The Above & Across coffee table book series, devoted to aerial photography of cities around the world, turns its cameras on Philadelphia in its newest installment, writes Kimberly Haas for Hidden City.
Helicopters, observation decks, and drones helped eleven photographers showcase the city from above. Among them is Philadelphia’s own Luke Cuccurullo, a professional photographer who began using drones last year.
“The aerial view, with its different angle, has been really interesting,” he said. “Philadelphia is pretty flexible when it comes to what you can do with drones. In places like New York City, there are a lot more restricted areas.”
The Chicago-based editors of the series assembled a list of images of the city’s iconic locations and then contacted Philadelphia-based photographers by searching on Instagram.
“I asked them, ‘what do you not have?’” said Cuccurullo. “They sent a checklist of about 20 sites and gave me a week to shoot them. It was tough, a week of bad weather, but I got it done.”
The Philadelphia edition marks the fifth release in the series, showcasing everything from the iconic historic landmarks to skyscrapers and sports stadiums.
Read more about Above & Across Philadelphia and the stunning photography it has in Hidden City.
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Editor’s Note: This post first appeared on PHILADELPHIA Today in November 2025.
