Gunārs Dukšte – a licensed pilot, instructor, examiner and inspector – is a ballooning pioneer in Latvia. He has been involved in ballooning since 1991 when the first hot-air balloon appeared in Latvia. Gunārs holds all three of Latvia’s records for hot-air balloons – distance, duration and altitude. A devoted photographer, Gunārs and his camera have been flight companions for many years.

“Most of the photographs in this collection differ from traditional aerial photography. Don’t spend too much time trying to spot popular tourist and historical sites, or even classic “picture perfect” postcard scenes in this collection. The pictures contain my thoughts and some views of Latvia from above, images captured while coasting over the countryside. Each one is like a small painting created by the greatest artist of all, Nature,” Gunārs Dukšte says about his works.