Vincent Laforet's night aerials of New York – in pictures
The photographer captured New York from the open door of a helicopter 7,500ft over the city on a dark and chilly night. The flight required extensive planning and special clearances as he flew at higher than the planes landing at nearby JFK, LGA and Newark airports. For more of Vincent’s landscapes click here
-
Vincent Laforet, who shot these aerials for Men’s Health magazine, said leaning out of a helicopter to take the pictures was ‘both exhilarating and terrifiying’. He called it the ‘scariest helicopter “photo mission” of my career’
-
He proposed shooting the city from an unusually high altitude to capture the illuminated lines formed by the streets of New York at night, so they look like brain synapses
-
One World Trade Center. Laforet says even 50 aerial missions did not prepare him for the fear of being that high above the city
-
Cameras have not been capable of capturing aerial images from a helicopter at night until very recently. Helicopters vibrate significantly so a relatively high shutter speed is required to keep the shot in focus
-
-
Broadway. Laforet, who was harnessed in along with his cameras, used a Canon 1D X and Mamiya Leaf Credo 50MP at 3200/6400 ISO with a set of f/1.2-f/2.8 lenses
-
Bridges over the east river. Shooting these images has been a long-held dream for the photographer
-
Lines of traffic near the Empire State building (bottom right). Laforet said one seasoned chopper pilot refused to go up to 7,500ft, insisting ‘helicopters are not meant to live in that realm’
-
A tilt and shift view of Manhattan
-
-
Manhattan and Central Park illuminated by the city’s lights
