Drone Photos from Around the World That May Not Be Legal to Shoot Anymore

Michael Zhang

P2030059

After camera drones started taking off — both literally and figuratively — in the photography industry over the past few years, there was a brief window of opportunity for photographers to legally shoot aerial shots at many famous tourist locations around the world before authorities decided to make those spots off limits to drones.

Photographer Amos Chapple spent two years traveling the globe and doing as much drone photography as he could while “staying ahead of local laws against their use.”

Chapple was able to capture beautiful birds-eye views of many of the world’s best-known landmarks. “There was a window of about 18 months where it was possible to fly these things anywhere and people were excited to see it. I’m glad I made use of that time,” Chapple tells Business Insider.

“The window is now pretty well closed for drone photography in many of these sites,” the photographer tells us.

Taj Mahal as the day's first tourists trickle through the gates.
Taj Mahal as the day’s first tourists trickle through the gates.
Worker and Kolkhoz Woman striding into the future that was built for the soviet pavilion of the 1937 world fair in Paris. The steel masterwork now stands in the suburbs of northern Moscow.
Worker and Kolkhoz Woman striding into the future that was built for the soviet pavilion of the 1937 world fair in Paris. The steel masterwork now stands in the suburbs of northern Moscow.
Barcelona, Spain.
Barcelona, Spain.
Morning over Maximum City. Known to the locals as "Hill 3" this knoll jutting above Mumbai's northern slums is no more valuable than the land below. Access to running water, which the hill lacks, is far more valuable than any view.
Morning over Maximum City. Known to the locals as “Hill 3” this knoll jutting above Mumbai’s northern slums is no more valuable than the land below. Access to running water, which the hill lacks, is far more valuable than any view.
The Lotus Temple, dotted with pigeons at sunrise. Designed by an Iranian exile, the building serves as the centre of the Bahai'i faith in Delhi.
The Lotus Temple, dotted with pigeons at sunrise. Designed by an Iranian exile, the building serves as the centre of the Bahai’i faith in Delhi.
Jama Masjid, the heart of Islam in India. The red sandstone structure was built under the orders of the same Mughal emporer of Taj Mahal fame.
Jama Masjid, the heart of Islam in India. The red sandstone structure was built under the orders of the same Mughal emporer of Taj Mahal fame.
The Vittoria Light, overlooking the Gulf of Trieste at sunset.
The Vittoria Light, overlooking the Gulf of Trieste at sunset.
The Mtkvari River winding through Tbilisi, Georgia's elegant capital.
The Mtkvari River winding through Tbilisi, Georgia’s elegant capital.
The spiky skyline of Istanbul as a freighter sails for the Sea of Marmara.
The spiky skyline of Istanbul as a freighter sails for the Sea of Marmara.
The windswept Liberty Statue, overlooking Budapest. Built in 1947 by the new communist rulers for the “Liberating Soviet Heroes” the inscription was amended swiftly after the USSR collapsed, "To the memory of all those who sacrificed their lives for the independence, freedom, and prosperity of Hungary"
The windswept Liberty Statue, overlooking Budapest. Built in 1947 by the new communist rulers for the “Liberating Soviet Heroes” the inscription was amended swiftly after the USSR collapsed, “To the memory of all those who sacrificed their lives for the independence, freedom, and prosperity of Hungary”
Buda castle on August 20. The barge in the centre of the Danube is loaded with fireworks, launched later that night to celebrate Hungary’s national day.
Buda castle on August 20. The barge in the centre of the Danube is loaded with fireworks, launched later that night to celebrate Hungary’s national day.
The star fort at Bourtange. Three centuries after the last cannonball was fired in anger at the fort, it now serves as a museum and centre of a sleepy farming village in eastern Holland. The low, thick walls were designed to offset the pounding force of cannonfire.
The star fort at Bourtange. Three centuries after the last cannonball was fired in anger at the fort, it now serves as a museum and centre of a sleepy farming village in eastern Holland. The low, thick walls were designed to offset the pounding force of cannonfire.
Clouds swirl through the pillars of Sagrat Cor Church, high on a hill above Barcelona. Twenty minutes later a thunderstorm hit the city.
Clouds swirl through the pillars of Sagrat Cor Church, high on a hill above Barcelona. Twenty minutes later a thunderstorm hit the city.
Paris’ Sacré-Cœur glowing in a hazy sunrise.
Paris’ Sacré-Cœur glowing in a hazy sunrise.
The angel atop the Alexander column in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Built after Russia’s victory over Napoleon, the column's 600-ton granite trunk was tipped into place by 2,000 soldiers. It balances without any attachment to its base.
The angel atop the Alexander column in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Built after Russia’s victory over Napoleon, the column’s 600-ton granite trunk was tipped into place by 2,000 soldiers. It balances without any attachment to its base.
The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia.
The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia.
The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour on the banks of the Moskva River at sunrise.
The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour on the banks of the Moskva River at sunrise.
Hotel Ukraina, lit up at dusk.
Hotel Ukraina, lit up at dusk.
The Peter and Paul Cathedral, inside the Peter and Paul Fortress in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
The Peter and Paul Cathedral, inside the Peter and Paul Fortress in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
For Peter the Great, the windswept bog meant access to the Baltic sea, and the wider world beyond. With Swedish armies still rallying to recover the lost territory, the Russians raced to secure their gains. In 1704 the Admiralty shipyard was completed, allowing the construction of a naval force which would eventually rival the British Empire’s. Today the Admiralty’s gilded spire, topped by a weather vane in the shape of a ship, again marks the headquarters of the Russian Navy.
For Peter the Great, the windswept bog meant access to the Baltic sea, and the wider world beyond. With Swedish armies still rallying to recover the lost territory, the Russians raced to secure their gains. In 1704 the Admiralty shipyard was completed, allowing the construction of a naval force which would eventually rival the British Empire’s. Today the Admiralty’s gilded spire, topped by a weather vane in the shape of a ship, again marks the headquarters of the Russian Navy.
The Palace at Petergof, perched on a bluff overlooking the sea some 30km (19mi) from central Saint Petersburg. In his later years Peter the Great kept a study in the palace from where he could look out to the distant spires of Saint Petersburg, and the island fortress of Kronstadt guarding his new capital.
The Palace at Petergof, perched on a bluff overlooking the sea some 30km (19mi) from central Saint Petersburg. In his later years Peter the Great kept a study in the palace from where he could look out to the distant spires of Saint Petersburg, and the island fortress of Kronstadt guarding his new capital.
The Peter and Paul Cathedral in Peterhof, in Saint Petersburg, Russia, rising through winter mist.
The Peter and Paul Cathedral in Peterhof, in Saint Petersburg, Russia, rising through winter mist.
The angel atop the Alexander column. Built after Russia’s victory over Napoleon, the column's 600 ton granite trunk was tipped into place by 2,000 soldiers. It balances without any attachment to its base.
The angel atop the Alexander column. Built after Russia’s victory over Napoleon, the column’s 600 ton granite trunk was tipped into place by 2,000 soldiers. It balances without any attachment to its base.
The Church on Spilt Blood during a squally autumn morning. The church marks the spot where the reformist Tsar Alexander II was assassinated by a bomb-rolling revolutionary.  It was under Alexander that serfs were freed, and Alaska sold to the US for $7.2m.
The Church on Spilt Blood during a squally autumn morning. The church marks the spot where the reformist Tsar Alexander II was assassinated by a bomb-rolling revolutionary.  It was under Alexander that serfs were freed, and Alaska sold to the US for $7.2m.
The church was built only as an epitaph to the murdered Tsar and wasn’t intended for public worship. A patch of the cobbled street on which the Tsar lay mortally wounded is preserved within the old church, now open to the public as a museum.
The church was built only as an epitaph to the murdered Tsar and wasn’t intended for public worship. A patch of the cobbled street on which the Tsar lay mortally wounded is preserved within the old church, now open to the public as a museum.
The Hermitage Pavilion wreathed in dawn mist. The little “whipped cream” pavilion was an example of the decadence which would eventually topple the Tsarist autocracy. It was famous for parties where tables laden with food would rise from beneath the floorboards into groups of delighted guests. 
The Hermitage Pavilion wreathed in dawn mist. The little “whipped cream” pavilion was an example of the decadence which would eventually topple the Tsarist autocracy. It was famous for parties where tables laden with food would rise from beneath the floorboards into groups of delighted guests. 
The Katskhi Pillar, where a Georgian hermit has lived for the past twenty years to be "closer to god."
The Katskhi Pillar, where a Georgian hermit has lived for the past twenty years to be “closer to god.”

You can find more of Chapple’s work over on his website. Last year we also featured a series of photos Chapple shot in the world’s coldest village.

Image credits: Photographs by Amos Chapple and used with permission

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