Seeing from the Sky

CHRIS SMITH’S DRONE PHOTOGRAPHY REVEALS MESMERIZING PATTERNS IN BOTH NATURE AND THE ENGINEERED ENVIRONMENT, DRAMATICALLY ALTERING OUR POINT OF VIEW By Leslie Garisto Pfaff

Before he took up photography, Chris Smith was studying marine biology. Though the New Jersey resident never completed his degree, he’s had an abiding interest in science—particularly in physics and the branch of mathematics dealing with the infinitely complex patterns known as fractals—and he’d always hoped he could find a way to merge science and photography. Then came the drone, which afforded him vicarious views of the earth that revealed how very much nature is rooted in mathematics and those fascinating fractals. “You see these patterns popping up everywhere,” he says. “In the ice on a frozen lake, or the drying pattern of crystals on a salt flat.” One of the first photographers to get a drone license from the Federal Aviation Administration, Smith took up drone videography in 2015 and drone photography in 2018, when technological advances finally made it possible to take good, high-resolution drone images. His commercial work is mainly in weddings and real estate, but his passion projects nearly always involve nature and often depict water. “You’re seeing the laws of physics manifested in the landscape, in the way the water flows through the environment,” says Smith, 35.

Looking at Smith’s photos is an adventure in altered perspectives, like cracking open a geode and glimpsing the sublime crystalline patterns inside what you thought was an unprepossessing rock. It’s also, of course, a way to fly without leaving the ground.

Fidalgo Bay, Anacortes, Washington. Smith was drawn to this area by its extreme tides, and this photo was taken when the tide was near its lowest. In a basin under a line of train tracks, he says, he found “some very interesting patterns in the mud.” Smith was particularly intrigued by the contrast between the blue water and the peachy salmon color of the sand.

Lavender fields, Sault, France. Smith and his wife were taken with the sheer beauty of the lavender fields in Provence, which he calls “one of the greatest places I’ve ever been in my life.” In the center of the photo, his wife holds an umbrella. “I caught her in a candid moment, walking through the fields,” he says.

Left: Oswego River, New Jersey Pine Barrens. To capture the arresting patterns of the creek, Smith and his camera traveled by kayak to find the best possible aerial vantage point. (The kayak is visible in the photo.) This page: Lacey Township, New Jersey. Smith was photographing endangered tree frogs and carnivorous plants in the Pine Barrens when he discovered an auspicious spot for a selfportrait. “People ask for press photos, and I’ve got nothing,” he says, “so I’m trying to focus on getting some photos of myself.” MANN’S 47

Left: Perth Amboy, New Jersey. This shot of a chemical tanker traveling the Arthur Kill waterway appealed to Smith’s fascination with patterns—and water. His first job, at age 14, was as a mate on a fishing boat out of Point Pleasant. “I’ve always been around boats,” he says, “and they pop up in my work quite a bit.” Above: Swimming River Reservoir, Lincroft, New Jersey. Smith photographed the small island in late fall, when the trees were shedding their leaves. Beyond the autumnal palette, he liked the shot for what he describes as “a weird confluence of different-colored waters, with some leaves floating on the surface.”