Being locked in self isolation can be rough especially if your job requires that you head out, or is centred around events. Photographers, for example, have had to come up with unique methods of continuing their craft and have spawned some truly interesting projects. One of which comes courtesy of photographer Adas Vasiliauskas who found a cool new way of taking portraits without being in close proximity to other people: with his drone.
You’ve probably seen those videos of photographers using long telephoto lenses, but Adas wasn’t so interested in taking such a grounded approach. He explains, in a post on PetaPixel, that when Lithuania went under quarantine, all of his photography jobs in advertising got cancelled. Plus, without being able to come in close contact with other human beings made it difficult to take interesting photos—which makes sense because a lot of photography is centred around people.
Then, he remembers that he frequently uses his drone in his wedding photography, so he thought he’d try using them to take human portraits while maintaining zero physical contact with his subjects. So, he rounded up a bunch of his friends, took a couple of photos and the project took off.
Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much when I first heard of this project, but the results are truly quite awesome. That led me to reach out to Adas who was gracious enough to send me a whole bunch of them so I could share this awesome project with you.
Adas tells us that the photos he’s taken are from two different drones. Some of which come from his DJI Mavic Pro while the others were captured with his DJI Mavic 2 Zoom. Not super high-end drones, but definitely good enough to get the job done.
Some of my favourites are the portraits where his subjects are framed by their windows. Some use the frames to tell stories, some to split the visual interest, but all of them are awesome.
“I started this project to give people a chance to brighten their day in this negative coronavirus information overload environment,” wrote Adas.
“I hope these funny photos remind everyone that sitting quarantined at home can be fun too.
“And, of course, I hope they also remind people to keep their social distance during these scary times,” he added.
I have to admit that so much of the news about this whole situation is quite upsetting. In Malaysia, we’re locked in a Movement Control Order that—while I think is a good move to flatten the curve—definitely hurts a lot of people. But, once in awhile, you’ll stumble across some of the awesome things that we as humans can do even when we’re confined to our homes and in the face of a pandemic of this scale. And that helps put a smile on our face because it reminds me that we will get through this.
Adas is a creative wedding photographer who is available for projects worldwide. He’s been doing this for over 12 years, and you can see a lot of his work on his website. He is also on Instagram at pinkavocadophotography, so make sure you go check him out to see more of his work. They’re genuinely good. He’s also available on Facebook, if you prefer to check him out there.
Thanks again to Adas for letting us share these awesome photos. Stay safe, everyone. We’ll get through this.
PS: This post is best viewed on a desktop.
