Pic(k) of the week 28: 500 FEET OVER THE VIGNARDS OF BURGUNDY

July 12, 2017

Pic(k) of the week 28: 500 FEET OVER THE VIGNARDS OF BURGUNDY

Last week, I flew my 1954 Piper Super Cub to Burgundy; a well known wine area in the South-East of France. Since the 63 year old vintage two-place airplane is perfect for Aerial photography, shooting some portfolio images was one of the main objectives of the trip.

As we were staying just outside a small grasstrip airport (Nuits Saint-Georges), I was able to do some interesting aerial photography early morning; leaving just after sunrise I was still able to be back for breakfast.

Flights like these, make me reflect why I became a pilot in the first place... There is something magical about flying at 500 feet over an amazing landscape at first light, all at a leisurely 70 knots. Flying with the door wide open makes it all that much intimate.

Although images like the one below can probably also be made with some kind of a drone, the experience is very different!

While I shot more 5 star (portfolio worthy) images during my days in Burgundy, the image of the Clos de Vougeot below, is the one that sticks out the most. The Clos de Vougeot doesn't produce its own wines anymore, but symbolises almost 1000 years of Burgundy history and still has a lot of very productive and well known vineyards around the property.

I was especially attracted by the way how the shadows casted over the vineyards and how peaceful the overall feel of the scene was; to me it clearly symbolises the joy of flight!