Capturing the world from above, Ukrainian photographer Denys Bilytskyi has made it his mission to capture and convey the atmospheric moments that our European landscapes have to offer. Denys manages to catch those fleeting moments that our human eyes may overlook or are unable to see without the aid of modern photography equipment.
So, take a journey with us as we uncover why Denys fell in love with photographing mountains, what have been his favourite landscapes to capture and how he prepares to use his drone to achieve the perfect composition.
CG: Can you tell us about your journey in becoming a photographer and specifically a landscape/drone photographer?
DB: Many years ago, when I started running with a friend, we often trained in beautiful and atmospheric places – at sunset, at night, in fog. I began to feel a strong desire to capture those moments and convey the atmosphere I experienced. That’s how my passion for photography started. Then I bought my first camera – Nikon D40. At first, I shot exclusively night landscapes. Long-exposure photography felt magical and calming to me. Later, I began photographing sunrises and sunsets. For many years it remained a hobby, but since 2015 I have been a full-time stock photographer. A few years later, I bought my first drone which opened up completely new creative possibilities.
CG: Where has been your favourite landscape to capture and why?
DB: My favourite subjects are the Milky Way in the mountains and the Northern Lights in the Lofoten Islands. Photographing the Milky Way feels almost fairy-tale-like and meditative, because our eyes can’t see what a modern camera can – the colour, the texture, the depth. The photo reveals an entire hidden world. The Northern Lights are an absolutely breathtaking phenomenon, probably the most beautiful natural event I’ve ever witnessed, and the fact that its origin is cosmic makes it even more astonishing
CG: Tell us a story behind your most difficult shot.
DB: I can’t pick a single “most difficult” shot, but the story that comes to mind is connected with the first landscape shot that brought me a bit of recognition in a small community. It was taken at Mountain Ai-Petri in Crimea, Ukraine. At that time Crimea had not yet been occupied by Russia, and I travelled there often. I still lived in Donetsk, and my friend and I decided to visit Crimea in autumn to photograph landscapes.
One day, before sunrise, we drove into the mountains. During the night the wind was strong, branches and stones were scattered across the road on the way up, but early in the morning the wind suddenly calmed, and the mountain forest became surrounded by clouds. It looked like scenery for a fantasy film. We spent the entire day photographing the misty forest and waterfalls in the canyon. It was golden autumn. By evening we were exhausted, we hadn’t eaten all day and had been shooting without a break. After sunset we planned to go home, but while driving past the summit, we suddenly noticed that we were above the clouds.
Despite being completely drained, we decided to climb to the very top and photograph the rocky peaks rising above the cloud layer, illuminated from below by the city lights and there was a moonrise. The climb took about thirty minutes, but when we reached the edge of the cliff, all our fatigue disappeared – we saw one of the most beautiful landscapes of our lives.
CG: How do you capture your magnificent drone images? Is there a lot of preparation involved?
DB: First, I always check the weather forecast in the location I want to shoot. I also look at local webcams to understand whether it even makes sense to go. Then I study the map to choose safe and unobtrusive take-off points, places where I won’t disturb anyone and where I can reach my target composition. If the place is more than about 2 km away, it’s usually not practical , the drone battery drains too fast, and the signal can become unstable. It also helps a lot to look at photos from other photographers to get a better idea of the area.
CG: Can you tell us what is in store for you in 2026 and what projects you will be working on throughout the year? Anything we should look forward to seeing in your Alamy collection?
DB: I don’t have any specific projects or strict plans for 2026. I don’t follow trends – I prefer to shoot only what I genuinely enjoy and what has some commercial potential. Last year I photographed the Bernina Express trains in Switzerland, and I really enjoyed that experience. I would love to capture something similar in other EU countries in 2026, and of course, mountains – they remain my biggest passion.
We hope you enjoyed learning a little about drone and landscape photography from Denys and how passion can go a long way when it comes to capturing the content you love. You can check out the rest of Deny’s collection here and keep up to date with his adventures on his Instagram page here.
As always, come back next month to see who is up next for our Instagram spotlight feature.