Aerial photographer Jason Hawkes has seen London from just about every angle. For the last 20 years, he’s been photographing Great Britain’s capital from an AS355 twin-engine helicopter, capturing the cityscape from as low as 450 feet to as high as 3,000 feet. The door of the aircraft has been removed so that when Hawkes shoots, he and his photography equipment can be tethered directly to the helicopter, allowing him the necessary flexibility to take unique shots of the always-changing metropolis. “It’s been a strange year for London and the U.K. with Brexit,” Hawkes said. “Things have calmed down a bit, but as a country, we are stepping into the unknown.” The messy national politics on the ground, however, haven’t yet reached the beauty or bustle of London from the sky. Here he has shared with The Atlantic a selection of his images from 2016.
A Dizzying Tour of London
- Emily Anne Epstein
- January 29, 2017
- 17 Photos
- Spotlight
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One of London’s most iconic landmarks, Tower Bridge, lit up at night. #
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A summer day in London: Looking from Jubilee Gardens on the South Bank toward the Shard and on to Canary Wharf. #
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The Shard against a striking sky. #
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Players mid-game at an London sports complex. #
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London’s iconic skyscrapers covered in mist at dawn. #
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The billboards in Piccadilly Circus light up the busy intersection at night. #
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A sea of people at the Lambeth Country Show in Brockwell Park. #
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Situated south of the River Thames, the Shard, Elephant and Castle, and St. George Wharf Tower are seen through an orange haze. #
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People mill about a replica of the destroyed Monumental Arch of Palmyra in London’s Trafalgar Square. #
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London’s skyscrapers illuminated in the evening. #
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A couple walks past a rectangular pattern of trees in Granary Square, Kings Cross. #
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Urban renewal at Nine Elms and the River Thames. In the center of the image is the new American Embassy. #
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The O2 Arena and Greenwich Peninsula at night. #
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Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, home of the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. #
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A crowd gathers to watch the changing of the guard at Horse Guards Parade. #
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The bright and colorful lights at Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. #
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The Isle of Dogs and the Canary Wharf business district, bound by the River Thames at Greenwich Reach. #
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