London from the Air 

2023 Winner of The Architecture MasterPrize for Exterior Architecture, Cityscapes“Photographer Jeffrey Milstein gives us a bird’s eye view of the British capital in London From The Air, an elegant, eye-popping collection of images that provide rare perspectives of the city on the Thames. In 2000, after a successful career in architecture, New York-based Milstein shifted his focus to photography at age 56. A lifelong aviation buff who earned his pilot’s license at age 17, Milstein’s first major body of work featured aircraft shot from below as they landed and was exhibited at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. Soon after, he flipped the direction of his camera and began shooting high resolution images of cityscapes from above. The 228 color pages in this bargain-priced coffee table volume offer breathtaking looks at London landmarks old (Big Ben, Buckingham Palace) and new (the cheekily nicknamed skyscrapers Gherkin, Scalpel and Shard). But the book’s greatest revelation is the bounty of green space within a city so often thought of as crowded and gray. From the grand corridor of Regent’s Park to the Kensington Palace gardens to the tree-lined residential neighborhoods of Camden borough, Milstein’s photos, taken from a specially permitted low-altitude helicopter, offer gloriously verdant views of London.” — Passport Magazine“‘To fly from, need not be to hate, mankind,’ wrote Byron, in a remark definitely not made about aerial photography. But as Jeffrey Milstein demonstrates in London from the Air, to fly above London is to appreciate the great works of man, albeit from an unusual perspective. And so, we feel the regularity of Christopher Wren’s Chelsea Hospital even more keenly when we see it from above. John Nash’s great swoop of Regent Street expresses itself more forcefully when taken in at one go. Milstein, a photographer, architect, and pilot, brings us on a flying tour of the Big Smoke, revealing the human achievement by soaring above.” — THE NEW CRITERION“Jeffrey Milstein shoots straight – straight down, that is. Numerous photographs in his [new] book…showcase that signature style. While many of us have snapped a photo from an airplane window, Milstein’s images elevate the practice to a new level: graphic, arresting and unexpected, they reveal whole new perspectives on even the most familiar cityscapes below.“ — FOUR SEASONS MAGAZINE“Both an acclaimed photographer and a pilot…Milstein’s distinctive point of view brings the city [of London] to life in a way that street pedestrians cannot begin to fathom. Taken from helicopters granted permission to bypass ordinary laws around aerial photography, the over 200 photographs in this volume capture the charm of the capital city in an iconic and unforgettable way.“ — CHRONOGRAM

Jeffrey Milstein is a photographer, architect, and pilot. His work has appeared in numerous publications, including CNN Money, the Daily Mail, Elle Decor, Esquire, Fortune, Time, the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, and Wired. His work can be seen at LACMA, the Smithsonian Institution, George Eastman House, and the Akron Art Museum. He lives in Woodstock, New York.