We live in an incredible age, a time where it’s possible to fly to every corner of the globe in hours instead of months or even years. And we have the humble jetliner to thank for this.
In a quest intended to showcase the inherent beauty in these big flying machines, award-winning LA-based architectural photographer, Mike Kelley, embarked on an ambitious project – entitled “Airportraits” – to photograph planes departing from 18 different airports around the world for two years.
Pictured: LA-based architectural photographer, Mike Kelley.
But instead of photographing a single take-off and leaving it at that, he came up with the idea of combining literally hundreds of these take-offs into a single frame.
“I am generally interested in making photographs that aren’t just snapshots of a single moment, [and) I had a thought that it would be interesting if I could seem to capture more than one plane in flight at once. And from there, this idea was born.”
Mike Kelley on www.mpkelley.com
And the result? Well, let’s just call it “plane porn” and leave it at that! Check them out for yourself!
Like many of us that work in the travel industry, Kelley is a little obsessed with these great big flying machines, and his background in architecture allows him to appreciate the beauty of aviation on a whole other level.
“I’ve always been a fan of aviation, and I find the infrastructure, design, and architecture of aviation absolutely fascinating.”
But apart from capturing the beauty of planes and aviation, Kelley was also interested in capturing the international flavour and culture that defines modern-day air travel.
Images showing international airlines departing from airports all around the world testify to living in an age where the movement of people across international and cultural boundaries is just so damn easy and common.
“It’s really fascinating to look at all the planes heading in different directions, ferrying people all over the world.”
Some of the airports featured in the series include our own Sydney Airport (where Heineken House just opened!), plus LAX, Dubai, and London Heathrow.
You can follow Mike Kelley on Instagram here.