Abstract Aerial Photos Highlight the Fragile Beauty of Earth’s Waterways

Aerial Photo of a Waterway

Sediments from farmland mixed with water in between lava islands formed 9,000 years ago, Iceland

As the brainchild of award-winning aerial photographer Milan Radisics, Water.Shapes.Earth is an incredible look at the way water has shaped our planet. The project gives an aerial perspective of our natural landscape.  Muddy marshes, winding estuaries, melting glaciers, and dried-out river beds all form their own signature abstract shapes, which are then captured in glorious detail.

Intrigued by the interaction between nature and humans, Radisics surveys the globe looking for unusual perspectives. He's traveled across Europe, and as far afield as Azerbaijan, to develop a narrative on the creation and destruction of water. Water.Shapes.Earth hopes to inspire awe, as well as provoke the public to face the destructive tendencies that we have toward our environment.

Starting in Iceland, Radisics explores shrinking glaciers and cooling geysers before paying homage to thriving lakes, rivers, and creeks. Each body of water is photographed in a manner that brings out its abstract beauty. As the narrative continues, water and land collide with visions of lagoons and marshes before giving way to the realities of man's imprint on these bodies of water.

Moving full circle, we end with dry waterways—river beds only recognizable by their sinewy curves filled with new green vegetation. The space left behind runs like cracks across the surface of once fertile land, an ominous look at what lays ahead as water retreats. In one photographic series, Radisics has captured the life cycle of this essential liquid and reminded us of its precious fragility.

Water.Shapes.Earth is a visual essay examining the evolution of Earth's waterways.

Aerial Photo of a Waterway

Salt Marsh, Venice, Italy

Aerial Photograph of an Estuary

Glacial river estuary, Iceland

Aerial Photo of a Waterway

Salt marsh, Spain

Aerial Photo of a Waterway

Abandoned pond used for storing radioactive industrial waste, Spain

Aerial Photo of a Waterway

Tidal streams, Spain

Aerial Photo of a Waterway

Tidal streams, Venice, Italy

Environment Photography

Depleted natural salt lake, Lake Mirzaladi, Azerbaijan

Award-winning aerial photographer Milan Radisics captures each landscape with stunning, abstract detail.

Aerial Photo of a Waterway

Mud volcano, Azerbaijan

Aerial Landscape Photography

Dam holding back toxic waste from aluminium production, Spain

Water.Shapes.Earth Aerial Photography

Affall River Estuary in Iceland

Water.Shapes.Earth Aerial Photography

Glacial river veins in Iceland

Aerial Landscape Photography

Sand formations, Cadiz Bay, Spain

Aerial Photo of a Waterway

Tidal area of the Rio Tinto, Spain

Dry River Bed - Environmental Photography

Traces of a dried-out river, Spain

Water.Shapes.Earth: Website | Facebook | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to use photos by Water.Shapes.Earth.

Related Articles:

Aerial Photos of Surprisingly Colorful Salt Ponds Look Like Abstract Paintings

Stunning Aerial Photos of Namibia’s Desert Landscape Look Like Abstract Paintings

Interview: Uncovering the Hidden Beauty of Iceland’s Natural Patterns

Artistic Aerial Photos Reveal the Chilling Industrial Scars Created on Earth by Man

Jessica Stewart

Jessica Stewart is a Contributing Writer and Digital Media Specialist for My Modern Met, as well as a curator and art historian. Since 2020, she is also one of the co-hosts of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. She earned her MA in Renaissance Studies from University College London and now lives in Rome, Italy. She cultivated expertise in street art which led to the purchase of her photographic archive by the Treccani Italian Encyclopedia in 2014. When she’s not spending time with her three dogs, she also manages the studio of a successful street artist. In 2013, she authored the book 'Street Art Stories Roma' and most recently contributed to 'Crossroads: A Glimpse Into the Life of Alice Pasquini'. You can follow her adventures online at @romephotoblog.
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