Most photographers nowadays capture aerial photos and videos with a drone. But Los Angeles-based photographer Jin-Woo Prensena prefers being up there personally. This daredevil photographer dangles from a helicopter, suspended over 7,500 feet from the ground. No matter how scary it may look, it’s totally worth it, since his photos are spectacular.
Now, Prensena doesn’t just mindlessly dangle from extreme heights to get attention and fish for likes (like some other people do). He and the crew make sure that everything is perfectly safe for his adventurous aerial photoshoot. He is attached to the helicopter with a rescue harness. Everything inside the helicopter is strapped down so nothing can fly out during the flight. Every detail is carefully planned, and the level of safety is high. What’s more, Prensena was a paratrooper in the military service in Germany, so he did his fair share of jumps from airplanes and helicopters. Still, he gets the adrenaline kick every time he hangs from a helicopter and takes photos. And how can he not?
Although he could take photos from a window, he prefers this extreme method. As he tells CNN Travel, this gives him much more freedom to use the camera at any angle: “Especially if I want to shoot vertically, fully vertical down, which, I believe, as a photographer gives you a very unique angle.” Prensena shoots mainly on Phase One XF 100MP medium format camera system. He sells his prints in very large formats, up to 58×103 in. He tells CNN Travel that his prints become a topic of conversation since they are so large. Therefore, most of his business comes from the word of mouth.
While the experience of shooting like this fuels Pensena up with adrenaline, he can’t give in to this feeling. He needs to stay calm, use his photographic knowledge and creativity. And although all this is really challenging, he is very successful at it. Take a look at some of his gorgeous aerial photos:
About the Artist
Jin-Woo Prensena is a Germany-born fine art photographer, living in Los Angeles for the past 20 years. He specializes in large-scale limited edition prints, and his shoots often involve some extreme actions, such as dangling from a helicopter or diving with sharks. If you’d like to see more of his work or buy prints, make sure to visit his website. Also, follow his work on Instagram and Facebook.
