By Mark McConville
STRIKING bird’s eye view pictures from a new book have revealed the impact humans are having on the earth’s environment.
The incredible aerial images show colourful tulip fields, the blackened earth around mines and brown slowly replacing green due to deforestation.
Other stunning shots show other man-made structures such as dams taking over the landscape, a rusting train graveyard and pier stretching out into the ocean.
The amazing photographs were taken across Germany by photographer Tom Hegen (27), from Munich, as part of his HABITAT project.
“I photograph landscapes, that have been heavily transformed by human intervention and show places, where nature is channelled, regulated and controlled,” he said.
“From a distance – from the top – the often irreversible trace that we have left on our planet is even more evident as high provides an overview that is able to reveal information.
“The Idea for this project HABITAT started when I visited an exhibition in Munich about the concept of the Anthropocene five years ago.
“I was fascinated and also shocked by the sheer impact, we as human beings have on our environment. I wanted to explore the idea of the Anthropocene with my own creative language.”
Hegen uses different methods and techniques to capture his photos including hot air balloons, helicopters, planes and multicopters.
He explained the concept of Anthripocene and what it means for the human race and our environment.
“It is a term used by scientists which theorize that humans, in recent centuries, have become one of the most important factors influencing the biological, geological and atmospheric processes on Earth,” he said.
“Some of the most significant changes in the Anthropocene include climate change, the ozone hole in the Antarctic, rapidly rising sea levels, and landscape changes caused by river shifts or the degradation of raw materials.
“In my photography, I explore the origin and scale of that idea in an effort to understand the dimensions of man’s intervention in natural spaces and to direct attention toward how humans can assume responsibility.
“Aerial photography is a compelling way to document those interventions because it basically makes the dimensions of human force on earth visible.”
To pre-order the book please see https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/497931630/habitat-human-altered-landscapes-aerial-photo-book