Legendary photographer and photojournalist Robert Capa reportedly said: "If your pictures aren't good enough, you aren't close enough!" But proximity doesn't always guarantee great imagery. Sometimes the opposite is true, as aerial photographer and Canon Ambassador Massimo Sestini proves.
Massimo started out as a conventional news photographer in the 1990s but over the years has specialised in aerial photography, shooting from moving helicopters and military aircraft, hundreds of metres up in the air.
His images depict oceans, landscapes and cityscapes from a perspective very few people otherwise get to see. He has captured the well-documented beauty of Tuscany afresh for the region's tourist board, and photographed the Italian Air Force aerobatic team, the Frecce Tricolori, above breathtaking mountain landscapes and over cities at night.
ARTICLE
A different perspective: places and events from above
His photos have also brought a unique frame of reference and sense of scale to significant news stories, including the funeral of Pope John Paul II in 2005 and the capsized Costa Concordia cruise ship in 2012. His iconic aerial shot of hundreds of refugees crowded onto a boat crossing the Mediterranean, which offered a new way of visualising the migrant crisis, won second prize in the General News, Singles category in the 2015 World Press Photo contest.
Here, Massimo talks about the power of different viewpoints and the practicalities of his gravity-defying way of working.
Why do you choose aerial photography, and how does seeing the world from above affect the final image?
"Photographing from very far away puts you into a situation in a more striking, memorable way than from close up because it's an unusual perspective. It's difficult to do something new in photography, especially today when everyone who has a smartphone can take pictures.
"Everything that happens today is photographed, and not only by professionals. It's a threat to our survival as photojournalists. But if you can shoot from high above with a big telephoto lens, whether it's an election, a wedding, an earthquake or a protest, you can bring home images that will have real impact."
How much do you plan the composition of your images? Do you study the landscape beforehand?
"You have to think about what you're going to shoot before you go out, because you can't think when you're hanging out of a helicopter. In fact, when I'm shooting up high, I can't see the images I'm taking. You're so far away and the helicopter is moving at 300km/h. It's an unpredictable way of taking photographs. Ahead of a shoot, I'll sit at my desk beforehand and study how the helicopter will move, the wind and so on – but when I'm actually shooting, I don't see anything. Over the years I've learnt how to take photographs you can't visualise in the moment. You prepare and you hope for the best."
Do you own Canon kit?
How did you get started in aerial photography?
"In the early 1990s, I was working as an international news photographer and covering the Mafia killing of Sicilian judge Giovanni Falcone. At the scene, I found that I was in a queue right next to all my colleagues. No one would buy my pictures if they were exactly the same as the ones shot by the photographer from Agence France-Presse. So I thought, 'What can I do?' I realised that if I could get up into the sky with a 500mm or 600mm telephoto lens, I could produce something different. The bomb explosion that killed Falcone had blown up the entire motorway and actually it was only from the sky that you could really understand what had happened."
You often accompany the military or police, but how does it work in practical terms when you're shooting aerial projects independently?
"If you're photographing big events in the public interest, you don't need to get permission. You just need a pilot you can really trust. I always work with the same pilot, a friend of mine called Marco Savoia. I worked for 15 years with another pilot, Maurizio Scarpelli, but sadly he died in a helicopter accident.
"Usually, I'll shoot images first and then sell them to news outlets, so I have to outlay the cost of hiring helicopters. This can be expensive, but I think of it as an investment – in the same way photographers invest in cameras and the other equipment we use."
Aerial photography: following the patterns
What's your standard kit for aerial photography?
"Around my neck, I have three camera bodies with different lenses. I wear paratrooper goggles and knee pads. I need my aerial photography camera to be very fast and high performance, so I use the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III or the Canon EOS R5 with a selection of lenses providing me with a focal length range from 11mm to 1,000mm.
"I use cameras with large pixels in the sensor, because larger pixels let in more light. You get less noise when working at a high ISO, and it reduces the risk of blurring in your images in low light. I can't wait to try the autofocus capabilities of the EOS R3 – it's difficult to focus manually when you're shooting from a fast-moving helicopter!
"The Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM is the lens I find most useful because from altitudes around 150 metres, it has a focal range that allows you to get close but also to achieve a pin-sharp shot. I also use the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens a lot – I choose my focal length according to the distance I am from the subject, which is often determined by what the weather conditions allow."
How has aerial photography changed for you since you started out in the 1990s?
"The camera technology allows me to do things now that I couldn't have done before. I can shoot at night, out at sea in complete darkness apart from the moon and the stars. That would have been unthinkable before the technology evolved in the way it has.
"There's also more demand for aerial photography, not just as photojournalism but as fine art. Working with aerial photography, it's easy to create images that are also artworks people want to hang in their homes."
How do you feel when you're shooting from hundreds of metres up?
"Above the clouds I feel completely free – both free from thoughts and creatively free. I love it, I really do."
Massimo Sestini's kitbag
The key kit that the pros use to take their photographs
Cameras
Canon EOS R5
Capture sensational 45MP photos at up to 20fps or cinematic 12-bit 8K RAW video using the entire width of the camera's sensor. "The R5 is my favourite camera, for portraits and in general," says Massimo.
Canon EOS-1D X Mark III
The ultimate creative toolkit, with superb low-light performance, deep learning AF and 5.5K RAW video. Massimo says: "The EOS-1D X Mark III is unbeatable in low light. I often use it for underwater photography, aerial photography and sport."
Canon EOS-1D X Mark II
At the heart of the EOS-1D X Mark II is a Canon-developed CMOS sensor that marks the next generation of professional image quality in the EOS line-up. "I use the EOS-1D X Mark II in tandem with the Mark III when I need to switch frequently between different lenses," says Massimo.
Lenses
Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8L IS USM
Canon's fastest ultra-wide-angle zoom, boasting a Nano USM motor, 5-stops of image stabilisation plus 3 aspherical and 2 UD elements for stunning sharpness.
Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8L IS USM
Part of Canon's trinity of essential f/2.8 RF lenses, the RF 24-70mm F2.8L IS USM boasts a fast aperture and image stabilisation plus a Nano USM motor for silent focusing.
Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM
Capture the world with outstanding flexibility and quality with a super compact f/2.8 telephoto zoom that incorporates a five-stop Image Stabilizer to ensure great handheld results, closer focusing down to 0.7m and fastest-ever AF.
Canon RF 35mm F1.8 Macro IS STM
A wide-angle prime lens with a fast f/1.8 maximum aperture and macro capabilities.
Canon RF 50mm F1.2L USM
Setting new standards in photographic performance, delivering supreme sharpness, extra creative control and a low-light performance that's simply remarkable.
Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM
A premium quality ultra-wide angle zoom lens, with a constant f/2.8 maximum aperture, for the highest image quality possible even in low-light conditions.
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM
A professional-quality standard zoom that offers outstanding image quality and a fast f/2.8 aperture throughout its zoom range.
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM
A compact, high-performance 100-400mm zoom lens that's ideal for those shooting sports, action and wildlife photography.