Today, it is possible to attach photographic cameras to drones. The advent of these unmanned flying machines has transformed the field of aerial photography as it has prompted the proliferation of...Show moreToday, it is possible to attach photographic cameras to drones. The advent of these unmanned flying machines has transformed the field of aerial photography as it has prompted the proliferation of vertical views. This type of view is known as God’s eye view. The technical specificities that differentiate drones from other flying devices enhance certain representational operations in the photographic language; operations that yield a very particular visual representation of the earth’s surface. The representation issues that have been identified in drone vernacular photography are three: paradox between chaos and geometry, miniaturization and flatness. These elements affect the way in which viewers perceive and ascribe meaning to our living space. When these characteristics are not critically thought, these photographic images can give rise to feelings of possession, affective detachment and omnipresence. Thus, they dehumanize our view of the world. A critical and historical reflection upon this issues in drone photography can decrease the visual reification of our living space, and instead, they can become qualities of a living and dynamic spatial representation.Show less
