German-born, London-based artist and photographer Timo Lieber specializes in dramatic aerial photography such as this nighttime shot of London's Houses of Parliament.
London from above —
German-born, London-based artist and photographer Timo Lieber specializes in dramatic aerial photography such as this nighttime shot of London's Houses of Parliament.
Timo Lieber
He achieves these remarkable images by hanging out of a helicopter as it zooms over the UK capital. Here we see the London Eye and Hungerford and Golden Jubilee Bridges.
London Eye —
He achieves these remarkable images by hanging out of a helicopter as it zooms over the UK capital. Here we see the London Eye and Hungerford and Golden Jubilee Bridges.
Timo Lieber
"You lean out, vertically shoot down, and that gets this unique angle," Lieber tells CNN. This shot captures Waterloo Bridge as it leads up to the BFI IMAX cinema. Festival Pier is on the right.
London's South Bank —
"You lean out, vertically shoot down, and that gets this unique angle," Lieber tells CNN. This shot captures Waterloo Bridge as it leads up to the BFI IMAX cinema. Festival Pier is on the right.
Timo Lieber
"I absolutely love London's chaotic busyness," says Lieber. This photo shows Coventry Street, with Leicester Square on the left, and Shaftesbury Avenue leading up to Piccadilly Circus.
Leicester Square —
"I absolutely love London's chaotic busyness," says Lieber. This photo shows Coventry Street, with Leicester Square on the left, and Shaftesbury Avenue leading up to Piccadilly Circus.
Timo Lieber
Here are some earlier works in Lieber's "Lights of London" series. This shows the roundabout at Bank Station, the tube stop for the Bank of England and the Royal Exchange.
Bank —
Here are some earlier works in Lieber's "Lights of London" series. This shows the roundabout at Bank Station, the tube stop for the Bank of England and the Royal Exchange.
Timo Lieber
The Knightsbridge department store Harrods is one of the most popular sights for visitors to London, but few will have seen it like this.
Harrods —
The Knightsbridge department store Harrods is one of the most popular sights for visitors to London, but few will have seen it like this.
Timo Lieber
The festive funfair Hyde Park Winter Wonderland celebrates its 10th year in 2016. The 2015 version is pictured here. The funfair in Hyde Park opens again on November 18, 2016 and runs to January 2, 2017.
Hyde Park Winter Wonderland —
The festive funfair Hyde Park Winter Wonderland celebrates its 10th year in 2016. The 2015 version is pictured here. The funfair in Hyde Park opens again on November 18, 2016 and runs to January 2, 2017.
Timo Lieber
The multipurpose venue O2 Arena is where global megastars play when they come to town. Justin Bieber is playing six dates there between October 11 and November 29, 2016.
O2 Arena —
The multipurpose venue O2 Arena is where global megastars play when they come to town. Justin Bieber is playing six dates there between October 11 and November 29, 2016.
Timo Lieber
Oxford Circus -- the heart of London's shopping district -- rarely looks as ordered and serene as it does here.
Oxford Circus —
Oxford Circus -- the heart of London's shopping district -- rarely looks as ordered and serene as it does here.
Timo Lieber
"It's actually quite difficult to find to find compelling compositions in London," explains Lieber, but when you have "various streets coming together" -- like at Piccadilly Circus, pictured -- the geometry can be just right.
Piccadilly Circus —
"It's actually quite difficult to find to find compelling compositions in London," explains Lieber, but when you have "various streets coming together" -- like at Piccadilly Circus, pictured -- the geometry can be just right.
Timo Lieber
The 95-story Shard -- inaugurated in July 2012 -- is the UK's tallest building. There's an open-air observation deck on the 72nd floor.
The Shard —
The 95-story Shard -- inaugurated in July 2012 -- is the UK's tallest building. There's an open-air observation deck on the 72nd floor.
Timo Lieber
Lieber snapped this image from a helicopter while flying over the crystal-clear waters of a small bay on the south-east of the Spanish island of Mallorca. It's part of his "Best of Summer" series.
Mallorca, Spain —
Lieber snapped this image from a helicopter while flying over the crystal-clear waters of a small bay on the south-east of the Spanish island of Mallorca. It's part of his "Best of Summer" series.
Timo Lieber
Another from the "Best of Summer" series, this shows one of the most exclusive beaches on the Bahamas, known for its pink sands. It was shot from a small plane.
Bahamas —
Another from the "Best of Summer" series, this shows one of the most exclusive beaches on the Bahamas, known for its pink sands. It was shot from a small plane.
Timo Lieber
Lieber says that his "Destruction in Creation" series "plays on the notions of destruction and creation as a means of human interaction with nature."
Humans vs nature —
Lieber says that his "Destruction in Creation" series "plays on the notions of destruction and creation as a means of human interaction with nature."
Timo Lieber
Part of the "Earth Etchings" series, this picture shows underwater sand dunes in the Bahamas. Over a period of one week, Lieber spent close to 10 hours in a small single-engine aircraft photographing this <a href="index.php?page=&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FBahama_Banks" target="_blank" target="_blank">unique landscape</a> from above.
Earth Etchings —
Part of the "Earth Etchings" series, this picture shows underwater sand dunes in the Bahamas. Over a period of one week, Lieber spent close to 10 hours in a small single-engine aircraft photographing this unique landscape from above.
Timo Lieber
This aerial photograph of a glacial river in Iceland is part of Lieber's "Earth Patterns" series.
Glacial river in Iceland —
This aerial photograph of a glacial river in Iceland is part of Lieber's "Earth Patterns" series.
Timo Lieber
This "Earth Patterns" image shows a salt evaporation pond in France. "When you look at this image printed at 150 x 150cm the level of detail is just incredible," says Lieber. "You can see all the ripples on the water from the mistral -- a really strong wind I faced during the shoot."
Salt evaporation pond in France —
This "Earth Patterns" image shows a salt evaporation pond in France. "When you look at this image printed at 150 x 150cm the level of detail is just incredible," says Lieber. "You can see all the ripples on the water from the mistral -- a really strong wind I faced during the shoot."
Timo Lieber
Another salt evaporation pond from the "Earth Patterns" series, this time in the Bahamas.
Bahamas —
Another salt evaporation pond from the "Earth Patterns" series, this time in the Bahamas.
Timo Lieber
This "Earth Patterns" photograph was shot from a small plane and shows dryland farming in Spain.
Dryland farming —
This "Earth Patterns" photograph was shot from a small plane and shows dryland farming in Spain.
Timo Lieber
Timo Lieber's aerial landscape photography

Story highlights

Timo Lieber has traveled the world taking aerial landscape photographs

He pays tribute to his adopted home town in the series "Lights of London"

CNN  — 

“I’ll just step out for a second,” says aerial photographer Timo Lieber, before swinging out of the helicopter with his camera, just a few hundred meters over the glittering London cityscape.

CNN is with the award-winning German-born and London-based photographer on one of his nighttime shoots over the UK capital, as part of his astonishing photo series “Lights of London.”

“I love London and it feels like home now,” he says. “It is actually a quite chaotic place but it looks sensational when you are up there in the air.”

Late-night eats along London’s 24-hour tube

‘Fly with the right guys’

Timo Lieber Aerial London_00010320.jpg
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Helicopter ride over London at night
01:31 - Source: CNN

Lieber’s technique involves strapping himself into a helicopter with the seats ripped out, then hanging out of the aircraft to take his photos. The shoots over densely peopled areas require special permission, but he knows the right people.

“You can basically do what you want if you fly with the right guys,” he says.

Lieber’s methods may be high adrenaline but the resulting images are serene and eerily beautiful.

“The thing about aerial photography is that you are so far moved from the subject you are actually shooting, [it] allows you to play with compositions,” explains Lieber. You can “play with colors, with textures, with geometry, so that actually keeps things very, very simple.”

Inspired by our environment and the interaction between humans and nature, he travels around the globe to search for impressive images, from remote deserts to the Arctic Circle.

Visiting London? Insiders share tips

Uncommon perspective

“The way I started shooting was just shooting abstract landscapes,” he says. In series such as “Earth Patterns” and “Earth Etchings,” “very often you wouldn’t know what it is that I am shooting.”

Now he’s turned to attention to big city life and his adopted home town. “The main reason I went up there was to just really document the change that London is going through. One skyscraper is going up after the other. The aerial view is a very uncommon perspective you can take,” he adds.

“It just shows something that looks totally unreal from above and just different […] You can use it to tell a story.”

See more of Timo Lieber’s work on his website timolieber.com or follow him on Instagram at @timolieber