reuben wu uses drone LEDs to illuminate bolivia's remote landscapes

combining drone technology with the latest in photography, reuben wu captures dreamlike images of remote locations. the chicago-based photographer uses the piloted aircrafts to create aerial light sources, illuminating views for his ongoing series lux noctis. 

images courtesy of reuben wu / phase one

‘when I first started using drone lights in my photography, I just wanted to shoot landscapes at night and needed something to light the scene,’ wu explains. ‘I didn’t include the actual light paths. but then I noticed how the different shapes created by the light interacted with the landscape and decided to keep them in the final image. now I see it as a way to involve myself with the landscape, as the personal mark I add to a specific scenery.’

using the drones to create light paths, wu constructs geometric shapes that appear like halos hovering over the landscape. he uses them to illuminate inaccessible places like mountains, valleys and other remote locations.

for his most recent ‘lux noctis’ images, reuben wu travelled to bolivia sponsored by phase one, a danish company specializing in high-end digital photography equipment. wu used the brand’s XT camera system — a 150-megapixel model that costs $57,000 — to capture the country’s dynamic terrain.

video by phase one

‘my favorite memory from the trip to bolivia is shooting the salt flats at sunset. the salt forms these beautiful polygon-like shapes on the ground and, as the sun was setting, the shadows formed by the salt ridges became longer and longer, and so the landscape would look different every few seconds.

‘being there and watching the landscape change as the sunset moved across it, that feeling just stuck with me.’

project info:

photographer: reuben wu

company: phase one

camera: phase one XT 

series: lux noctis