In the very middle of a town in South Africa sits this ugly gigantic diamond mine. You can see how the buildings stand right up to the edge of the dropoff. Insane. We wonder what it’s like to live right next to such an enormous pit? This drone footage certainly gives us a new perspective on life.
Hopefully, human ingenuity will help ameliorate some of these problems. The diamond mine is also a reminder of how beauty and ugliness co-exist, often right next to each other. Such is the world we live in. Sometimes it needs taking a step back and a different perspective to see it.
El Nino Damage
In this frightening photo, you see the continuing undermining of a neighborhood due to the El Nino weather phenomenon. The residents understandably had to evacuate the area. It would come as no surprise if it all collapses into the sea any day now. Nature, you scary! Nothing like seeing the incredibly destructive power of nature to help put us little humans in our place.
On the other hand, we can see it as an opportunity to invent new ways of mitigating the damage. But opportunities mean little without meaningful intention and action. We mourn tragedy, only to resort to rampantly destructive ways when the dust settles. Photos such as this serve to jog collective amnesia.
The Silverdome
The Detroit Lions football team used to play at the now dilapidated Silverdome until the new Ford Field was completed in 2002. In the meantime, it has gone through multiple owners and even gutted of anything that could be sold for scrap. A drone took this photo after the collapse of the stadium’s domed roof.
The dilapidated Silverdome had become synonymous with Detroit city’s troubles. This once great stadium was set for demolition in 2017. By then, the place was completely abandoned, like a film setting for an eerie Zombie apocalypse. While some people clung to the nostalgia, others refused to shed tears for the building that they believed was an “embarrassment” and an eyesore.
Drones Over Dubai
The creative idea of using two drones totally helps to give you the idea of what it takes to get these shots. Plus, you see what an ultra-modern city Dubai is, and what kind of insane architecture fills it these days. Skyscrapers? These ones literally pierce the clouds!
It’s amazing how quickly Dubai has gone from a sleepy backwater to one of the most modern bustling metropolises on the planet. Over the years, the country has become an architect’s playground – from sleek modern architecture to disruptive innovation, bordering on the outlandish. It seems like there’s nothing that human ingenuity and hard work can’t accomplish.
Christ the Redeemer
This gut-wrenching shot of one of the world’s most famous landmarks was taken in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It shows Christ the Redeemer from an angle only birds have ever seen before. Not only is it one of the world’s tallest statues, but it rests on a mountain that itself looks over the city.
Look at the drops off that mountain, sharp and deep like human despair. If that isn’t the best visual representation of redemption, we don’t know what is. This is also a perfect example of using drones to show people previously unseen -- and unseeable -- perspectives and sights. Three cheers for technology, and for the creativity to know how to use it!