There’s something straight-up magical about seeing the world from the sky. It hits different. Shapes you’d never notice from the ground suddenly turn into artwork, and everyday life starts looking like a movie scene. That’s exactly the vibe behind these 35 award-winning drone photos from the popular “People from Above” photography contest—shots that prove just how insanely beautiful nature is when viewed from a bird’s-eye angle.
These photographers didn’t just fly a drone; they told stories from the sky. Every single image includes a human element—tiny fishermen drifting across turquoise waters, beachgoers painting colorful patterns on the sand, farmers carving designs into agricultural fields, hikers walking like dots through massive deserts, boats slicing through rivers like calligraphy strokes. It’s wild how small people look from above, but the impact of these scenes is huge.
What makes these photos next-level is the perfect blend of nature, geometry, texture, and human life. From glowing coastlines to wide-open fields, from sprawling landscapes to lonely boats cutting through misty waters—each shot is so clean, so intentional, you can tell the photographers knew exactly how to turn ordinary moments into award-winning masterpieces.
These images come from the 35 Photography Awards, a global competition built to celebrate creativity from every corner of the world. And guess what? They’re currently accepting entries for their 11th Annual Photo Awards, with multiple categories open. So if you’ve got a killer drone shot sitting in your gallery, this might be your moment to shine.
These 35 photos don’t just show nature from above—they show us how connected humans are to the landscapes we move through. Tiny figures, massive world… and one shared story captured from the sky.
You can find more info:
#1. "The geometry of nature" by Mikhail Kharitonychev
#2. "Photo" by Jayakumar MN
#3. "Photo" by Dmitry Ishniyazov
#4. "Vibrant Red Blossoms" by Tran Phuong
#5. "Colourful yet One Direction" by Iqbal Pangestu
#6. "Photo" by Anastasia Saul
#7. "Photo" by Evgenii Kochetkov
#8. "Flying nets and a fisherman" by Nadezhda Nikolaeva
#9. "Photo" by Alina Yantsen
#10. "Swimming in frozen water at the Baltic sea" by Gilad Topaz
#11. "Harvesting water lilies" by Tuấn Nguyễn Tấn
#12. "Falling Leaves Season on Tuyen Lam Lake" by Tran Phuong
#13. "Crossing the canoes" by Gilad Topaz
#14. "Unity with silence" by Anton Gavrilov
#15. "Photo" by Tam Phan Minh Minh
#16. "Salt Farm Workers Harvesting" by Saurabh Sirohiya
#17. "Photo" by Tuấn Nguyễn Tấn
#18. "Soya Sauce Crew" by Kiran Kumar Reddy Govind
#19. "Beach" by Alina Yantsen
#20. "Women In Chilies" by Saurabh Sirohiya
#21. "Photo" by Lê Huy Anh
#22. "Photo" by Lê Huy Anh
#23. "Photo" by Duy Chris
#24. "Beauty of Nature" by Md Shamsul Haque Suza
#25. "Crossing the grass fields" by Khổng Giang
#26. "Photo" by Andrey Belavin
#27. "River Dragon" by Giang Le
#28. "Traditional Craft" by Daniel Viñé Garcia
#29. "Beautiful Indian women workers in Red Carpet" by Soumayan Biswas
#30. "Onion Farmer" by Iqbal Pangestu
#31. "Surfing" by Lekontsev
#32. "Photo" by Vasily Yakovlev
#33. "Fisher" by Thọ Minh
#34. "Photo" by Quan Nguyen Hung
#35. "Daisy garden" by Tuấn Nguyễn Tấn
