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Christiaan van Heijst began his career as a pilot in his 20s. However, his passion for photography began when he was just a child. In an interview with Muse World, Christiaan said he was fascinated by the scenery outside the airplane when he flew with his parents at the age of two.
It was also a passion that followed him into the cockpit of the planes that took him to the dreamlike heights of 10,000 meters, where he photographed everything that captivated him, from lightning flashes during storms, beautiful sunsets and sunrises, the aurora borealis, clouds, and hurricanes.
"It's like a peaceful solitude in heaven, a stark contrast to the rest of the world," he told CNN.
“I needed to take pictures because I realized that if I didn’t press the shutter, those things would disappear forever.” Van Heijst began taking photos from the cockpit of an airplane since his first flights 14 years ago, to Africa and Afghanistan. He says that the feeling of controlling a huge aircraft and then gazing at the world through the cockpit window, and then photographing what happens before his eyes, is amazing, especially when the aurora borealis is in front of him.
“Sometimes we fly for up to eight hours under the aurora borealis. Below is the Arctic ice and snow, and above is the aurora. It’s amazing.” This Dutch pilot uses his phone, camera, and film to express his passion, and the photos he takes, posted on his Instagram page, have gained a large following.
The photos are not only beautiful but also provide a perspective so that people can at least understand what pilots see during flights. Van Heijst also photographs his colleagues on the flight so that people can better understand their work and the hardships they face. Of course, flying remains his main job and what keeps him most focused, so "I only take photos when I can."
Notably, Christiaan van Heijst never attended any photography school. He bought his own camera, took his own photos, and gradually improved his skills through trial and error. Christiaan primarily relies on intuition to balance light, shadows, and composition in his work.
