Eye in the Sky Over India: Lovely Pics

Eye in the sky over India: Camera on a kite snaps fabulous photographs of the sub-continent
Taken from skies high above India these startling images provide a new perspective on the country's rich culture and vibrant landscapes.
Incredibly they were snapped not from the inside of an aeroplane but from camera hanging from a simple kite.
For the last nine years French photographer Nicolas Chorier has been attaching one of his four specialist cameras to a simple Japanese-style kite in order to take thousands of pictures of places from above.

The iconic white stonework of the Taj Mahal with the city of Agra behind - 47-year-old Nicolas developed his passion for photography after growing up in France with weekly slide shows around the fireplace

Lengths of of fishing net looks like strings of spaghetti as fishermen walk among the scattered debris of their trade on this beach in Kovalam, Kerala at the southern tip of India

Hampi is a village in northern Karnataka state, India, located within the ruins of Vijayanagara, which dates back to the 1st century BC

Part of the beauty of Chorier's style is it allows him to shoot buildings such as Udaipur Lake Palace in Rajasthan, from the air in an ecological way - without resorting to helicopter or plane

Men participating in the Indian martial art of Kalaripayattu in the southern state of Kerala. It is one of the oldest fighting systems in existence, practiced in the state and contiguous parts of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka

Camel riders and their animals cast long shadows as they take a rest in the sun in Pushkar - in the Indian state of Rajasthan

A gaggle of fisherman drag in a boat full with their bounty from the sea. Nicolas was given his first camera when he was 12-years-old and quickly became a photography enthusiast

Women put their colourful freshly washed saris out to dry in the sweltering sun while a child comes to assist

Chorier says he loves the idea of using only the wind to take photos as compared with burning kerosene with a helicopter, or wasting helium with a balloon'

Nicolas uses a remote control to move the cradle and camera into the best position to take a picture. He says each site brings its own challenges

The photographer says: 'I have to consider the atmosphere temperature, the crowds, winds, electrical wires and obstacles. It can become very touchy at times'

iiNicolas it is not just getting close to his subjects that he enjoys, but also the ecological benefits of not using an aeroplane or other mechanical device


 
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