A small team of Russian photographers have been quietly creating some of the most detailed panoramas of the world’s most beautiful locations.

AirPano, made up of nine photographers and three tech specialists who have wide-ranging backgrounds (civil engineering and medical cybernetics, among others), are currently traveling around the world, shooting major cities and natural marvels.

The amateur photographers mainly shoot from helicopters, using a specialized rig that holds 3-4 cameras, arranged circularly. They also sometimes shoot from rooftops or use light jets, dirigibles, hot air balloons and radio-controlled helicopters.

The team began looking into this style of photography in 2006 after initially working with spherical panoramas on land, before deciding to take to the skies.

 

All of the Russian photographers are amateurs and run AirPano for fun. For this one, they traveled to Churun-meru (Dragon) fall in Venezuela.

This perfectly ordered city is Barcelona in Spain – captured in the middle is the famous Sagrada Familia church.

Iguazu Falls, on the border of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, is considered one of the Seven New Wonders of the World.