Travel Photographer Uses a Drone To Explore China’s Diverse Landscape From Above

For the past 12 years, travel photographer Florian Delalee has been constantly on the move. With his base in Shanghai, he's been able to trek to remote areas of Asia and document its landscape. But as 2020 was a year like no other, he was forced to get creative when he found himself having to stay in China. That's where his series The Beauty of China from the Air was born.

With his drone in hand, Delalee took his adventurous spirit on the road and explored China far and wide. Xinjiang, Tibet, Sichuan, Jiangxi, and Inner Mongolia were just some of the places that he visited. What he came away with is a wonderful portfolio of images that shows the full, rich beauty of the Chinese landscape.

Whether he was hiking on a remote section of the Great Wall, flying over the red forest in Anhui, or photographing a pink lake in Inner Mongolia, Delalee was always ready to fly his drone high and get unique imagery. This allows viewers to take the adventure with him and marvel at the different geographies found across China.

As the fourth largest country in the world, and nearly the size of the United States, it should come as no surprise that the Chinese landscape is full of diversity. But to see it so clearly on display is still a sight to behold. For instance, the incredible rock formations of the Gansu Canyon and the sandy expanses of the desert contrast with the lush, green terraced landscape and stunning blue waterways.

For all of his travel, there are still five provinces that Delalee still needs to visit. As he continues to make his way around the country, he hopes that people will view these photographs and marvel at what one can see while in China. For him, the most interesting part was seeing the human impact on nature and how Chinese culture has worked with nature for centuries but also left many areas wild and untamed.