Steinmetz, 51, has spent much of the last 12 years motoring above the African landscape in a gas-powered paraglider, engine and propeller strapped to his back, camera in both hands. His aerial images are deeply saturated with color, richly detailed, and struck with a perspective that you can only imagine as you stand on the ground and stare up at the birds. In dozens of stories for National Geographic and GEO and now in a gorgeous new book called African Air, Steinmetz has captured a view of the world that’s both documentary and art, with the rare ability to surprise and impress you at every turn of the page.
