Stunning Aerial Photos Tell the Stories of New York City and Los Angeles From Above

Aerial Photography

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Photographer Jeffrey Milstein tells the tale of two cities through aerial photography. His series LA NY features a birds-eye-view look at two world-famous metropolises: Los Angeles and New York City. In breathtaking shots, we get a sense of the idiosyncrasies between the two coastal locales, from their architecture to commutes to leisure activities.

Milstein captured all of his LA NY shots from the air, without the help of a drone. Pointing his camera downward a 90-degree angle, the vantage point highlights the unique patterns found in everyday landscapes. In New York, this is especially striking with its grid system that neatly organizes the neighborhoods into geometric shapes—a motif that highlights greater, more fundamental differences between the two places. With its hustle and bustle, New York City has a reputation for being rigid and high strung. By contrast, Los Angeles is seen as more laid back with a go-with-the-flow attitude. We see this in Milstein's documentation, particularly as colorful umbrellas dot the beach along the Pacific Ocean; even Los Angeles’ freeways have a more whimsical feel with giant, sweeping curves.

Milstein has compiled the beautiful aerial real estate photography into a book of the same name. LA NY was published by Thames & Hudson and features incredible details of both cities’ architecture as well as cultural events like the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York. LA NY is now available on Amazon.

Photographer Jeffrey Milstein tells the tale of New York City and Los Angeles with his striking aerial real estate photography.

Aerial Photography by Jeffrey Milstein

“Columbus Circle, NY.” © Jeffrey Milstein

Aerial Photography by Jeffrey Milstein

“Century and Harbor Freeway Interchange, LA.” © Jeffrey Milstein

Aerial Photography by Jeffrey Milstein

“Stuyvesant Town, NY.” © Jeffrey Milstein

Aerial Photography by Jeffrey Milstein

“Long Beach Shoreline Marina, Long Beach, LA.” © Jeffrey Milstein

Aerial Real Estate Photography

“Times Square, NY.” © Jeffrey Milstein

Aerial Photography by Jeffrey Milstein

“Beverly Hills, LA.” © Jeffrey Milstein

Aerial Photography by Jeffrey Milstein

“American Museum of Natural History, NY.” © Jeffrey Milstein

Aerial Photography by Jeffrey Milstein

“Park La Brea, LA.” © Jeffrey Milstein

Aerial Real Estate Photography

“Empire State Building, NY.” © Jeffrey Milstein

Aerial Real Estate Photography

Jeffrey Milstein: Website | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to use photos by Jeffrey Milstein.

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Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled "Embroidered Life" that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
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