After more than 30 years behind the camera, award-winning wildlife photographer Paul Souders decided to let someone – or rather something – someone else do most of the hard work for him.
The 53-year-old American snapper has traveled to every conceivable corner of the world on his quest to capture the animals in their natural habitat, but for his latest shot, Paul decided to put his feet up and put his trust in a drone.
Paul traveled 10,000 miles from his home in Seattle to Chobe National Park in Botswana for the photoshoot, which he captured using his DJI Phantom Vision 2+ drone that worked through a handheld remote control.
Wildebeest, elephants, lions, and giraffes were among the species captured during the unusual filming, with ravishing results.
The wildebeest can be seen fleeing the scene as the drone hovers overhead, while in another shot, a lonely giraffe appears fascinated by the device.
In 2013, Paul was the Grand Prize Winner and Nature Winner of the National Geographic Photography Competition for this stunning photo of a polar bear looking up from beneath the melting ice over Hudson Bay.
Speaking to the magazine, Paul explained that he fell into wildlife photography almost by accident: ‘I never set my sights on being a nature photographer, I wanted to be a news cameraman, and I started my first job as a small daily newspaper in Rockville with dreams of journalistic glory.
‘I covered a lot of high school sports, portrait exercises, and weather features. It felt like I’m telling the story of my community, one at a time. At some point, I decided a change of scene was in order.
‘Never one for half measure, I packed up everything I owned and drove 4300 miles to Anchorage, Alaska, to take a job at the state’s biggest newspaper.
The day I arrived was 27 under zero, but it was brand new and magical. There’s a moose in my backyard, and I can see bald eagles on my morning commute.’
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