Stunning Bird's Eye Photos of Earth (11 Photos)

More and more photographers are capturing landscapes and scenery using drones and airplanes to capture our planet from the most incredible angles. These stunning aerial shots have taken over the National Geographic Traveler photo contest. Every year, hundreds of photographers—both amateur and professional—participate in this competition, which ends on June 30th. We've compiled a collection of the best entries, united by the theme "from above."







1. The Netherlands.

A bird's eye view of tulip fields near the town of Voorhout. (ANDERS ANDERSSON/ NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER PHOTO CONTEST)

2. Brazil.

A surfer on the famous Mole beach in Florianopolis, Brazil. (CHRIS SCHMID/ NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER PHOTO CONTEST)



3. USA.

Salt flats in Northern California from an altitude of 120 meters. (ANDREI D./ NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER PHOTO CONTEST)



4. Botswana.

African elephants in the Okavango River floodplain. A wide variety of wildlife is found here. Elephants, buffalo, hippos, impalas, zebras, wildebeest, lions, leopards, cheetahs, and crocodiles are just some of the local inhabitants. (GASTON PICCINETTI/ NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER PHOTO CONTEST)



5. USA.

A frozen river in Alaska from an altitude of 11,500 meters. (JIJIAN FAN/ NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER PHOTO CONTEST)



6. Indonesia.

Fog in Cemoro Lawang at dawn. (ACHMAD SUMAWIJAYA/ NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER PHOTO CONTEST)



7. USA.

Cohen Lake, Mojave Desert, California. (JASSEN T./ NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER PHOTO CONTEST)



8. Australia.

People swim in a natural pool on the coast near Sydney. (STUART CHAPE/ NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER PHOTO CONTEST)



9. USA.

Salt marshes in Northern California. (ANDREI D./ NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER PHOTO CONTEST)



10. Australia.

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef in the world, comprising more than 2,900 individual reefs and 900 coral islands. (ABDULLAH ALBAKER/ NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER PHOTO CONTEST)