A view of the sunrise from a mountain top in Tibet, captured by Li Heng. (Photo provided to China Daily)
In 1858, the French photographer and balloonist Gaspard-Felix Tournachon, known as Nadar, took the first aerial photo from a balloon over Paris.
His photos may not have survived, yet his successors over the decades continued to practice aerial photography using balloons, blimps and dirigibles, helicopters and rockets.
And it wasn't until recently that aerial photography remained a minority pursuit, as the current crop of consumer drones－smaller, more affordable and easier to operate－drew people in.
Operating a drone in person and seeing the panoramic view from high above arouses not only users' pleasure, but also the boundless creativity of human nature.
Indeed, the last few years have witnessed a boom in the consumer-drone market.
