Pilots photos show world from above

Since the start of the year, The Vertical Project has been capturing stunning aerial photography and videography.

The project was created by airline pilots Aaron Philips and Tom Faunt as a way of documenting their travels.

With 18 years combined experience as airline pilots and a total of 33 years flying in the aviation industry, together the pair have spent thousands of hours honing their eye for aerial footage.

The Vertical Project uses modern drone technology, and as certified operators, the pair offer photography, videography and production for marketing collateral, events and other applications.

Philips said every day, the pair’s career provided them with the opportunity to admire Australia’s beauty from the sky, which passengers did not always get to see.

“By starting the Vertical Project, we have created a way to share what the world looks like ... through drone photography,” he said.

“For work and pleasure ... we have been fortunate enough to travel to some of the world’s most exotic and beautiful destinations, capturing it all from above.”

The pilots told theAdvertiser that being beach lovers, they both enjoyed photographing coastlines and bodies of water more than anything else, with Faunt’s favourite place being the pristine coastline around Esperance, while Philip’s is his hometown of Bondi Beach.

The talented photographers said what started out as sharing their images on social media, has now turned into a thriving online business, selling their prints in beautiful frames to customers around the world.

The Vertical Project has some exciting collaborations coming up this summer in which the pilots’ images will be exhibited in high-traffic retail areas. This will be the first time people will be able to view the photographs firsthand.

The photographers agreed the Great Southern had to be one of the most exquisite places to photograph.

“We’ve travelled the world many times over, but truly believe that nothing beats the Australian coast. Not many places have taken our breath away the way that the south coast of WA has, and continues to do every time we visit,” they said.

“We can’t wait to be back over the summer break as our images from the area are in our bestsellers.”