American photographer Vincent Laforet has made a name for himself with striking aerial shots of famous cities, which have often gone viral, including Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York. London is the first city outside the US that Laforet has given his special aerial treatment to.
Laforet also won the Pulitzer Prize in 2002 for his pictures of people in Pakistan and Afghanistan suffering during the post 9/11 conflicts.
“When you’re on the street and look up at the tall skyscrapers that fill our cities, you tend to feel pretty small and sometimes quite insignificant. However, when you look at the same environment from above, it paints a totally different picture. You’re able to see the entire scale of a city and see just how connected we all are. Altitude gives you a different perspective on our relationship with one another and with our environment.” – Vincent Laforet.
Laforet captures around 5,000 images on each city shoot, whilst harnessed in a helicopter, using oxygen tanks to cope with being 7,500 feet above sea level. With the helicopter door open, Laforet can hang out and get his striking overhead shots.
Laforet is planning to focus his lens on European cityscapes in Barcelona, Paris, Venice and Berlin.
