Every year SkyPixel sifts through thousands of bird's eye view photographs to find the best photos and award them with incredible prizes. This year's photography contest's grand prize winner professional photographerDeryk Baumgärtner received camera gear worth $12,090 for his incredible portrayal of Saint Michael's Mount, an island located in Normandy, France. Visited by almost 3 million people each year, Saint Michael's Mount is already an incredible heritage site by itself, but Baumgärtner's outstanding drone photography skills took the island and it's breathtaking monastery to a whole new level.
In an interview with Bored Panda, Deryk Baumgärtner explained he thought he had no chance to be amongst the top participants of this photo contest, "It was an unbelievable feeling when I got the mail that I won the Grand Prize. Never thought that I had the slightest chance to be in the top100." The German photographer added it was his first time entering the SkyPixel competition but he has been interested in aerial view photography for many years, "I’ve been interested in aerial photography since the 1st DJI Phantom in 2013 came to the market. Today I own the DJI Mavic Pro 1 and I'm still satisfied with its compact size which makes it pretty easy to travel with."
Scroll down to see Deryk's winning photo along with the other stunning pictures from this year's competition!
#21 Third Prize Winner In Nature Category, "足迹"
A snow in the Taklimakan Desert, China during winter forms a rare ice and snow texture. According to the photographer,"The ice pattern is like a huge footprint, like the footprints of aliens visiting the earth."
Report
124points
#22 People's Choice Prize, "Stein Eriksen Residences"
Low-level aerial view of the Stein Eriksen Residences at Deer Valley Resort.
Report
111points
#23 Second Prize Winner In Sport Category, "Shadow Skier #5"
Using Mavic 2 Pro drone photographer Christoph Oberschneider captured skiers in Austria.
Report
105points
#24 Nominated Entry, "Wake Up"
Dreamy aerial photo captured by Phantom 4 Pro drone in Auckland Harbour, during sunrise.
Report
87points
#25 Third Prize Winner In Sport Category, "Throwing It To The Moon"
"Estonian hammer throw champion Kati Ojaloo throwing it to the moon."
Report
83points