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The sight of a plane taking off from the airport is pretty impressive, but it's not exactly new. The sight of hundreds of planes leaving the runway at the same time however is definitely something we've never experienced before, until now that is!

Take a look at this stunning series of "Airportraits" to see what we mean. They were taken by Mike Kelley, an LA-based architectural photographer who spent the last two years taking pictures of planes departing the tarmac at eighteen different airports around the world. Afterwards he compiled the images to create these stunning compositions that serve to remind us just how busy our skies are.

"The inspiration behind these images was somewhat simple," Mike told Bored Panda. "After the first LAX 'Wake Turbulence' image I knew that I had to do more, owing to how successful that original shot was. There are a ton of amazing airports, airlines, and airplanes out there that I had to photograph, so the plan was set in motion to try and capture as many as possible. Since I'm obsessed with airplanes, travel, and seeing new places, it was also a great excuse to get me out of my comfort zone a little bit."

More info: Mike Kelley | Instagram | Twitter

#1

Lax 24l - No Turn Before Shoreline

Lax 24l - No Turn Before Shoreline

This is shot from Dockweiler beach in Los Angeles directly under the path of departing flights between the hours of 5-7pm, when light from the setting sun illuminates the bottoms of the planes.

Mike Kelley Report

#2

Dubai International 12r (morning Heavy Departures)

Dubai International 12r (morning Heavy Departures)

In the background, the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa. I shot this between 6-8am, when there is a rush of departures to all over the world.

Mike Kelley Report

#3

Wake Turbulence: Lax

Wake Turbulence: Lax

This is the original image which was supposed to be a proof-of-concept for the series. It was extremely successful and convinced me to expand the project to airports around the world. This image shows a day's worth of takeoffs from LAX's south runways, though some aircraft have been omitted due to redundancy - i.e., we don't need to see 84 737s!

Mike Kelley Report

#4

Zurich Airport Runways 28 And 16

Zurich Airport Runways 28 And 16

Due to a complicated noise abatement scheme, Zurich Airport actually uses runways oriented in different directions depending on how light or heavy the winds are. This made for a very interesting photo when combined with the idyllic Swiss countryside that surrounds the airport.

Mike Kelley Report

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#5

London Heathrow 09l (100, 50, 40)

London Heathrow 09l (100, 50, 40)

This image was shot during the morning arrivals rush at London Heathrow as flights from Asia and North America descend on one of the busiest airports in the world.

Mike Kelley Report

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Tiny Dynamine
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I live near there and you see this every day! (The first bit was a lie and the second bit was also...)

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#6

Amsterdam Schiphol, Polderbaan 18r

Amsterdam Schiphol, Polderbaan 18r

Amsterdam's Schiphol is surrounded by quintessential Dutch canals and plenty of green grass. Some stormy weather provided an interesting background for the image.

Mike Kelley Report

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#7

Munich Airport 08r

Munich Airport 08r

This image was shot from the end of the runway as planes land during the morning rush hour.

Mike Kelley Report

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#8

Frankfurt Am Main 25l (missed Approach By Lufthansa A380)

Frankfurt Am Main 25l (missed Approach By Lufthansa A380)

This image was shot in July of 2015 when mainland Europe experienced some once-in-a-decade storms.

Mike Kelley Report

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Ricko Piscesso
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why the aircrafts doesn't blur as the cars? the cars & aircrafts are moving. it looks like the photographers shooting the cars & aircraft at different shutter speed. anybody knows which camere vendor who release the camera's with ability to shoot at difference shutter speed at same time at single frame?

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#9

London Heathrow 27l (terminal 5 And Tower)

London Heathrow 27l (terminal 5 And Tower)

It took THREE trips to London to get these images. The weather there is no joke. It was very difficult to get a full day of clear skies, and even though the day I shot this image on was threatened by clouds, I got lucky and there was no rain or heavy shadow. It made for one of my favorite images of the series.

Mike Kelley Report

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#10

Dubai 30r

Dubai 30r

Planes depart from DXB's runway 30R - with a background of ominous clouds over the neighboring Emirate of Sharjah.

Mike Kelley Report

#11

Tokyo Haneda 05 (great Wave)

Tokyo Haneda 05 (great Wave)

Shot from a chartered fishing boat on Tokyo Bay. This one was quite the logistical headache due to needing utterly perfect weather and wind. By using a long telephoto lens I was able to show the iconic Mt Fuji behind the airport, even though it was over 60 miles away from my shooting location.

Mike Kelley Report

#12

Amsterdam Schiphol 24 (kaagbaan)

Amsterdam Schiphol 24 (kaagbaan)

A farm in the foreground provided a nice touch of yellow to contrast the blue sky and predominantly KLM departures.

Mike Kelley Report

#13

Sydney Kingsford Smith 34l

Sydney Kingsford Smith 34l

Planes depart over Botany Bay and Sydney's Central Business District from Runway 34L at Sydney airport.

Mike Kelley Report

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#14

Auckland International 23l

Auckland International 23l

Auckland Airport is surrounded by an amazing landscape - complete with farm!

Mike Kelley Report

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#15

Munich Airport 08r Takeoffs

Munich Airport 08r Takeoffs

Planespotting is really big in Europe - and an activity enjoyed by families all the time. When an airport is set in such a beautiful place, why wouldn't you want to watch these amazing machines in action?

Mike Kelley Report

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#16

London Heathrow 27l

London Heathrow 27l

Father and son planespotting!

Mike Kelley Report

#18

Frankfurt Am Main, 07c

Frankfurt Am Main, 07c

Wingtip vortices are visible as planes fly through an amazing weather front that loomed over Frankfurt. This image was shot in July of 2015 when mainland Europe experienced some once-in-a-decade storms.

Mike Kelley Report

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Jimm Pratt
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

what? no shots from the Atlanta International Airport? otherwise, good job! :)