These Drones Took Unexpected and Strange Pictures

There’s nothing like a giant pink plush rabbit on the side of a hill to enjoy the beauty of northern Italy, isn’t there? Maybe the Energizer Bunny rabbit ran out of batteries and went there for an indefinite rest. In this aerial capture of drones, we see a giant rabbit in the Piedmont region of northern Italy in 2005.

The giant rabbit, nicknamed Hase, is 200 feet long and 20 feet high. It was originally thought to remain intact until 2025, but by 2016 the rabbit had completely decomposed. When creators were asked why they would put such a thing in the countryside, they responded – art.

Sometimes a drone can reveal things that we never knew were there before we looked down from the sky. Without this the drone footage, these sailors might never have known that they were being shadowed by an enormous whale. This is a still from a video which showed the whale following them for over 15 minutes. Fortunately, the giant mammal was just feeling friendly, and the photographs were the only things that got snapped that day!

Florian Ledoux was awarded top prize at the Skypixel awards 2017 for this photograph of a polar bear struggling across the melting Arctic ice caps. The use of a drone shows us in shocking detail just how much damage global warming is doing to the Arctic environment, and how much of a struggle life has become in those latitudes. The photographer has expressed the hope that something can be done so that future generations will still be able to see amazing sights like the one he has captured here.

This aerial photo taken with a drone shows a chasm that opened in Guatemala City after tropical storm Agatha hit the region in 2010, swallowing a three-story factory. The experts agreed that a combination of factors contributed to the formation of subsidence, not all of which were natural. The cocktail of catalysts from the huge chasm included tropical storm Agatha, the eruption of the Pacaya volcano and leaking sewer pipes.

The abyss covered an area of approximately 65 feet in diameter and 300 feet deep. Unfortunately, chasms are becoming an increasingly frequent and highly unpredictable phenomenon in Guatemala City, partly because of the laxity of the city’s zoning regulations and building codes. For these reasons, geologists have required the government to inspect the sewer system more frequently.

Do you remember the great fear of clowns in 2016? Hundreds of clown appearances were reported in the United States and Canada. This strange photo of a drone taken over a field in Huntsville, Alabama, undoubtedly evokes the worrying trend that has eventually spread to all countries around the world. While many have considered this photo to be staged, it still leaves us suspicious of clowns – and cornfields for that matter.

Many people were convinced that the clowns’ appearances were either jokes or promotional marks for the release of the film It in 2017, but some communities were terrified by these incidents. The clown’s disturbing phenomenon has become so important, in fact, that McDonald’s has announced that its mascot Ronald McDonald will keep a low profile to try to distance himself from the phenomenon. Some clown costume lovers have even been arrested for criminal activity.

Surely someone’s just having a bit of fun with Photoshop here, it can’t have really happened, can it? Unfortunately, it did; this drone photograph shows the Pegasus Airlines Flight 8622 that was coming in to land at Trebizond Airport after a flight from Ankara when it slid off the runway and down the embankment. By great good luck, it didn’t slide as far as the neighboring Black Sea and all the passengers walked away without a scratch.

People are always looking for ways to make their wedding photographs unique, and this couple certainly did it, with a photograph on the roof of this tall building. It’s a great way of showing how high their love has lifted them! In the future, we anticipate that many newlyweds will find novel and exciting ways of using drones to produce memorable images of their big day.

This three-meter-long crocodile was spotted by a drone from the coast of a seaside resort on the island of Phuket, Thailand. Crocodiles can be very dangerous to humans because of their ability to strike before a person can react. Since saltwater crocodiles and Nile crocodiles are the most dangerous, they are responsible for hundreds of deaths in parts of Southeast Asia and Africa.

According to local information, the crocodile in this photo captured by a drone probably escaped from a nearby crocodile farm. Which brings us to the question: who thought it was a good idea to build a crocodile farm next to the seaside resort?

This beautiful image of a sunk aircraft was taken by a drone flying over Morrison’s Quarry in Chelsea, Quebec. Although the quarry is only a 25-minute drive from Ottawa, you will feel like you have completely left the country and landed in a tropical location.

The site offers very pure water, perfect for scuba diving. It is also home to the largest bungee jumping in Canada. In addition to the submerged aircraft, there are also tugs and cars on the bottom of the water. It turns out that all the objects were placed at the bottom of the body of water to create more interest for divers.

This aerial image of a drone comes from the frozen tundra of Siberia. In the image, we see the Mir mine, the first developed diamond mine and the largest in the former Soviet Union. To date, the mine remains one of the largest excavated holes in the world.

The diamond deposits were discovered in 1955 by a team of Soviet geologists. Chief Geologist Yuri Khabardin received the Lenin Prize, one of the highest honors of the Soviet Union, for his discovery. During the heyday of the mine, it produced 10,000,000,000 carats per year, making it a real gold mine for the post-war Soviet economy, which was in difficulty at the time.

The fall is a gift season to a photographer, with all the beautiful colors of nature flaming in one last burst before winter comes. This photographer has used a drone to capture the full panoply of fall. The country road we can see adds interest to the picture, reminding us of the ways in which humanity imposes itself on nature, and the aerial perspective gives us a wider view than we could ever hope for from ground level.

Looking at this drone photograph, you might think that you are looking at the site of a tragedy, with a Boeing 727 buried in the middle of 10 acres of forest just outside Portland, Oregon. Happily, this is not the case: Bruce Campbell (no relation to the actor) snapped up the aircraft when it was decommissioned for $100,000 and had it towed to his land in the woods, converting it into a residence. Although the plane is no longer capable of flying, the drone is, and that’s how we’ve got this amazing image.

This fort in Holland was built nearly three centuries ago. No longer used to defend the country, it can now be visited as a historical monument. The massive fortifications and moat have stood the test of time, and many tourists go out of their way to pay them a visit. The surrounding forests also belong to the museum which keeps them well-maintained, as you can see in this drone photograph, which might inspire you to make a visit of your own if you find yourself in the Netherlands.

This image of drones was taken off the coast of southern California as part of a documentary film by Mark Romanov and Forrest Galante on the relationship between humans and sharks. The two women – Jessica and Kelly – can be seen on their paddleboards while the dark silhouette of a large white shark swims below the surface of the water.

Have you ever wondered where old American fighters are sent? They go to a place called “The Boneyard” in Tucson, Arizona. The storage and disposal center was established after the Second World War and handles approximately 4,000 aircraft, making it the largest of its kind in the world.

The very low humidity level in the southwestern United States makes it ideal for aircraft storage, as the metal does not corrode. On average, the base returns approximately $500 million worth of spare parts to the U.S. military, government and other allied customers. The Congress supervises and determines which equipment can be sold and to whom.

With more than 1.4 billion inhabitants, China is the most populous country in the world. As might be expected with such status, China is also home to some of the worst traffic jams in the world ever recorded. This image of a drone was taken near the Hong Kong border on the Beijing-Hong Kong-Macau highway, which spans a massive 50 lane traffic.

This bottling took place after the Chinese national holiday week called “Golden Week”. Year after year, more and more motorists take the road to go with their families during the holidays. The worst traffic jam ever recorded in the country was recorded in 2010 and lasted 12 days, with some motorists only able to travel less than one mile per day.

This image of well-timed drones was taken over Panama City Beach, Florida when a fisherman accidentally caught a hammerhead shark on his line. The aerial images show the fisherman struggling to bring the shark up. The fisherman finally won the fight and the shark was released unharmed.

This haunted stadium, known as Silverdome, once housed the Detroit Lions football team before moving into the brand new Ford Stadium in 2002. The Silverdome has already hosted the Super Bowl, a pope, the NBA final, an Elvis concert and dozens of other world-class shows during its heyday.

The stadium was purchased in 2009 with the intention of converting the arena into a football stadium, but unfortunately, these plans never materialized. The promoters have still not announced the stadium’s future plans. Since it fell apart, the Silverdome has been eviscerated and everything of value sold.

This perspective, rarely captured by a drone, offers an aerial view of the statue of the Redeeming Christ of Rio de Janeiro, located at the top of Mount Corcovado, 2,329 feet high, in Brazil’s sprawling city. The statue, which measures 124.7 feet high, took 9 years to build.

Although enormous, this statue is actually the third largest statue of Jesus Christ in the world, after the Cristo de la Concordia in Bolivia and the Christ the King in Poland. The redemptive Christ is the largest art deco statue in the world and is so high that it is regularly struck by lightning several times a year. In fact, in 2014, one of the fingers of the statue broke as a result of a thunder storm.

Located in New Orleans is an abandoned Six Flags theme park. The park has been closed since Hurricane Katrina hit in August 2005. This photo was taken by a flying drone just two weeks after the storm passed, and as you can see, the park is still flooded.

A number of different plans have been announced to redevelop the site, but none have been completed. The site remains abandoned and in poor condition. Nevertheless, the park is guarded 24 hours a day by the New Orleans police as thrill-seekers attempt to break into the park to see the ghost town amusement park.

This impressive view shows an aerial photo of a drone overlooking the city of Hong Kong. Hong Kong has the largest number of skyscrapers in the world and, although they are beautiful to look at, they also represent a larger underlying problem in the city’s real estate market.

Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the world with more than seven million inhabitants living in its very compact perimeter. The real estate market has long struggled to meet the demand for more living space, but unfortunately, this has only resulted in smaller and smaller apartments at extremely high prices.

This somewhat disturbing image was taken by a drone seen from the sky over a field in Edinburgh, Scotland. The statue, called Gulliver the Gentle Giant, was created by Jimmy Boyle, a former gangster and convicted murderer, while he served a sentence at Barlinnie Prison in Glasgow.

The statue was unveiled in 1976 and has become the favorite playground for children in the region. Over time, the statue decayed and was finally removed from the site in 2011.

This photo was taken as part of the “Dronestagramme” travel photography competition. It is Mont Saint-Michel. It is one of the most recognizable sites in France and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Located in Normandy, this emblematic town attracts more than three million visitors per year. The island has had strategic fortifications since antiquity and has been the seat of the monastery since the 8th century AD.

At low tide, the island is accessible to pilgrims who come to visit the abbey. And at high tide, the island is very defensible to potential invaders. Mont Saint-Michel remained undefeated during the Hundred Years’ War, even though the English tried several times to seize the town by force.

In what appears to be a castle straight out of the hit Game of Thrones series, this view can be seen in person in Umbria, Italy – but only by drone. And it is not really a castle, but a church known as the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. The construction of the imposing basilica began in 1228.

The complex consists of two churches built on the hillside and a crypt where the remains of Saint Francis lie. Saint Francis lived and died in the city of Assisi, one of the most important Christian pilgrimage sites in Italy. The basilica has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.

No, it is not a giant sculpture of a moose head, but rather the most famous bird’s nest in the world. This photo of a drone was taken by a South African photographer in the Kalahari Desert, which covers an area of about 350,000 square miles across much of Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa.

Such a large nest can support hundreds of weavers. Since the bird species regularly maintains its nests, they can last extremely long, sometimes up to 100 years. Massive nests are made of natural materials such as twigs, grass, and cotton. The weaver’s common nest is a rare phenomenon among birds.

This beautiful image of a drone was taken over the Ba River, just downstream of the city of Tuy Hoa, Vietnam. A farmer can be seen feeding the hundreds of beautiful white ducks that surround him. There is a long tradition of duck farming in Vietnam.

Some 30 million ducks are raised each year in the country, which provides a significant amount of meat and eggs to its inhabitants. Many ducks are raised seasonally in rice fields at the beginning of crop growth, as ducks help to control insects and weeds, as well as provide manure for rice plants that provide additional nutrients.

Did you know that in the middle of one of the world’s largest cities, New York, there is a boat cemetery that hides in plain sight? The place is locally known as Staten Island Boat Cemetery, located just off the north shore of the borough. This cemetery was founded in the 1930s.

Originally used as a salvage yard, the boats were dismantled and sold as spare parts, but the project was eventually abandoned. Today, there are still about a hundred ships that are decomposing on the site. The destination has become a popular point of view for photographers and artists, especially drones photographers who are looking to capture this unusual view.

Over the last few decades, Dubai has created one of the most spectacular city skylines on the planet. This offers perfect opportunities for drone pilots to get dramatic photographs from interesting viewpoints, as we can see here. The stunning modern architecture on show in Dubai is crying out for photographers to showcase it, and using drones gives us breathtaking new perspectives.

Since drones have come on the scene, photographers have had the opportunity to take pictures of never before seen natural phenomena in areas that were just too hazardous to enter previously. In this photograph, a photographer has used a drone to get a close-up picture of an Icelandic volcano erupting. Any photographer trying to get to this spectacular fire lake on foot would be taking their life in their hands, but with a drone, we get all the beauty but none of the risk.

At 60 years old, most of us are thinking about the rocking chair and slippers, but not this individual, who chose to celebrate his birthday by diving off a waterfall. The Yellow River in China holds many world records for waterfall diving, and for this picture technology, nature, and human courage have combined to produce an amazing image. Using a drone, the photographer gives us an incredible view of the action and at the same time shows us just how small human achievements are against the majesty of nature.

For those who really value their privacy and solitude, it’s hard to imagine a better residence than a cottage floating on the surface of the ocean. Clearly whoever built this house was determined to get as far away from the rest of humanity as they could. All we know about this photograph is that the location is somewhere in the Atlantic between Canada and New York; the drone certainly makes it look as though the homeowner will never have trouble with their neighbors.

This shot of the Delta River in Iceland was taken from 1500 feet up using a drone. The amazing mystical frozen landscapes of Iceland’s winter mountains look here as if they have been created by the most gifted painter – and in a way, they have been, by nature, the most talented painter on Earth. The swirls and curves of ice look quite magical here, don’t they? This picture is part of a series named “Elemental”, devoted to capturing the amazing sights nature blesses us with.

When someone’s having a really bad day, that can make a good day for a photographer. The driver of this truck clearly won’t be happy after jackknifing and spilling his load across the road, but the photographer with his drone must’ve thought it was Christmas! There is a fascinating juxtaposition of the stationary truck and the traffic carrying on to speed by oblivious, showing just how isolated we can be from each other in our busy world.

All we know about this photograph is that the photographer is named Anders – and that he has an eye for a beautiful picture. In this shot he has used a drone to capture an amazing patchwork of contrasting colors between fields and a river. Before drones came onto the market, pictures like this would require the massive expenditure of hiring helicopters etc.; now the equipment needed is within the budget of most amateurs.

Most of these photographs are about the beauty of nature, but we always have to remember that it can be destructive as well. This photograph shows us the appalling damage caused by Hurricane Harvey as it rampaged across Texas and Louisiana. 30,000 people were driven from their homes by this event, which ranks with Hurricane Katrina as one of the greatest natural disasters in America’s recent history; the final bill came to around $125 billion.

Bryan Dumas took this incredible photograph of a winter’s morning in Central Park in New York using a drone-mounted camera. It’s an amazing depiction of the way nature can still keep a foothold even in this richest and most urban of cities. Anyone who has visited New York, or who lives there, knows just how important Central Park is to give relief from the hustle and bustle of the metropolis, and this image captures its stillness and beauty perfectly.

Lombard Street in San Francisco has long been a photographer’s favorite, but they have always been confined to ground-level before. This drone image gives us a new perspective on the way this famous road snakes its way across the steep slopes of the San Francisco Hills.

Drones have given photographers and scientists the opportunities to penetrate areas that had previously been far too dangerous for humans to visit – they are still pretty dangerous for drones, apparently many were lost in the project to capture these images. Still, we feel it was worth the cost to bring back such amazing pictures, telling us more and more about our planet.

Its name might mean “boy” in Spanish, but the El Nino weather phenomenon is nothing if not fully grown. This drone image shows the incredible damage the cyclones it causes bring to the unfortunate countries in its path. We can see here that residents have abandoned their homes on the coast, and that it won’t be long before more of the coastline crumbles into the sea. It’s a sobering reminder of just how fragile our hold on the planet is.

In October 2017, the Tubbs Fire began in California. Although the state is used to having forest fires virtually every year, this one was different, rampaging across a wide area and doing billions of dollars of damage in the state’s most costly conflagration. More than 5600 buildings were destroyed by the fire, from Hollywood millionaire mansions to humble single-story homes. Nearly 37,000 acres of land were burned, and, tragically, at least 22 people were killed.