The Drone Photo Awards Have Announced Their Winners Of 2022, And Here Are The 30 Best Photos

In the picture, a secondary fissure happening a few hundreds meters from the main crater of Fagradalsfjall volcano, during the very last eruptive phase. It was captured as a storm was hitting west Iceland, with rain and strong winds. Due to the difficult conditions, a drone capture like this is unique.

A juvenile Great White Shark swimming through bait schools in the shallows off of a beach near Santa Barbara. The swirling trail behind him is called a vortex trail. This 'wake' is created by the oscillating movement of the shark's tail, causing small contrasting vortices, which remain visible due to the suspended sediment in the surrounding water.

After years of efforts, more than 2,000 mu of desertified land has been turned into forest resources. On a slope of the park, which covers an area of nearly 5 mu, the most representative and iconic landscape of the park: the "Princess Taiping", made up of plants of different colors and shapes.

Shiprock is a volcanic plug rising out of the desert on Native American Navajo Tribal Lands. A rock dike also formed from the volcano leads to Shiprock. The early morning light illuminates the formation in the cold morning producing an interesting shadow: it is the coldest part of the night right before sunrise.

A man harvesting Bang grass (Lepironia articulata). Bang grass is the material to produce straws replacing plastic ones to protect our environment. Most of the land in this area is full of alum so that people can not plant any crop plants besides Bang grass.

Flamingos sleep together at night for greater security and stay close together during the day, thus protecting each other. In this crowd of bodies the colorful nuances of the plumage and the reflections of the light stand out.

In the picture, a basketball court after a sand storm in the United Arab Emirates: the sand is partially covering the field, letting the viewer get a glimpse of its original shapes and colors. It is one of the greatest finds in the author's sport courts collection shot in 2021.

Rooftops of Kartoffelraekkerne neighborhood, in Oesterbro. The neighborhood was built in the late 1800s for the working class families. Today, it is one of the most sought for in Copenhagen.

This picture is the result of a dream come true: the meeting of the desert and the ocean. As the drone climbed higher, the photographer noticed a particular atmosphere, where the light highlighted the delicious shapes of these dunes flowing into the South Atlantic Ocean.

The effect of the sun on the water, a felled tree and a brave bride lying on it: a magnificent picture drawn by nature. The surface of the water looks like a starry night sky, while the bride looks seems a dreamy princess.

Aerial view of Gangi, a village immersed in the Sicilian countryside in the province of Palermo. The image was shot on an early summer morning. The orange houses' rooftops give movement to the image, while the mountain peaks rise in the background.

The aerial view reveals a figurative forest landscape in which a large tree stands out rising from the surface of what appears to be earth but which is actually a mass of water, the protagonist of the shot and responsible for tracing the branches of the tree.

Surfer Chris Ross charges down a monstrous wave as it begins to barrel above him. The ocean seems to swallow the athlete, who looks like a small yellow dot in the blue immensity of the wave. Shot at a surf break called The Right in Western Australia.

Thousands of earthquakes shook the Reykjanes peninsula in an orchestrated prelude to an eruption, until at 20:45 on 19 March 2021 the floor of the Geldigadalir valley gave way to the uncontainable magmatic pressure and split open, letting molten rock gush forth in an awe-inspiring spectacle.

"Face" was part of the scene, which remained after the music festival held nearby the wedding place was concluded. Since it was a close and pretty unusual setting the photographer decided to use it for the wedding photo album.

The impressive eruption of volcano Cumbre Vieja hit the island of La Palma at the end of 2021. For 3 months the lava river destroyed over 3000 buildings, 90 kilometers of roads and endless hectares of banana plantations, leaving more than 2000 people homeless. The landscape changed completely.

A top-down photo of the complex geometric patterns of Pamukkale - a natural rock formation of travertine pools in Turkey. The whole palette of blue and light blue shades welcomes the viewer from right to left.

Dhaka is located on the bank of the famous Buriganga river. Sadarghat river port of Dhaka is the busiest port in Bangladesh, with services to most of the districts in the country. People from both sides of the Buriganga river cross it using small boats. The boat men working on them, usually sleep at night on the boats themselves.

Countless chilli peppers surround labourers in the Bogura district in the north of Bangladesh. Chilli peppers are a major part of the Bengali cuisine popular in Bangladesh and are used as part of a combination of spices for various meat dishes, including chicken and beef.

During one of the coldest winters in the United States, a small cabin survives in the middle of a frozen lake in New Hampshire. It is completely isolated from everything in a peaceful setting with nature.

Some laborers at work in a salt pan where they move the salt to form circular lines allowing a slow evaporation under the hot sun. At the end of the day the salt will be collected in baskets: it's a really hard job!

The photo taken in March 2022 shows the competitors of the annual ski event: Bieg Piastów held in Szklarska Poręba, at its 46th edition. Skiers whiz in their colorful clothing along the track surrounded by snow-covered trees.

This is the shore of Lake Syvash in the Kherson region in the south of Ukraine. Part of this lake is pink and offers different abstract composition opportunities. A beautiful white bird is flying over it, guiding the viewer's eye through the picture.

This image was taken by a drone to show the working time of rural people during the monsoon season in the wetlands of West Bengal. Two workers occupy the scene with their colorful hats and clothes. Waterlilies create two concentric colored rings from which one of the two characters seems to emerge.

Four roads are crisscrossed with traffic flow and speeding vehicles. The moving lights create a spectacular enlightened yellow cross, which leads the viewer's eye throughout the picture. The photo was taken at Jiaozi Interchange, Chengdu, Sichuan.

Xinghua Qianduo Scenic Area is located in Qianduo Town, which is a globally important agricultural heritage and a four-star rural tourism spot in Jiangsu Province. The scenic spot is famous for its characteristic landscape. Every year, during the Qingming season, the "pallets" surrounded by water are covered with golden rape flowers. This magnificent view attracts many tourists.

In this picture, an accidentally captured moment of a BMX rider doing trick: his shadow appears as a circus bear or a monster with small bike. The optical illusion makes the image extremely lovely.

Every winter, at this very location, thousands of migratory seagulls come from Siberia to India and early in the morning these birds gather at Yamuna Ghat where they are fed bird food by the local people. The photographer is using a slow shutter to gave the event a surreal look.

This picture was taken in the South Luangwa National Park, Zambia. A dead hippopotamus is being eaten by crocodiles in the Luangwa River. The predators blend in with the muddy water, while the prey stands out with its brighter skin color and catches the viewer's eye.

Constance and Christopher had planned a moon and stars inspired wedding theme. Constance's unusual dress is laying flat around her and takes the form of a full moon: she looks like she is floating in the space. Christopher, instead, looks like he is resting on a vintage solar panel. The couple took advantage of the wedding venue to play around with the viewers' imagination.

Glacial river before finding its entrance to the ocean. This mesmerizing puzzle of shapes, patterns and shades is painted by a river flowing from nearby glaciers straight to the ocean. It took the river about 600 meters around the shore to finally find the opening and enter the Atlantic ocean.

Lake Tyrrell is a pink salt lake in Victoria. Its shape looks like a tiger's eye. This small island inside the lake is something special, as the light falling over the island is amazing, along with the unique look of the island with its textures, colors and shape.

The photographer took this photo during his trip to Iceland last April. The weather was unpredictable, with a lot of wind at the beginning of the north snow storm. He just had one moment to take off with his drone and to try to take some pictures of that incredible place.

Aerial image of two young adult polar bears playing together on the very fresh fast ice all night long. A slippery place where they made holes, dived, ice skated, being away from all the trouble reserved for them. This unique experience was the result of 5 months in the field, living with and near the bears.

The world's longest train, with 3 kilometers of railroads, trundles through the Sahara desert bringing iron from an oasis to the coast. "The Backbone of the Sahara" is also the world's heaviest train load and provides the only free of charge long-distance mean of transport in one of the world's poorest regions.

Flying over the two lakes of Natron and Magadi on an helicopter allowed the photographer to take this picture. The clouds in the sky are reflected on the lake, and the flamingos are flying over it creating a magical atmosphere. From above, the colors and patterns change with the light and the direction of the wind, which is like a painter's palette, colorful and constantly changing.

Abstract shot above a closed hotel in Santorini, in the middle of December. In quarantine, the photographer had the time to enjoy this little volcanic island and capture its very essence. Shooting without a particular purpose, he took his time to hone his craft when no one was watching.

A young polar bear, a yearling, is playing in the water testing the fresh ice and jumping back and forth in the water with his sibling, while their mother is resting nearby. This image is the result of 5 months in the field, living with and near the bears in a remote camp on the east coast of Svalbard.

This picture was taken in the land of fire and ice: Iceland. The spectacular black beach and the walking lovers with the sun behind the rocks, which is barely visible, make the image intimate, romantic and majestic.

This is an abstract landscape photography, where the object represented has been reduced to one of its main features: the colors. In this image the only thing that is evoking the existence of a landscape are two colors that are subconsciously related to earth and water.

A portrayal of the ferocity of the effects of extreme salinity on the environment, creating a wasteland of multicellular life, reminiscent of Australia's reoccurring bushfires. The embedded tyre tracks carved in the salt pan give idea to a burning bridge leading the viewer straight into the fury of nature's wrath.

The White Cliffs are one of the most famous landmarks of the island, stretching out for miles alongside the shore of the Okhotsk Sea. They are made of a very light and soft pumice, as a result of the huge volcanic eruption. This pumice is being eroded by the storms, rains and numerous small rivers, which shape the rocks amazingly.

This is a drone view of Cuejdel lake in winter before the complete frost. Cuejdel lake is the largest natural dam in Romania, that's why half of the trees look trapped in the ice.

Salt is an essential part of our life as well as diet. These two workers are engaged in the traditional method of drying salt under the blazing hot sun. Afterwards, they will collect it and put it in sacks for transport to the market.

Inle Lake is a popular destination for foreigners visiting Myanmar, and has a floating market and floating water festival. The floating rainbow is a beautiful traditional image of Inle Lake.

The blue whale is not only the biggest animal on earth but the biggest that has ever existed. During the 20th century thousands of blue whales were killed by both legal and illegal hunting. After such a big drop on their population, and a lot of effort from international organizations, for the first time their population is increasing.

Salt loving algae bring color to a remote and extremely saline lake in the South West region of Western Australia, while evaporation has broken the lake into a myriad of ponds and islands.

At the Drill & Chill festival highliners rigged multiple lines running across the canyon spanning several hundred meters long. As one of the lines was going opposite off the road and river running parallel below, it made a fantastic composition. The french highliner Benoit is lying down on the line, helping the photographer with his shot.

The photographer tried to create an unusual image with the drone that made the water move around the bride and groom. He attempted to make a normal shot special: the result is beautiful.

Lanzarote, an amazing place in the Atlantic ocean. Bride and groom, after an emotional day, are in an incredibly clear ocean perfectly immersed in nature. They're holding hands as to celebrate the endless cycle of nature and love.

Even if you wander through the most inhospitable places, as long as you go hand in hand with the right person you will be able to reap the fruits of love, just as sweet wine is grown in La Geria, a place of volcanic and hostile lands on the island of Lanzarote.

A copper mine distorted the natural scenery, where there used to be the village of Geamana, Alba county. This picture was taken in winter, with the ice melting and making this interesting forms.

Aerial capture of the incredible rivers of Iceland. All the patterns and colors get shaped under the water surface, resulting from the layers of sediments in the water itself. The photographer called it Quetzalcoatl from the mystical creature shape he imagined from the complex patterns.

The annual SUP (Stand Up Paddle) festival in St. Petersburg is supported by the Fontanka newspaper. Several thousand people from several countries take part in the festival. Their paddle boards seem to be trapped in a colorful traffic jam.

Thailand Jet Ski Competition is held every year in the summer. It is a competition that unites water jetski enthusiasts, happy to compete and accept the rules, regardless of who wins and who loses.

In the picture, dark clouds from the southeast and the sunset light in the northwest create a great contrast. The scene is very intense. As the drone had just landed on the ground, it started pouring rain.

An overhead view of a bride and a groom alone on their wedding day, at the spectacular Holywell bay in Cornwall. The author wanted to capture the intense colours of the water and the beach, as well as give a real sense of place: the best way was from above.

"Phumdis" are a series of floating islands, exclusive to the Loktak Lake, in northeastern India. They cover a great part of the lake and are heterogeneous masses of vegetation, soil, and organic matter in different stages of decay. "Phumdis" are used by the local people as enclosures for fishing and are inhabited by about 4000 people.

Located on the bank of Con River, An Thai, a traditional trade village of dry vermicelli and rice paper, is over 100 years old. Rice is the main ingredient for making rice paper which is then is put on a bamboo griddle and brought out to dry in the sun.

Women sorting dry red chillies in a red chili pepper dry factory to preserve them. They get nearly $2 ( 160 BDT) for 10 hours of work and in some places they get paid even less. Bogura's chillies are famous around the country.

Overlooking the unicorn hollow dome from the air. From above, the triangular shapes and the curvy lines create a geometrical and fascinating pattern. The viewer's eye gets lost in the movement of the image, as it was an optical illusion. The picture was taken at Unicorn Island, Chengdu, Sichuan China.

While the photographer was flying a drone near the beach on a cold morning, two cyclists past quickly and continued along the waterfront. The photographer immediately started chasing them from above to get the best shot. The whole chase finished in a few seconds when they were already too far away.

While traveling in Kochi back in 2019, the photographer was invited by a friend to a dunk competition he was participating in. After shooting for almost an hour he did not get the shot he was looking for, but just when his drone's battery was about to die he took the last chance and got this perfect shot where everything aligned.

In the picture, a group of swimmers on a morning swim in the Eilat Bay. When they saw a dolphin near by they all started swimming towards him. It seems he was waiting for them, but when they arrived he just swam away.

A drone photo about the wildlife in Hoh Xil area in west China. From above, wild animals free to run across the wasteland paint the barren, dark landscape with dusty trails. The whitish lines rise illuminated by the twilight, forming clouds of different intensity that guide the observer's eye towards infinity.

After the bridal party shoot was all done and dusted, the photographer added something a little different to the gallery. Initially wanting to toss the groom up but decided it would be more fun to do it with the bride this time. And so here is the flying bride portrayed with the party guests and then framed by a field of autumn leaves.

Playing wrestling is a part of the Bengali rural culture. Jabbar's Balikhela is a special type of wrestling which is held on the 1st month of Bengali calendar every year at Laldighi Maidan in Chittagong. In the picture, four people are seen fighting on the sand stage in front of street audience.

A shot in Urban park in Kharkiv, the best place to practice sports - or take drone pictures like this one. The light blue ball is standing perfectly on the centre of the orange crescent-shaped part of the field. The two colors create a beautiful contrast in the picture.

44 feet long and 26 feet wide giant dead whale has washed up on the Cox’s Bazar beach, drawing crowds of curious onlookers. From above the animal looks pretty small compared to the enormity of the ocean, though the people look even smaller.

Capuchin is considered one of the most ancient and rooted cities in history. It hosts the pyramids of Bejrawiya (ancient Meroe), as well as the royal city that was known in the BC period and was called in the past Birmingham, Africa, for its early discovery of iron.