"I admit that photographers who surround me doing same things. Than is why I decided to rise to the sky" Interview with American photographer Mitch Rose about aerial photography

US photographer Mitch Rouse doesn`t use modern drones for creating his own photos. He rises into the sky by helicopter and takes pictures using cameras with a resolution of up to 150 pixels. It turns out very impressive.

— Mitch in what year did you start taking pictures and what did you shoot from the very beginning? When did you recognized that you are going to make aerial photographs?

— I’ve been shooting since 2004. It all started with landscape and tourist photography — I always had a camera with me while traveling and I tried to take interesting photos. After a few years, I began to notice more and more photographers around me when I shoot popular tourist sites, landscapes, or just sunset — everything seems to be shooting the same thing. It made me think about finding a different perspective, the perspective of view. So I began to study aerial photography.

— How do you choose locations for shooting and time of year and time of day?

— Mostly on my whim. I do some research and make a plan, choose the angles. For example, I like to shoot Palouse in East Washington. I did this in spring when the fields around are green. But then I thought it would be great to take photo the same place during the harvest, so later I returned to this location to get the golden hills. Always look for morning and evening light!

— Today many people can tell that they can do same photos as you do using simple drone which will cost $1,000. What is the difference between your photos and photos from drones?

— The main difference between my photos and photos from Drones for $1,000 is the quality and resolution of the images. In recent years, I have shot with a 100-megapixel digital camera Phase One 1. And recently I purchased IQ4 — a 150-megapixel camera. I also want you to understand that the ability to look at the subject yourself from a height makes it possible to better understand the scale and, as a result, to choose the shooting angle more correctly and interestingly. This is freedom and lack of concern for control of the drone.

— Tell us how the shooting process takes place.

— I do not use drones, I fly a helicopter and shoot mainly from the doorway to get a better view. But this year I plan to retrofit the helicopter.

— How do you answer if you are asked why and for what you do such photos?

— It`s passion! I like to go up the ground and fly, take photos. There is something deeply satisfying and useful in this!

— Tell us about the place or object that you shorted and which impressed you most of all.

— The most impressive place I shot, perhaps is my favorite, is Palouse in East Washington. There is no shortage of interesting shapes, lines of the earth - millions of different objects and angles that you could take off. And every new shot gives a new sensation.

— What do you feel when you watch the landscapes of our planet from above or see large-scale industrial objects created by man?

— I like that there is something beautiful in industrialization. The construction of these buildings is amazing, city landscapes, road junctions fascinate and visually intrigue. There is also something mesmerizing in power lines that cross huge landscapes and transmit energy from one place to another.

— What are you going to shoot in the coming year?

— In the near future I should finalize the helicopter. This year I will fly over Alaska, photos from there will certainly appear on my website!

Interview: Sergey Gutakovsky

Translation: Angelina Petrova

Editor: Sergey Fomkin

2020