Thursday Salute to Originals: Limestone Wonders
Ukrainian photographer captures aerial shots of the Giza pyramid.
Alexander Ladanivskyy, a Ukrainian photographer, has traveled the world in search of the perfect shot. With a portfolio of spectacular images including Icelandic waterfalls and ancient cities in Jordan and Nepal, this global photographer is well on his way to several.
Last April, Ladanivskyy secured a contract with the Ministry of Tourism in Egypt to capture one of the single iconic landmarks on Earth — the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt.
As one of the most photographed landmarks on earth, the ancient stone construction is ubiquitous in tourists’ Instagram feeds and postcards. Naturally, Ladanivskyy wasn’t satisfied to take another generic shot for postcards. Using a drone, the photographer captured a brand new angle from above.
The top-view photos level out the 450-foot tall building into a flat, textured square. Each photo centers on the pyramid’s tip, or pyramidion, which was once capped by a massive stone structure that some archaeologists speculate was gilded in gold.
Looking closely at the high-resolution photographs, you can see graffiti and names etched in stone from a time when tourists and locals could more easily access the incredible structure.
This Thursday, we’re saluting Ladanivskyy’s incredible shot of the Pyramid of Giza and the incredible wonder of the ancient world itself. You can view a wide range of breathtaking travel photography on Ladanivskyy’s Instagram.
Sources: Alexander Ladanivskyy, This is Colossal