether you shoot with a drone, from a lookout, or from seat 14A praying the plane window isn’t smudged).

1) Magic Morning in the Netherlands Zaanse Schans, Zaanstad, Netherlands

A foggy sunrise over classic windmills that feels like the world’s calmest fairy tale. The secret sauce is atmosphere: mist creates depth, sunrise adds warmth, and the geometry of the landscape keeps it from becoming “just fog.” Takeaway: weather is a co-photographer.

2) Rice Paradise Bali, Indonesia

Terraced fields stack like green topographic fingerprints, and morning light turns the whole scene into a postcard that actually earns the word “iconic.” Takeaway: when nature gives you repeating curves, go high and simplify.

3) Floating in the Air Zhangjiajie National Park, China

A misty ride above cliffs and clouds that looks borderline mythical. The shot leans into mystery: limited visibility, dramatic height cues, and a strong sense of “you had to be there.” Takeaway: don’t fear hazecompose with it.

4) Overcrowded Dameisha Beach, China

A beach so packed it becomes a patterntiny bodies forming texture like confetti. The concept is contrast: a human swarm turned into visual design. Takeaway: from above, crowds become geometry (and yes, it’s both fascinating and a little unsettling).

5) Life on Mars Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, USA

Rusty ridges and mineral colors that scream “sci-fi” without leaving Earth. It’s a masterclass in abstract landscapes: remove the horizon, emphasize texture, and let color do the talking. Takeaway: top-down landscapes = instant surrealism.

6) Desert Sunset Tatacoa Desert, Colombia

Ancient-looking rock forms carved into natural “veins” that read like a living map. The sunset light adds depth and soft shadow. Takeaway: include a scale clue (trees, a ridge line) so the viewer can gasp properly.

7) Magical Mood Mont Saint Michel, France

A tidal island that looks like it was designed by a fantasy novelist with a civil-engineering degree. Strong lines, dramatic surroundings, and that “tiny civilization vs. huge nature” feeling. Takeaway: elevation turns landmarks into stories.

8) Wind Farm Denmark

Turbines become minimalist sculpture when framed cleanly, and a small sailboat delivers perfect scale. The image is crisp, simple, and confident. Takeaway: when the subject is graphic, less clutter = more wow.

9) Racing the Tide to Safety Sandy Cape Light, Australia

Sand, sea, and a route that looks like it could vanish at any moment. The tension is built into the landscape: a road flirting with water. Takeaway: aerial photos can feel like adventure storieseven without a single face.

10) Road in Winter Allgäu, Germany

Fresh snow turns the world into negative space, and a single road becomes a clean line through a blank canvas. Takeaway: snow is nature’s “design mode”use it for bold minimalism.

11) Crazy Road Tianmen Mountain, China

A winding mountain road that looks like it was drawn by someone who drank too much espresso and then found a ruler. The curves are the subject; everything else supports them. Takeaway: let the line be the hero.

12) Fortress of the Dragon Basque Country, Spain

A tiny island connected by a narrow pathwaypart fortress, part fairytale set. It’s about placement: the subject sits perfectly in a dramatic context. Takeaway: aerial works best when composition is intentional, not accidental.

13) World’s Best Airport Singapore

Airport architecture becomes futuristic art from abovesymmetry, circles, and clean edges. It’s proof that “nature vs. city” is a false choice: cities can be gorgeous too. Takeaway: look for design patterns.

14) Bridge Topdown Vladivostok, Russia

A straight-down view that triggers instant vertigoin a good way. The bridge becomes a graphic element, like a zipper across the landscape. Takeaway: top-down shots love strong structure and negative space.

15) The Rock in the Middle of Nowhere New Mexico, USA

A lonely rock formation framed as a cinematic set piece: isolated, dramatic, and a little ominous (the “movie villain real estate” vibe is real). Takeaway: isolation plus scale equals instant drama.

16) Bangkok Market From Above Bangkok, Thailand

Market stalls become a patchwork quilt of color. The overhead angle turns everyday commerce into pattern and rhythm. Takeaway: sometimes the best aerial shot isn’t from a droneit’s from finding the right high viewpoint.

17) Lost in the City Whampoa, Hong Kong

A structure that reads like a boat surrounded by repeating apartment blocksurban surrealism at its finest. It’s a “double take” image: your brain has to re-label what it’s seeing. Takeaway: aerial photography is amazing at visual illusions.

18) Chasing Waves Perth, Australia

Ocean energy captured as shape: curling waves, shifting foam, and that hypnotic rhythm only water can pull off. Takeaway: when shooting water, look for timing plus pattern.

19) Warm Summer Evening in Budapest Budapest, Hungary

A city glowing at duskstreetlights, river reflections, and architecture arranged like a living diagram. Takeaway: blue hour is basically a cheat code for urban aerial photography.

20) The Mood in the Mountains Lago di Braies, Italy

Low clouds and moody light turn a famous lake into something quieter and more cinematic. Instead of postcard sunshine, you get atmosphere. Takeaway: bad weather is often the best weather for memorable shots.

21) Old Castle Ruins in Upper Austria Austria

A medieval ruin seen from above, where the shape of history is literally visible in stone outlines and surrounding terrain. Takeaway: aerial angles make time feel tangibleruins become maps of the past.

22) Whales Australia

A whale calf and mother surfacingsimple, emotional, and breathtaking. The ocean becomes negative space; the animals become punctuation. Takeaway: wildlife aerials work best when you prioritize distance, respect, and calm framing.

23) Globos Cappadocia, Turkey

Hot air balloons floating over textured terrain like a scene from a dream you’d like to rewatch. Repetition plus variation creates visual music. Takeaway: when the sky gives you multiples, compose for rhythm.

24) Patterns of Death Valley Mojave Desert, Death Valley, USA

Salt flats and desert textures form natural abstractslike someone spilled paint, then turned it into geology over thousands of years. Takeaway: early light helps textures pop, and overhead angles make the desert feel like modern art.

25) The Road North Iceland

A winter road slicing through white emptinessequal parts calm and “hope you packed snacks.” The photo succeeds because it’s clean and directional. Takeaway: roads are irresistible leading linesespecially when the landscape is minimal.

26) Like a Chess Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona’s grid becomes a chessboard of city blockssymmetry that feels engineered for aerial photography. Takeaway: cities with repeating blocks reward precise, centered composition.

27) One of the Most Amazing Sunsets in Barcelona Barcelona, Spain

Light creates a “path” through the city toward a landmarkproof that patience pays. This is alignment photography: place + time + angle finally shaking hands. Takeaway: the best aerial shots often come from waiting for the exact moment.

28) Sunrise on Gunung Bromo Mount Bromo, Indonesia

Volcanic landscape at dawn: smoke, sand, and scale that makes humans feel tiny (because we are). Takeaway: dramatic landforms love sunrisesoft light, long shadows, and instant atmosphere.

29) The Dreamscape Central Hong Kong

Low clouds weaving through skyscrapers like the city is wearing a fog scarf. The trick is contrast: hard geometry softened by floating haze. Takeaway: aerial city shots get unforgettable when weather breaks the pattern.

30) Collecting Salt Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA

An overhead scene where industry and landscape collidesalt harvesting turns the shoreline into pastel blocks and sharp edges. Takeaway: aerial photography is perfect for showing how humans reshape landscapesbeautiful, complicated, and impossible to ignore.

What These Photos Teach You About Aerial Photography

1) Patterns are everywhereyour job is to climb high enough to see them

The strongest drone photos often look like design posters: grids, curves, spirals, stripes, and symmetry. Beaches, markets, city blocks, wind farms, salt pondsonce you start hunting patterns, you’ll see them in places you used to ignore.

2) Light matters more from above (because it’s doing half the composition)

Fog, long shadows, and golden-hour glow aren’t just “pretty.” They create separation between objects, add depth, and simplify busy scenes. Morning and evening light often gives aerial images that clean, dimensional look that midday sun loves to sabotage.

3) Sharpness and stability are the unsexy heroes

Aerial shooting adds motionwind, vibration, and tiny camera sensors doing their best. Shoot in RAW when you can, keep ISO low when possible, and use a shutter speed fast enough to avoid blur. For video, neutral-density (ND) filters help control shutter speed for smoother motion, especially in bright sun.

4) Scale is the difference between “nice texture” and “OH WOW”

A sailboat near turbines. A car on a snowy road. People turned into dots on a beach. Without scale, your viewer might not realize whether they’re looking at a mountain ridge or a weird pancake. (And while weird pancakes deserve respect, they’re not the goal here.)

Safety, Ethics, and U.S. Rules (Because the Best Photo Is the One That Doesn’t Become a Court Date)

If you’re creating aerial images in the United States, you need to think beyond composition. Airspace rules, land-management rules, and basic ethics can change what’s possibleand what’s smart.

• Airspace basics: The FAA sets operational rules, including altitude limits and requirements like maintaining visual line of sight.
• Controlled airspace: In many areas near airports, you may need authorization (often through LAANC) before flying.
• Remote ID: Many drones operating in the U.S. must broadcast Remote ID information, depending on the aircraft and operation.
• National parks & protected lands: Even if airspace allows flight, specific lands can prohibit launch/land/operation. Always check local rules.
• Wildlife & privacy: Give animals space, avoid stressing wildlife, and don’t treat people like props without consent.

In short: do the cool thing, but do it responsibly. Aerial photography is about perspectiveso zoom out far enough to include the consequences, too.

Extra: of Aerial-Photo “Experience” You’ll Recognize Instantly

Here’s the part nobody tells you when you fall in love with aerial photography: the best shots rarely happen when it’s convenient. They happen when your alarm goes off at a time normally reserved for bakers, fishermen, and people who claim they “love mornings” (suspicious). You’ll roll out of bed thinking, “This had better be worth it,” and then you’ll arrive on location and realize the universe has opinions.

Sometimes the universe is kind. Fog hugs the ground exactly where you hoped it would, and suddenly a windmill scene turns into a dreamy painting. Other times the universe is chaotic. The wind kicks up, the light goes flat, and your drone is hovering like, “So… we’re doing this, huh?” That’s when the real aerial-photo mindset kicks in: you stop chasing a single perfect frame and start looking for what the day is actually offering. No fog? Greathunt shadows. No sunrise color? Finego top-down and turn your subject into graphic design. Too crowded? You might have just found a pattern photo waiting to happen.

There’s also the battery clockan emotional thriller in three acts. Act one: confidence. Act two: math. Act three: bargaining. (“If I get this angle, I promise I’ll never complain about ND filters again.”) The photographers who consistently nail contest-worthy aerial photos treat flight time like a budget: they scout first, they plan an order of shots, and they don’t waste precious minutes “just vibing” at 200 feet unless the vibe is actively paying rent.

And let’s talk composition from above, because it’s a different sport. On the ground, you can move a foot left and change everything. From above, you might need to move 30 feet, rotate 12 degrees, and drop 15 feet in altitude just to align a road with a landmark or make a grid look perfectly centered. The smallest adjustments matter more than you expectespecially in city shots, where symmetry is unforgiving and “almost aligned” reads as “oops.” When you see aerial photos like Barcelona’s chessboard blocks or a bridge shot that induces vertigo, what you’re really seeing is micro-positioning: the photographer tuning the frame until it clicks.

Finally, the edit. RAW files are honestsometimes brutally so. Your sky might look bland. Your water might look gray. Your desert might look like oatmeal. Editing isn’t about making things fake; it’s about restoring what your eyes felt: contrast to reveal texture, careful color to separate elements, and subtle dodging and burning to guide attention. The best #Aerial2020-style images don’t scream “I edited this!” They whisper, “I made it easier for you to see what I saw.”

If you take one practical lesson from all this, let it be this: aerial photography rewards preparation more than luckbut luck shows up more often when you’re prepared. Check conditions, plan your angles, respect the rules, and give yourself permission to adapt. The sky is generous, but it doesn’t do custom orders.

Conclusion

The best photos from #Aerial2020 prove that “from above” is more than a gimmickit’s a language. Sometimes it speaks in patterns, sometimes in mood, sometimes in pure, jaw-dropping scale. Whether you’re shooting with a drone, from a rooftop, or from a plane window that miraculously isn’t scratched, the goal is the same: tell a story your audience can’t see from the ground.