AIR: An Aerial Photography Project to Unite the World

Aerial Photography  •  Photography Tips

Vincent Laforet has been flying and taking pictures from above for over a decade and his experiences have led him to one conclusion: the world is much smaller than we think. We are more connected to each other than we could ever imagine. Wanting to share this lesson, Laforet came up with the idea for AIR, a global project that unites the world’s cities and people through the magic of aerial photography at night:

In this intimate profile, we get to see how Laforet captures the incredible images for the Los Angeles portion of the project. Along the way, he talks about the process of photographing cities at night, how it’s meditative and peaceful up there, and how ironically intimate it is being up above it all and being able to capture it in a still image.

AIR is titled so because it is something we all share; it doesn’t belong to any one person, and we are all responsible for it. A great title for a great concept. The images have already been seen by more than 40 million people and they’re still going strong online. Now, AIR is being published as a museum-quality hardcover book and the project is expanding by inviting everyday people to tell their own stories of their cities. A few lucky participants will even get the chance to fly with Laforet and his team over their own city, so be sure to check out the Laforet AIR website if you want to get involved!

“I’m seeing things I’ve only dreamed of seeing, let along capturing, and being able to share those with you is unbelievable.”