Living for the Moment
Tags: Aerial Photography, Drones, Australia, Dji, Skypixel

Australia from Above 2017 winner on the top shot and what inspired it

After two months of compiling entries and two weeks of careful selection, the winners of Australia from Above 2017, sponsored by SkyPixel and Tourism Australia, was announced on Friday, May 19th. Among all professional competitors, firefighter Kyle Bowman was awarded with the grand prize, worth over AUD 26,000.

Kyle told Focus that the award-winning shot was captured on a whim at Western Australia’s Wyadup Beach. He and his girlfriend Chiara came to watch a surf contest on Margaret River, then headed out for a swim. They found a tide pool right near a cliff, the perfect spot to swim out on their inner tube. At the stunning view the idea struck Kyle — why not shoot Chiara from above, peacefully drifting at sea?

“Unless you’re shooting near sunrise or sunset, aerial photos of the ocean are subject to so much glare,” Kyle explained. “But the pool is protected by the rocks, creating unique shading. The water rushes through the natural channel and spreads across the pool, giving a perfect shot just as it rolled through. This needed just the right timing, and I needed Chiara to keep the tube in the same exact position. In the end, it was all worth it!”

The contest jury was particularly impressed with the composition of the winning shot. “We were attracted by the vivid detail and sheer joy expressed in Mr. Bowman’s picture,” noted juror Lisa Ronson, Chief Marketing Officer at Tourism Australia. “The strong color contrast makes the picture so lively and energetic. The simultaneous focus on the lone woman and the rolling water clearly shows the basic interaction between human and nature in our beautiful country.”

Me, Dad, and Our Drone

Kyle has been passionate about photography since childhood, always mesmerized by the its technologies. With every stunning image he found, his mind sought to figure out how the photographer achieved it.

As Kyle’s enthusiasm for the art of photography grew, he naturally found a way to combine it with his father’s shared passion of drone building. Their first drone combined a DJI Flamewheel F550 hexacopter with a Naza series flight controller. Around this time, DJI unveiled the Phantom 1, which they promptly added to their projects. Kyle and his father continued to build upon their own Phantom 1 by mounting an action camera, set on a shooting interval to capture images from the air. Kyle was absolutely stunned with the results of their DIY flying camera , opening the floodgates of aerial photography. After thousands of images and countless hours in the sky, this passion never ceases to amaze him, even to this day.

From Passion to Profession

While growing his talents, the turning point that pushed Kyle from amateur to professional came by chance. Living just on the coast of Perth, he came home from work one day to find hundreds of visitors lining the paths to North Beach. Making his way through the crowd, he finally saw what drew everyone to his neighborhood: a southern right whale just off the shore, frolicking for the last half hour. Instinct took over and Kyle ran home and back to launch his Inspire 1 before the whale dove back to the ocean.

For the unprecedented length of time the whale visited, Kyle took advantage of a creature that seemed to relish in all the attention. Airborne, Kyle’s drone framed the whale at every angle, leading to an iconic shot. The whale had become curious of a nearby surfer, circling him completely unaware. This footage exploded on Kyle Instagram page, @airloft, landing him and the surfer on the morning news to talk about the surreal experience.

Before too long, Kyle began to explore the idea of using his new recognition as an opportunity, which eventually became Airloft. With Australia’s relaxing of drone regulations, Airloft has taken to the skies, capturing music festivals and large-scale events, serving clients in need of a bird’s eye view, and selling prints of his creations. Kyle was able to achieve all of this all while maintaining his career of firefighting, saving lives on the ground while shooting scenes in the air on a daily basis.

Looking Ahead

As for future plans, this young professional with thousands of followers would rather let the story unfold naturally, and invites anyone curious to visit his site and his Instagram feed. Nevertheless, what keeps Kyle focused on the shot and hungry for more?

“Shoot something you really love.”

Even before he presses the shutter button, he knows the photos he most enjoys are of places, people and activities he truly values. After all, the shot that won over thousands of entrants was simple to him — the beach he loves most, the woman he loves most, and the moments he loves most.

For Kyle, photography has always been, and will always be, a labor of love.