Goats and Soda : NPR

A solitary horseman stands atop a rocky outcropping in Cappadocia, Turkey.

Dennis Schmelz

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Dennis Schmelz

A solitary horseman, illuminated by a beam of sunshine, stands on the snow, surrounded by eerie and jagged mountain peaks. It’s an otherworldly picture and it raises the query: How did a photographer handle to make such a charming image?

The reply: Drones!

That specific photograph, titled “The Lone Horseman,” by Dennis Schmelz, a filmmaker based mostly in Germany took high honors on this yr’s Sienna awards, a world competitors that celebrates the artwork of aerial pictures captured by drones.

The picture was made in Cappadocia, Turkey — a mecca for photographers due to its rockscape with “fairy chimneys.” Schmelz needed to seize a distinct perspective — as a substitute of the vacationers and hot-air balloons of summer time, he needed a winter scene when snow covers the rocks.

“Silence fills the air and the whole region feels timeless and untouched,” he says.

He despatched up his drone to {photograph} a horseman at sundown. “I noticed a narrow plateau between two large rocks that formed a perfect natural stage. I asked the rider to move right into the center of the frame,” he says.

The last picture is a vertical panorama fabricated from two drone images. Because of the angle, it seems as if the rider is standing on a floating island — however there is a hidden path on the left aspect that leads up there.

“That’s what fascinates me about drone photography — it allows us to discover new perspectives and reveal patterns that are invisible from the ground,” says Schmelz.

That’s to not say drones work miracles. “The shooting angle must be carefully calibrated,” says Susanna Scafuri, a journalist and photograph editor based mostly in Italy and a member of the jury.

But the outcome may be spectacular, she says.

And it isn’t simply concerning the expertise, stresses Cornelia Marchis, a German photographer and photograph editor based mostly in Milan and one other decide this yr. She’s drawn to images that supply “new ways of seeing familiar places” and “convey strong information or tell a compelling story.”

Here’s a number of award-winning and extremely counseled drone pictures from the Global South international locations that Goats & Soda covers with one geographic exception — a picture from Italy that is so pleasant that we could not resist together with it.

Dhaka City, an city panorama

This is a panoramic {photograph} of the Buriganga River, which runs by means of Dhaka. The polluted waters of this busy river are seen, together with the chaotic and overcrowded building on every financial institution. An spectacular metropolis that by no means rests, full of deafening noise.

Fran Arnau

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Fran Arnau

A photographer and artistic director based mostly in Barcelona, Fran Arnau made the {photograph} “Dhaka, Urban Panorama” within the capital of Bangladesh in early morning gentle. The Buriganga River divides the body in two — on one aspect, a dense internet of buildings and concrete life; on the opposite, the shipyards the place boats are repaired, relaxation or put together to sail once more.

“From the air, this composition reveals a delicate balance between chaos and order,” says Arnau. “The vessels line up like geometric shapes on dark water, while the buildings form an earthy, colorful mosaic.”

Arnau merged 12 drone photographs right into a single panorama. This stitching method “allowed me to embrace the full breadth of Dhaka’s landscape both its dense vertical growth and its dynamic connection to the river.”

Traditional Boli Khela

A drone’s eye view of Boli Khela — a century-old wrestling match held yearly in Chittagong, Bangladesh.

Mohammad Shahriar Foisal

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Mohammad Shahriar Foisal

The picture was taken by businessman Mohammad Shahriar Foisal on April 25, 2024, throughout Abdul Jabbar’s Boli Khela — a century-old wrestling match held yearly in Chittagong, Bangladesh. Founded in 1909 by revered native businessman Jabbar, the occasion was born at a time of rising resistance to British colonial rule as a strategy to promote unity, bodily energy and cultural identification.

Today, Boli Khela attracts hundreds from throughout the nation and overseas. The matches are intense, with highly effective throws and strategic grapples, and the group’s power provides to the electrical environment.

“I stood near the ring searching for the best spot to launch my drone,” says Foisal. “This event has always been close to my heart. I wanted to capture not only the action in the ring but also the spirit of the crowd and the tradition behind it,” he says. “This photo is my tribute to the cultural richness and enduring energy of Boli Khela.”

The seaweed street of Fujian

In Shajiang village, in China’s Xiapu county, bamboo poles used for drying seaweed, span the mudflats. Fishing boats navigate by means of the poles.

Sarah Wouters

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Sarah Wouters

Last May, Sarah Wouters, a Dutch journey photographer residing in Bangkok, went to the coastal city Xiafu within the Fujian area of China, which is known for seaweed farming.

“Seaweed is cultivated on long bamboo poles and the farmers use interconnected bamboo stakes that form a flowing S-shape, which we can only see from a high vantage point,” says Wouters. She flew a drone above the village and began taking footage, hoping to seize that lovely symmetry. quarter-hour later, it began to rain. “I was really lucky to get this winning photo,” she says.

Swallowed — a ship stranded in a dried-out lake.

The Artemia pleasure boat is marooned within the dried mattress of Lake Urmia, Iran.

Mohammad Ataei Mohammadi

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Mohammad Ataei Mohammadi

Iranian photographer Mohammad Ataei Mohammadi drove 870 miles from his house in Gonbad Kavus, within the Golestan Province of Iran, to doc the extreme drought at Lake Urmia. Mohammadi makes use of drones to seize each lovely and alarming environmental scenes.

Lake Urmia’s drought isn’t solely a pure phenomenon, he says. “It is the result of a combination of human and climatic factors: mismanagement of water resources, excessive water extraction for agriculture and industry, numerous dams blocking the lake’s natural inflow and climate change — including rising temperatures, high evaporation and reduced rainfall.”

The energy of this photograph lies in its symbolic layers. “The white salt streaks encircling the ship look like arms pulling it downward, reminding us that if we are not kind to nature, its inner monster awakens and can even consume humanity,” he says. “The ship, a symbol of industry, technology, and human presence, now appears small, alone and defeated against the immense, silent power of nature.”

“Receiving this award is a tremendous honor, but at the heart of this achievement lies deep sadness,” says Mohammadi. “Each time the photo is praised, it reminds me of the gradual death of a lake,” he says.

Aarti [offering of light to the gods] below the celebs

Each night time in Varanasi, India, the Ganga Aarti ceremony unfolds, honoring the Ganges River.

Thibault Gerbaldi

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Thibault Gerbaldi

Miami-based photographer Thibault Gerbaldi needed a a chook’s eye view of the Ganges River, the place every night, hundreds collect to witness the prayers, fireplace and chanting that commemorate the river as a supply of life and purification. His objective was to point out its full scale from above: “The density of people, the devotion that extends even to the boats far from shore and the extraordinary sense of collective faith.” he says. The picture received first place within the People class of the drone awards.

Miniature paradise

The Cascate del Mulino sizzling springs in Tuscany attracts bathers on a cold night.

Gilad Topaz

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Gilad Topaz

Here’s the photograph from Italy that provides us vicarious pleasure: individuals stress-free within the sizzling springs of Cascate del Mulino.

Gilad Topaz, a drone photographer from Israel, made the image at sundown on a chilly night. “I was very surprised when I got there wearing warm clothes and saw all these people in the water,” he says. After a couple of minutes of observing the attractive springs, he launched his drone.

Kamala Thiagarajan is a contract journalist based mostly in Madurai, Southern India. She studies on world well being, science and growth and has been revealed in The New York Times, The British Medical Journal, the BBC, The Guardian and different retailers. You can discover her on X @kamal_t