\u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n
[responsivevoice_button rate=”1\u2033 pitch=”1.2\u2033 volume=”0.8\u2033 voice=”US English Female” buttontext=”Story in Audio”]<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
At the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, with travel restrictions in place worldwide, we launched a new series \u2014 <\/em>The World Through a Lens<\/em> \u2014 in which photojournalists help transport you, virtually, to some of our planet\u2019s most beautiful and intriguing places. This week, Caleb Kenna shares a collection of drone photographs from Vermont.<\/em><\/p>\n Ever since I was young, I\u2019ve loved gazing out the oval windows of airplanes and daydreaming about the abstract geometric patterns below.<\/p>\n Planes transport us from place to place, from country to country, from ground level to a bird\u2019s-eye view. From the air, familiar landscapes take on conceptual qualities; we gain fresh perspectives by viewing hidden patterns.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n I have worked as a freelance photographer for more than twenty years, traveling Vermont\u2019s back roads, making portraits and capturing the state\u2019s iconic landscapes.<\/p>\n Perspective \u2014 alongside light, color and timing \u2014 is a fundamental building block of photography, and I\u2019m always looking for new ways to alter mine. Until a few years ago, I hired airplanes \u2014 and hoped for good weather and a helpful pilot \u2014\u00a0to climb skyward and create aerial pictures. Nowadays I use a drone.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n There are trade-offs, of course. Looking down at the ground virtually \u2014 through a remote-controlled lens \u2014 isn\u2019t a substitute, experientially, for actually taking to the skies. But it makes me less reliant on others and is much more environmentally friendly. (It\u2019s also a lot more convenient; I can set up and launch my drone, a DJI Mavic 2 Pro, in about five minutes.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Using a drone is a natural evolution for a still photographer. On dull and cloudy days, I can rise above the world and create elevated photographs full of vibrant colors. On days with great light, I can capture the long shadows cast in farm fields by lone trees.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n