This summer we asked the pilots of Drone Class Plus for their best drone photo. The prize: a brand new DJI Mavic 4 Pro.
The entries ranged from the Frisian meadows to the lava fields of Iceland, and from the Azores to a salt lake in Western Australia. A panel of experts, chaired by Sem van Geffen and including the Italian drone photographer Fabrizio Bibi Pinna, selected the winner.
Only visible from above
Some images only exist for those who take off. On a road trip through Western Australia, one of the pilots went looking for abstract shapes in the salt lakes of the Wheatbelt and found a yellow lake framed by a white salt crust. From above it looked like a fried egg in a pan, hence the title: Sunny Side Up.
There was also an aerial shot of a fish farm with perfect composition. This is therefore the winner (nr. 20) of our ‘Summer of Drones 2026’ competition. The winner is Sven, who is from Germany. We are in contact with him regarding the delivery of his prize.
34 · Sunny Side Up · Western Australia
20 · Senja, fish farm · Norway
This photo shows what the first rain of the year does. The rivers start flowing again and carry mud to the sea. The brown river water and the deep blue ocean stay sharply separated, the fish come closer to the shore, and where there are fish, there are fishermen. This photograph came third in the competition.
33 · Where the river meets the sea
The higher you fly, the smaller people get. On the beach, walkers look like ants. In the forest, a trail winds through the trees.
07 · Mieren op het strand
23 · Following the trail from above
Fire and ice
Iceland twice, two extremes. On the left the eruption at Fagradalsfjall, on the right glacial rivers braiding through the landscape: a composition you can only see in full from the air.
21 · Eruzione Fagradalsfjall · Iceland
32 · Confluence · Iceland
Nu știi sigur de ce licență ai nevoie?
Golden hour
The best light comes around sunrise and sunset, and it shows. At Ponta dos Capelinhos in the Azores, the sun sits low over the sea, right behind the lighthouse.
09 · Ponta dos Capelinhos · Faial, Azores
Over Vesuvius the sun goes down, in Friesland it comes up behind a windmill, and in the first light flamingos take off.
29 · Tramonto Vesuviano · Italy
05 · Zonsopkomst Grevenmolen Friesland · Friesland, Netherlands
35 · Flamingos at sunrise
And six more times gold: from a misty valley just before sunrise to a field full of bales in the last light. One of these was taken together with the pilot's sons.
01 · Samen vliegen met Drone Class
02 · Net voor zonsopkomst
06 · Spectaculaire wolken voor de zon!
14 · Sunset over the neighbourhood
17 · Samen met mijn zoons
30 · Sunset over the field
After sunset
Italy twice by night, and the sky itself twice: the mountain village of Pietrapertosa in Basilicata at sunset, an eclipse above the mountains, the Basilica di Superga above Turin at blue hour and a half moon.
13 · Sunset in Pietrapertosa · Basilicata, Italy
12 · Eclipse above the mountains
11 · La Basilica di Superga · Turin, Italy
31 · Halve maan
Turquoise
From above, water takes on a colour you rarely see from the shore. Lovatnet near Loen in Norway, the river below the Viaduc des Moulettes, an old railway bridge, and the marina at the mouth of the Arade, where the river meets the Atlantic Ocean.
22 · Lovatnet in Loen · Norway
18 · Viaduc des Moulettes
03 · Zicht op de jachthaven vanuit zee · Portugal
The Netherlands from above
You don't have to travel far for a great shot: a dolmen in Drouwen, the landscape near Uithuizen, the setting sun over the Western Scheldt and the Tondense heath, photographed during a walk.
27 · Drouwen, Borger-Odoorn · Drenthe, Netherlands
25 · Uithuizen · Groningen, Netherlands
24 · Ondergaande zon boven de Westerschelde · Zeeland, Netherlands
28 · Tondense heide · Gelderland, Netherlands
Plus a castle in the evening light and a nature reserve against the light.
26 · Castle in the evening light
10 · Natuurgebied
Far away
And then the long trips: a panorama of the moonlike hills near Torrey, Utah, and endless layers in the landscapes of Vietnam. Closer to home, but just as green: the heart-shaped road between the vineyards of Slovenia, Castello di Nipozzano in Tuscany and a lake surrounded by green.
19 · Moonscape Overlook, Torrey · Utah, USA
04 · Endless layers in the landscapes of Vietnam · Vietnam
(Also third place in the competition)
16 · Hartje-weg Slovenië · Slovenia
15 · Castello Nipozzano, Frescobaldi · Tuscany, Italy
08 · Some views are worth flying the extra mile for
Want to join?
In Drone Class Plus you share your shots, find new spots and join the next contest. Try it free for 5 days.
Try Drone Class Plus free for 5 days
Fun fact: the DJI Mavic 4 Pro carries a C2 label. With A1-A3 plus A2 you have the fewest restrictions and can fly much closer to people. With the complete package you get both in one go.
