Dronestagram's top 20 pictures of 2016

Image 1 of 20

The world is more beautiful through a bird's eye view, one drone enthusiast says, and he has the photos to prove it.

A website dedicated to the growing field of photography via drones has once again chosen some of the best photos taken this year.  The top choices in Dronestagram's 'Best 20 of 2016' gallery include some of the winners of their third annual contest from earlier in the year, along with some striking new shots.

"This year again, we were all amazed by the great quality of the submitted pictures," offered Guillaume Jarret, head of Dronestagram's community.  "These pictures highlight the beauty of aerial photography in several areas: agriculture, sports, tourism, adventure, wildlife, landscapes, cultural heritage, people."

The vistas range from Niagara Falls to French Polynesia -- and many spots in between.  As with the site's annual contest, the shots depict the unique views that only a drone could capture.

"A good drone photo is a picture that you immediately identify as a drone photo: it is taken at a low altitude, near the target of the picture, and you must see on the picture that it is impossible it has been taken with another device than a drone," Jarret added.

Scroll through the photos above for all 20.

LINK: More from Dronestagram

Photos by Dronestagram users as credited, courtesy Dronestagram.