“From an early age on I have found great joy in capturing the beauty of natural light in all its forms,” writes Heijst on his website. “Later on, I combined that with flying and a new passion emerged. Seeing the entire world in my job, I feel privileged to be in a position to capture many different parts of the planet through my camera and immortalize the beauty of the places I visit.” Shooting with a Nikon D800, the flying Dutchman captures beautiful pictures of thunderstorms, sunsets, full moons, and even the northern lights.

More info: Christiaan van Heijst (h/t: petapixel)

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The Northern Lights from inside the cockpit of an airliner.

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The Milky Way glowing over Calcutta, India.

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A sunset over the Atlantic Ocean.

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Rays of sunlight streaming through clouds in Latacunga, Ecuador.

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A huge thunderstorm cloud casts a huge shadow over the state of Minnesota.

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Glowing auroras above, glowing thunderstorms below.

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Sunlight streaming through clouds onto the state of Alaska.