Throughout my travels, I've visited my fair share of cities. As I took off or approached one via airplane, I try to peer out the window to get a unique perspective of where I am going -- or where I had been. This was especially while flying at night, as places such as Las Vegas quickly morph from a near-empty desert to a brilliant metropolises.
Those views typically don't last very long, but make no mistake: they are beautiful to experience. And, fortunately, they are now captured in an exciting new book. AIR by Vincent Laforet is a magnificent collection of stunning aerial photos from a panoply of cities: New York, London, Sydney, Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Berlin and Barcelona.
But don't take my word for it. Judge for yourself:
Photographs © Vincent Laforet and provided courtesy Fahey/Klein, Los Angeles.
Disclaimer: the publisher sent me a complimentary copy for a potential review.
These photos (shot in a helicopter) of some of the world's most iconic cities are nothing short of amazing. I couldn't believe some of the images and colors that Laforet and his team captured. (As his writes, there were more than a few logistical challenges, such as arranging flight times.) Bold purples, yellows, teals, and reds emblazon his pictures, and I found his intentional inclusion of blurry images quite intriguing. Life, like his photos, isn't always so neat.
The only drawback: the book is quite large and heavy. You won't be bringing with this you on a plane, and I had to read it on my kitchen table. The upshot of the book's supernormal size is that the author's images just jump off of the pages. AIR isn't cheap, but it's bound to be a collector's item for photophiles and those who appreciate the beauty of our world's cities.
Rating: 5/5 stars.