China News Agency, Beijing, January 10th: Aerial photography of nearly fifty countries, how to "fly over the end of the world"?
——Interview with world traveler, aviation/aerial photographer Super Flanker
Author Xu Xueying
From the Budir Black Church under the aurora, to the medieval castles along the Mediterranean Sea, from the "King of Rivers" Amazon River, to the "world's dryest" Atacama Desert... In five years, he flew over nearly fifty countries and regions, recording the pulse of life at the "end of the world".
How is the world different when the "God's Perspective" is turned on?
Across the equator and the poles, why does aerial photography continue?
China News Agency "Dongxiwen" recently interviewed a global traveler and aviation/aerial photographer Super Flanker to find out how to "fly over the end of the world".
The interview transcript is summarized as follows:
China News Agency reporter: In five years, you have taken aerial photos of nearly 50 countries and regions, covering North America, South America, Europe, Oceania, Asia, and Africa. Why Choose Drone Shooting?
Super Flanker:
I chose aerial photography not only because I like it, but also because aerial photography can present a perspective different from that of a plane, from two-dimensional viewing on the ground to three-dimensional viewing in the air.
The title of my book "Flying Over the End of the World" refers to extending to the end beyond human reach and climbing to heights beyond human reach.
The drone is an extension of the photographer's eyes, and many cliffs that cannot be climbed or reached have also become the landing point of the lens, and you can choose any angle you want.
I hope to attract people to explore the world without spoiling too much, so that someday people can actually walk around it.
Icelandic black sand beaches.
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Moreover, many people actually don't know what the city they live in overlooks.
Aerial photography has changed the perspective in the traditional sense and can provide everyone with a new perspective to see their hometown.
After I photographed whales in Greenland, I uploaded the video to my mobile phone and showed it to the Danish captain.
After the overhead shot, the whale is very big and can be seen very clearly.
The captain was very excited. He said that he had hunted whales all his life, and he had never seen whales from "God's perspective" like this.
A mother whale swims by with her calf.
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When we were in the north of Scotland, we stayed at a private castle - Turin Castle (Turin Castle).
In the evening, I was having dinner while flying the drone remotely.
The hostess of the castle, Yvonne (Yvonne), saw the drone screen and asked what is so beautiful. I said this is your castle, and the hostess was very surprised.
At that time, the sunset just appeared, she asked me to hover the drone over the castle, and she and the butler rushed to each room to turn on all the lights.
Until now, the official website of Yvonne's Turin Castle still has the photo I took from the aerial.
The hostess of Turin Castle turned on all the lights in the castle.
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Reporter from China News Agency: Looking down at the scenes and cities from the perspective of drones, what special feelings do you bring?
Super Flanker:
Drones provide a very macro perspective to observe the world.
When I was in Tibet, I passed a very beautiful snow mountain.
I lifted the drone up and flew over it, and what I saw was astounding.
The glaciers on the mountain are similar to those in Iceland. The glaciers in Iceland are full of ravines and cracks; here they are circles and circles, very similar to the contour lines in a geography book.
In these annual rings of the earth, human beings seem so small, and a circle of them may be thousands of years.
Eye of the Glacier.
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With the help of drones, you can also glimpse the development of the city.
Looking at some parts of Europe from the air, you can see the differences in the development of old and new cities, and the differences in style between old and new buildings.
For example, overlooking Porto, the second largest city in Portugal, it is obvious that the Douro River divides the old city of Porto and the new city of Gaia into two.
The ancient city of Dubrovnik, composed of red-roofed houses, is surrounded by the sapphire blue Adriatic Sea. You can intuitively feel the origin of the name "Pearl of the Adriatic Sea".
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Reporter from China News Agency: There are some places where you will go to shoot many times. Is there any place that has changed a lot and left a deep impression on you?
Super Flanker:
That's Iceland.
I have been to Iceland three times, and Iceland's glaciers are gradually disappearing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Since the 20th century, the average temperature in Iceland has risen year by year, and the ice tongue has melted and receded, making it difficult to freeze even in winter.
From aerial photography, the changes are very obvious.
The ice floes gradually drifted into the sea with the current, and entered the vast Atlantic Ocean.
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There are also landscapes that disappear due to natural causes.
Malta's scenic spot Blue Window, one of the filming locations of "Game of Thrones", the blue window was still there when HBO was filming the TV series, and the blue window had collapsed when I went.
In 2017, the strong wind blew it away, and the famous natural attractions disappeared.
"The Loneliest House in the World" on the Drina River in Serbia.
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In the future, I want to take pictures of domestic and foreign landscapes as much as possible.
Many foreign landscapes can find very similarities in China, and China is not inferior to foreign countries.
The Seven-color Mountain I photographed in Chile before, some netizens told me it looks like Zhangye.
Lake Pukaki, the "milk lake" in New Zealand, and Yamdrok Yongcuo in Tibet (meaning "jasper lake" in Tibetan) are more like milk than it, and have a unique beauty of the sky.
A small island on Yamdrok Yongcuo looks like the "heart of the earth" from the sky.
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I wanted to take pictures of the desert before, but the UAE, the Sahara, and Morocco are not allowed to use drones. Later, I took pictures at the southern end of the old city of Shanshan in Turpan, Xinjiang.
Kumtag Desert, known as the desert closest to the city in the world, can be reached in 5 minutes by car from Shanshan County.
The Kumtag Desert is characterized by complete types of aeolian landforms, clear outlines and distinct layers of sand dunes.
super flanker
China News Agency reporter: You mentioned in the book "Flying Over the End of the World" that the most difficult aerial photography was to photograph whales in Greenland. What difficulties and challenges will aerial photography encounter in different geographical and climate environments?
Super Flanker:
The difficulty in photographing things in nature lies in the unpredictability.
Especially when shooting animals, in addition to crossing thousands of mountains and rivers to reach their active areas, you must not disturb their normal activities in order to capture the most primitive appearance of life in the natural state.
The whole natural conditions, including the habitual conditions of animals, the photographer can only rely on squatting in unpredictable situations. This is the hardest and most challenging.
As long as you can reach the venue and adapt to the environment, the other problems are not too big.
It is the luckiest thing to appreciate the aurora under the Budir Black Church. Chasing the aurora requires not only the right time but also the right location. A perfect prospect is the basis for shooting aurora works.
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When we went to Greenland to shoot whales, we brought 3 drones and 9 batteries to capture some rare pictures.
The interval between each time a whale comes to the surface to breathe is about 20 minutes, and the power of the drone is only about 20 minutes.
Seeing the whale exhale, it is too late to raise the drone, so we can only raise the drone first, rely on the water column ejected by the whale exhale, judge the approximate position, and immediately control the drone to chase.
A battery can only be photographed once at most, completely relying on luck.
After the whale comes out of the water to breathe, it dives into the bottom of the sea and lifts its tail fin high.
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Pre-selection and impromptu shooting may be a 4:6 ratio, but there are more accidental elements.
If you inform the tour guide in advance, the tour guide will remind you of the scenic spots suitable for drone shooting, and help coordinate the location of the drone.
But in most cases, you don't know what kind of picture you will get.
In addition, considering the limited battery power, it is necessary to plan ahead and make trade-offs.
St. John's Church is the largest stone church in Finland.
super flanker
Those who play drones say that those who have not "fried up a plane" are not considered good photographers.
I "blow up" five or six drones, and I have also encountered collisions with mountains.
China News Agency reporter: As an aviation graduate, why did you switch from an aviation engineer to an aviation media?
Super Flanker:
When I was doing maintenance, I preferred to use a camera to take pictures of aircraft.
Later, by chance, I went to Sina to become China's first aviation channel.
After doing this for a few years, I found that the professional gap in the aviation field is very obvious.
Laymen may not understand or even misunderstand the aviation industry, but people in the aviation industry are sometimes too in-depth and professional, and it is difficult to explain some concepts to the public in a concise way.
I am engaged in aviation media, including self-media now, presenting content in the aviation field in the form of text, pictures, and videos. I mainly want to popularize these seemingly profound things through simple language based on my understanding of the aviation industry. Let the public understand and understand this knowledge, and even let their children engage in the aviation industry in the future.
Overlooking the night view of Guangzhou from the cockpit of Airbus A380, the world's largest passenger plane, the Guangzhou Tower is clearly visible in the distance.
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Reporter from China News Agency: You once controlled 5 devices by yourself, and recorded 6 domestic C919 large aircraft "elephant walk" and other wonderful moments. How is aerial/aerospace photography, especially air-to-air photography, different from other types of photography?
Super flanker:
The biggest difference between aerial/aerospace photography and ordinary photography is that there are many factors that restrict you from getting close to the object being photographed, and even you cannot shoot in public and special places.
For aerial/aerospace photography, the most important thing is resources.
It takes 80% of the energy to put the camera where to shoot.
The famous war photojournalist Robert Capa said, "If your pictures aren't good enough, it's because you weren't close enough."
Air-to-air photography is a very unique subject of aerial photography.
To take pictures of a plane flying in the sky, you need to be very close. At this time, you need to rent a plane, open the hatch, and let the plane to be photographed approach.
This requires coordination of more resources.
Aviation/aerospace photographers must be officially licensed, which requires strong and deep accumulation. Everyone knows that your experience and skills are in place.
We have professional equipment that can remotely control the camera and shoot while ensuring safety. In this way, the official allows us to place the camera 500 meters or one kilometer away from the rocket to take close-up shots of the rocket.
When filming the C919 "Elephant Walk" last year, I manipulated 5 drones to take pictures of the aircraft, which was not allowed in many airports.
The airport is a no-fly zone, which is the most prerequisite condition.
At the same time, your drone cannot be close to the runway. After the plane slides over, if the drone falls, it will affect the flight.
C919 aircraft "Elephant Walk".
super flanker
When the 6 planes taxied over, I only had a 1-minute window, and I would never have this opportunity if I missed this 1-minute.
At this time, you must have a very detailed understanding of your own technique, the sensitivity of your hands, and the pictures you have conceived in your mind in advance. Once you go up, you can get it done.
The 7x optical zoom is equivalent to a 162mm telephoto lens across 6 strolling C919s, which is the picture I have always wanted most. The whole process is manually controlled and there is only one chance, and it finally fulfills its mission.
(Finish)
Respondent profile:
Super Flanker (real name Chen Cheng), senior media person, global traveler, aviation/aerial photographer, "Robo Report" aviation expert, external tutor of Civil Aviation University of China, independent aviation writer, aviation industry opinion leader, Weibo 2020 Top Ten Influential Aviation Big V.
He has traveled all over North America, South America, Europe, Oceania, Asia, and Africa, and the northernmost point goes deep into the Arctic Circle, Greenland, and Iceland. He has taken a lot of pictures and videos. He is the author of the photography album "Aviation Feast". More than 2000 kilometers.