Helicopter heights: Photographer Jin-Woo Prensena takes aerial photographs with a twist -- the daredevil lensman hangs out of helicopters to take his striking shots. "Aerial fine art photography attracts me because it is one of the most challenging types of photography," Prensena tells CNN Travel. Pictured here, LAX airport, Los Angeles, California.
Meticulous planning: "Everything has to be right: weather, extensive planning, high-quality gear and the best photo equipment all securely strapped either to me or the helicopter," Prensena explains. It's a complicated art, but the German-born, LA-based photographer has become renowned for his stunning aerial shots. Pictured here: Mallorca, Spain.
International influencer: Prensena loves to travel -- he's got an international background and a penchant for adventures: "English is my second language," he explains. "I originally come from Germany and my parents come from South Korea." Pictured here: Mallorca, Spain.
![<strong>Hollywood heights</strong>: Prensena also traveled a lot for his first job -- and moved in high-profile circles. "I worked for around 12 years for a very well-known, A-list celebrity as his estate manager/handler," explains the photographer. "I traveled all over the world [...] I started wanting to capture all the experiences I had throughout the travel. That's how I got slowly into photography."<em> Pictured here: Montauk, New York.</em>](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/171019165557-surfers-iii.jpg?q=w_4000,h_2250,x_0,y_0,c_fill/h_447)
Hollywood heights: Prensena also traveled a lot for his first job -- and moved in high-profile circles. "I worked for around 12 years for a very well-known, A-list celebrity as his estate manager/handler," explains the photographer. "I traveled all over the world [...] I started wanting to capture all the experiences I had throughout the travel. That's how I got slowly into photography." Pictured here: Montauk, New York.
Technical and creative: Prensena was intrigued by the artistic challenge presented by aerial photography: "In general I'm drawn to -- especially within photography -- the need to be creative and also the technical aspects, both of these factors have to come together," Prensena explains. Pictured here: Capo di Conca, Conca dei Marini SA, Italy.
Daredevil extremes: Inspired to take to the skies, Prensena teamed up with his friend Aaron Fitzgerald, a skilled helicopter pilot from Airborne Images. "We're both daredevils and so I said in an ideal world I would love to shoot not just in a helicopter but actually hanging out, it gives me much more freedom to use the camera in any type of angle," says Prensena. Pictured here: Da Luigi, Italy.
Unique experience: Prensena, pictured here, says the sensation of photographing the world from above is a spectacular one. "You're totally fueled up with adrenaline, but then on the other hand you have to be creative," he says. "You have to be technically very savvy, you're up in the air and you have to be creative as well." Pictured here: Prensena photographing LA from the sky.
Aerial angles: Prensena says being suspended in the sky gets the best pictures: "Actually hanging out, it gives me much more freedom to use the camera in any type of angle," says Prensena. "Especially if I want to shoot vertically, fully vertical down, which, I believe, as a photographer, gives you a very unique angle." Pictured here, Downtown Los Angeles, California.
Unique perspective: His eye-catching shots depict skies and cities in a unique way. Some of his most striking photos show planes flying below his helicopter: "They were taken at 7,500 feet up in the air," says Prensena. "If you look at them there's still a simplicity about it." Pictured here: LAX airport, Los Angeles, California.
![<strong>Safety and security:</strong> Helicopter photography is a scary business for Prensena -- he also has to be conscious of the security of others: "Because safety is number one [...] everything in the helicopter has to be strapped or connected to the helicopter, just so there is no possible chance that anything could fly out," says Prensena. <em>Pictured here: Santa Monica Beach, California.</em>](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/171019165526-santa-monica-beach-2.jpg?q=w_4000,h_2250,x_0,y_0,c_fill/h_447)
Safety and security: Helicopter photography is a scary business for Prensena -- he also has to be conscious of the security of others: "Because safety is number one [...] everything in the helicopter has to be strapped or connected to the helicopter, just so there is no possible chance that anything could fly out," says Prensena. Pictured here: Santa Monica Beach, California.
Shaky experiences: The photographer says the experience up in the air can be difficult: "It is windy, shaky, extremely loud, where you can't hear the shutter and your eyes constantly water up due to the high winds," he says. "One thing that I learned very quickly is that hanging out on the ground of the helicopter is very different than hanging out up in the air of the helicopter." Pictured here: Downtown Los Angeles, California.
Perfect places: Prensena classifies himself as an aerial fine art photographer. He's attracted to beautiful colors and scenery: "It's important that the final shot looks how I envisage it in my head," says Prensena. "As a fine art photographer versus a documentary photographer or an advertising photographer, you have, I think, a little bit more freedom." Pictured here: Faraglioni, Capri, Italy.
Large scale: Prensena's photographs are designed to be viewed large-scale. He sells his prints on canvases up to 58x103 inches (147x261 cm) in size: "I shoot mainly on a Phase One XF 100MP medium format camera system," he says. Pictured here: Fontelina Capri, Italy.
Skill set: Prensena's former life as a Hollywood handler imbued him with top organizational skills, which are useful in his photography career: "I think aerial photography has to do with a lot of logistics, so a lot of planning," he says. Pictured here: LAX airport, Los Angeles, California.
Conversation starter: Prensena is still popular in Hollywood: "I have a pretty good celebrity clientele," he admits. "In Los Angeles I'm doing extremely well already, so most of my business comes from word of mouth because all of my prints are so big and once they go up on the wall they become a topic of conversation automatically." Pictured here: Universal Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.
Big names and big impressions: Prensena says major divorce attorney Laura Wasser is one of his biggest clients. "She represents Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp, they got me for their new office to put art up," he says. "They first purchased five prints and then another five prints, they called me half a year later -- we are at 25 large-scale prints." Pictured here: Fontelina, Capri, Italy.
![<strong>Unorthodox exhibitions:</strong> Prensena has also dabbled in exhibitions, but never in traditional spaces. "I like to think a bit more outside the box, I always try and find different ways and not necessarily go the traditional route," he says. "When I had an exhibition at the 45 Park Lane hotel [in London] it is actually not a gallery but a very prestigious hotel [...] I like the idea to showcase my work in an environment like that, versus in a traditional gallery." <em>Pictured here: Marina Del Rey, California.</em>](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/171019165801-waiting-for-water.jpg?q=w_4000,h_2250,x_0,y_0,c_fill/h_447)
Unorthodox exhibitions: Prensena has also dabbled in exhibitions, but never in traditional spaces. "I like to think a bit more outside the box, I always try and find different ways and not necessarily go the traditional route," he says. "When I had an exhibition at the 45 Park Lane hotel [in London] it is actually not a gallery but a very prestigious hotel [...] I like the idea to showcase my work in an environment like that, versus in a traditional gallery." Pictured here: Marina Del Rey, California.
High quality: Prensena puts his success down to his quest for quality and the intricacy of his pictures: "I think what my buyers can relate to is that they know that I strive always for the best quality," says Prensena. "I'm drawn to obviously beautiful images, but behind the scenes I'm willing to go the extra step and to take any possible challenges on, in order to get that image." Pictured here: Mallorca, Spain.
Simple pleasures: Despite the high-pressure backstory behind the pictures -- the resulting images have a calming quality. "The actual image quite often has an almost peacefulness and serenity about it," agrees Prensena. "From what I've heard from my buyers, they really appreciate that effort that has been put into, combined with pretty much the best camera equipment you can get." Pictured here: Mallorca, Spain.
New heights: In an exciting new move, Prensena recently collaborated with actress and businesswoman Jessica Alba and Honest Company. "I shot the cover art for all four scents, Lavender Field, Grapefruit Grove, Free and Clear and Coastal Surf, which is an aerial shot of the Napali Coast of Kauai," he explains. Pictured here: Mallorca, Spain.
International market: Prensena hopes to continue to create his prints and travel to more locations across the world -- opening up his photographs to an international market. "I'd love to have an exhibition in South Korea, because that's where my original heritage is coming from," he says. Pictured here: Mallorca, Spain.
Future ambitions: Prensena says he would also like to photograph other destinations from the air. "The list is long, but I would like to shoot over Africa, especially during the migration time, when all the animals move from one place to another. And then also flying over Antarctica," he adds. Pictured here: Venice Skate Park, Los Angeles, California.
