Last Updated on 09/09/2019 by Joy Celine Asto
All photos by Tom Hegen. Used with Creative Commons permission.
Looking for some landscape photography, abstract photography, and aerial photography inspiration? Today’s featured series by Munich-based Tom Hegen is all of those, rolled into one. He’s one of the talented aerial photographers that we’ve been following for some time now for their stunning perspectives of the most fascinating spots on the planet. Sand dunes, for example, are one of the famous natural wonders that hold aerial photographers spellbound. The latest example is Hegen’s Sand Dune Series, the most recent in his collection of beautiful aerial snaps.
Hegen describes this body of work as an “aerial exploration of abstract and organic shapes of sand dunes in the Namib desert, Africa.” As with many of his other aerial series, he took these photos were shot aboard a helicopter. The series is bathed in a golden-red color palette most likely lent by the Golden Hour and features the hypnotic curves and shadows created by the sand dunes. Together, they create an impression of alien landscape with an otherworldly feel similar to the surreal scenes captured by Kevin Krautgartner, Marco Grassi, and Navid Baraty.
What sets Hegen’s series apart is how it has a calming focus on the hypnotic curves created by the light and shadow of the sand dunes. It’s not much about the dynamic rippled textures we typically associate with sand dunes. These qualities allow viewers to fully appreciate the series as a minimalist visual masterpiece.
As with all of Hegen’s work, The Sand Dune Series is an excellent example of how aerial photography lends a fine art touch to landscapes by merely changing the perspective. That said, it’s not surprising to find more and more photographers getting inspired to see the world from above either to reveal a world unseen to most of us or provide a fresh look to places we’re already familiar with.
Want to see more of Tom Hegen’s aerial photography? Check out his website, Instagram, and Behance portfolio for more of his impressive work.