Stephan Zirwes, a German photographer, has no fear of heights. Unlike other photographers he doesn’t take his photos in the studio. Usually he takes them out of the door of a flying helicopter, in spiraling heights several hundred meters above the ground. While a safety device ensures a more or less secure working environment, one might still wonder about the motivation to work under such conditions. The photos of Zirwes reveal a stunning answer: From above ground European industrial wasteland, African townships or Arabian deserts look completely different.

Zirwes’ works often look artificial and fictitious, even more like paintings than photos, but they are barely edited. In fact, he has to rely on the nature for lighting instead on studio equipment. Therefore, his photos are even more authentic than other professional ones.

Zirwes has exhibited internationally in galleries and museums such as the SF Moma and won awards like the prestigious Hasselblad Masters Award. He started out with video-installations and art-videos in 1994 and moved to mainly shooting from helicopters in 2000.