In a feat of photographic excellence, amateur and professional drone nerds have proven a point they've been trying to make for years: drones can shoot.
Photographs, that is; and stunning ones at that.
Dronestagram— the first social network dedicated solely to drone snaps — announced winners of its second annual aerial photography contest earlier this month.
A panel of experts, including Ken Geiger, a National Geographic photographer and Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer, and Jean-Pierre Vrignaud, editor in chief of National Geographic France and Dronestagram, selected nine of the best photographs from more than 5,000 entries.
We refer to the photographers here by their Dronestagram handles, not their full names.
The winning images are breathtaking. Check them out:
Photographer Ricardo Matiello took this incredible snap high above the clouds in Maringá, Paraná, Brazil on a rare, foggy day by flying his drone as high as he could before it disappeared into the fog.
"Above the Mist" won two awards: first place in the category, Places and first place in the category, Popular Prizes (most liked picture). Check out Ricardo Matiello's Dronestagram profile here.
Kdilliard took this image moments after the start of the annual La Jolla Pier-To-Cove Swim in San Diego at 9 a.m. on June 20, 2015. The photographer’s fiance competed in the 1 ½ mile swim during low tide in the comfortable 70-degree water.
"La Jolla" won second place in the category, Nature. Check out Kdilliard's Dronestagram profile here.
Dronestagram user Tahitiflyshoot captured the sparkling waters near Mo'orea island in French Polynesia at the moment a group of sharks happened to swim by.
"Snorkeling with sharks" won first place in the category, Nature. Check out Tahitiflyshoot's Dronestagram profile here.
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