12 best drone photos according to National Geographic

The popularity of drones has made it that much easier to capture breathtaking aerial photography (not to mention video) of cityscapes, nature, and everything in between that, in the past, would have required much more equipment, planning, and physical exertion (or a helicopter ride).

The International Drone Photography Contest, now in its fourth year, highlights some of the best shots made from high above, and the winning photographs are, predictably, gorgeous, surprising, and a little bit cheeky.

The selections are broken into three main categories—nature, people, and urban—and the submissions were judged by a panel of experts from National Geographic and Dronestagram, the drone photography sharing website based in France that runs the competition.

Below, a look at the finalists, from a lavender field in Provence to a view of skyscrapers in Dubai to a lily pond in Vietnam.

Nature

Photo by Jcourtial via Dronestagram

Photo by Calin Stan via Dronestagram

Photo by Florian Ledoux via Dronestagram

People

Photo by Martin Sanchez via Dronestagram

Photo by Helios1412 via Dronestagram

Photo by Feelingmovie via Dronestagram

Urban

Photo by Bachirm via Dronestagram

Photo by Alexeygo via Dronestagram

Photo by Luckydron via Dronestagram

Via: Designboom