The shortlist of finalists in Sony’s 2018 World Photography Awards has been released, and of course there are some real beauts.

What the list of finalists also reveals is a shift in the way that many snappers are taking their photos.

We’re never going to see the end of handheld cameras with telephoto lenses, but it seems like every good photographer should start adding a birds-eye view to their armoury.

According to head judge Zelda Cheatle, who spoke with Quartz, the game is changing:

There was a very significant change in the entries to the Open [single image] competition this year, as so many more were drone images.

The same criteria applies to drone photographers as land or sea-based; the content has to have something special—composition, impact, skill, portraying something special or different or informing in a new way.

Yup, drones are all the rage. That photo up top, before we dive in, was taken deep in the mountains in Sichuan Province in China. What you’re looking at is water and minerals creeping down from the turquoise calcified ponds formed naturally in a valley.

Let’s look at some of the other standout entries:

An image from “We Live in a Symmetrical World” (Varun Thota/Sony World Photography Awards)

A drone’s eye view of a traditional Chinese circular tulou building. (Chaoyang Cai/Sony World Photography Awards)

A fashion show held at a national park in Guigong City, Guangxi Province, China. (Shifang Lin/Sony World Photography Awards)

In China, new senior middle school students have their military training at the beginning of the first year’s school term. (Xiaoxiao Liu/Sony World Photography Awards)

Early morning fishing in the Baltic Sea near Klaipėda,Lithuania. (Andrius Kundrotas/Sony World Photography Awards)

Morning mist over Zhuzhou, Hunan Province, China. (Ming Luo/Sony World Photography Awards)

November 2017 Photograph shot on Putrajaya in Yunnan ，China, to showcase its beautiful scenery. (Lin Chen/Sony World Photography Awards)

Wow, a lot of those were taken in China. Let’s finish with one that isn’t:

An aerial view of the Glacial River in Iceland. (Manish Mamtani/Sony World Photography Awards)

I feel soothed.

There’s no doubting your photo skills (I saw that #nofilter sunset you posted the other day, truly breathtaking), but maybe it’s time you took the plunge drone-wise.

You’ll find drones on weFix that range from R1 799 (yes, for a drone) right through to R50 000 and above, so take a look around and see if there’s anything that catches your fancy.

Hopefully we’ll be seeing your photos in next year’s list of finalists – #nofilter, of course.

[source:quartz]