SAFA Skysailor Magazine

28 SKY SAILOR May | June 2023 Powered paragliders capture the state of nature above seven summits Sports aviation’s unique ability to capture views from a sky-high perspective while showcasing the freedom and beauty of the Earth is being utilised to record the state of nature across the world’s natural wonders. The ‘Above the 7 Summits’ project is an aerial photography expedition thought up by a team of Japanese powered paraglider pilots. They will capture imagery from above the tallest peaks in each of the seven continents, including Australia’s very own Mt Kosciuszko, in May this year. The other peaks that will be captured over the next several years will include Mt Kilimanjaro in Africa, Mt Denali in the North America, Mt Aconcagua in South America, Mt Elbrus in Europe, Mt Vinson in Antarctica and Mt Everest in Asia. Coordinator Erika Takeuchi said the project is the first of its kind and will generate photos and videos that are valuable records of the state of nature as it remains on Earth today. “As an experienced photographer with a keen eye and skill to capture the essence of the natural world, principal of this project, Naoh Yamamoto has the ability to create and fix images that are not only factually accurate but also beautiful and moving,” Erika said. Yamamoto is experienced in aerial pho- tography from a powered paraglider and has produced a series of photography under the title ‘Earthscape’, with the byline ‘photography to feel the Earth’. “Yamamoto tries to capture the scenery according to his own experience – wind, tempera- ture, smell, sound – and his emotions, by flying by paramotor rather than in an enclosed aircraft or using an unmanned drone,” Erika added. Copyright © Naoh Yamamoto