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Airportraits: Photographer documents the flight paths of the world's busiest airports

When we think of aeroplanes, flying overhead, we probably don't even consider how many have followed the same route that day, or how many hundreds of thousands of passengers have soared above us – embarking on a journey to another land.

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Composite image of dozens of aeroplanes at different altitudes simultaneously taking off and landing at Los Angeles International Airport against a clear blue sky, with airport buildings and mountains visible below

For Los Angeles-based photographer Mike Kelley, he loves to give us a glimpse of what we're missing by documenting the flight paths of some of the world's busiest airports. Shooting literally thousands of planes both landing and taking off, he then combines his images into composite portraits – giving a fascinating, but shocking insight into how busy our skies have become.

As we await the announcement next week on whether the UK government would prefer to expand Heathrow or Gatwick airport, this incredible 'Airportraits' series shows how much smaller the world has become as more and more of us take to the skies to venture further afield.

A native of Ipswich Massachusetts, Mike studied Studio Art and Environmental Science at the University of Vermont before venturing out to Lake Tahoe, California in hopes of becoming a professional snowboarder. A couple of years and countless injuries later, Mike found himself taking up an offer to photograph a few homes for a developer friend he met while recuperating. What started out by chance transformed into a career in photography. Today he shoots architecture and interiors for clients across the world, as well as enjoying a few personal projects. Discover more of Mike's work at www.mpkelley.com.

Via direct submission | All images courtesy of Mike Kelley

Composite image of dozens of aircraft stacked vertically above green fields and a waterway, showing flight paths over a busy airport
Composite image of dozens of aeroplanes stacked diagonally across the sky above a runway at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, showing the volume of daily air traffic
Composite photograph of dozens of aeroplanes stacked in the sky above a busy motorway with cars and green verges visible below
Composite photograph showing dozens of aircraft in various flight positions above an airport runway and terminal buildings against a blue sky with white clouds
Multiple aircraft stacked in composite formation above a city skyline, showing the busy flight paths documented in Mike Kelley's Airportraits series
Composite photograph showing dozens of aircraft of varying sizes and airline liveries overlaid against a clear blue sky, creating a dense pattern of planes at different angles
Dozens of colourful aircraft from various airlines composited in formation above Munich Airport, with spectators watching from a grassy field below
Composite portrait showing dozens of aircraft in flight simultaneously above an airport runway, with spectators watching from an observation area below
Composite photograph showing dozens of commercial aircraft from various airlines stacked densely across a blue sky above an airport runway and green fields
Composite aerial photograph showing dozens of commercial aircraft in various colours and sizes arranged against a bright blue sky, viewed from directly below
Composite image showing hundreds of aircraft stacked vertically across the sky above a green field with grazing elephants and airport buildings in the distance
Dozens of aircraft in flight patterns above an airport runway with parked planes and suburban landscape below
Dozens of aircraft in various airline liveries ascending simultaneously above a sandy beach and blue ocean, with a city skyline visible in the distance under a partly cloudy sky
Composite photograph showing dozens of aircraft at various altitudes flying above a coastal city with mountains in the distance and water below
Composite photograph showing dozens of aircraft stacked in flight paths above a green valley landscape with airport infrastructure below
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