Aerial Shots Of New York

The big apple of his eye: Photographer's amazing aerial shots of New York taken as he dangled out of a helicopter

• Jason Hawkes has taken hundreds of thousands of aerial photos and clocked innumerable hours in the sky above Manhattan

A photographer with a special knack for aerial shots has put New York City into perspective by only looking down on it from above.

Jason Hawkes boasts a portfolio of hundreds of thousands of aerial shots from all over the world and has produced 40 books of aerial photography.

But there is something especially stunning about the City that Never Sleeps when seen from the top down and Hawkes' method of getting his birds-eye-views are equally inspiring.

The intrepid photographer takes most of his shots from the passenger seat of a helicopter. While tethered in for dear life, he leans out the window and...voila.

From his vantage, sunsets in the city are even more riveting, the nightlife looks all the more exciting, and a walk in the park becomes an adventure into urban wilds.

Burning brightly: Aerial photographer Jason Hawkes has caught New York City in action many times of over the years. Here, Manhattan is seen at dusk from its southernmost tip

Splashing around: A pool in Central Park proves that New Yorkers may all be ants from above, but they're ants that can swim

Urban jungle: A tree-topped building in Manhattan's Upper East Side looks down on even more trees in Central Park

Cooling off: Lucky summer revelers swim atop a highrise in Manhattan's Kips Bay neighborhood

The new towers: One World Trade Center (center left) is topped by cranes set off by a Lower Manhattan sunset

Bustling hub: The piers along Manhattan's west side at dusk with One World Trade Center in the distance at far right

The Staten Island Ferry dutifully chugs along carrying commuters in waters below Manhattan

Standing tall: The curving lines of the art deco Chrysler building are a welcome change from rectangular boxes of most newer Manhattan construction

Urban reprieve: Stretching all along the middle of otherwise hectic Manhattan are the serene wilds of Central Park

Stunning: One World Trade Center catches the last hints of sunset on an evening in Lower Manhattan

Picnic time: Park goers lay out in the Chelsea sun on the west side of Manhattan

Technicolor: Hints of purples and reds offset the incandescent yellows as the lights of New York City switch on for the night

Towering: The iconic Empire State Building greets a new day

Anything but square: Times Square makes for an even brighter oasis of light in the city that never sleeps

Defiant: As the night darkens, the lights of the city skyline become ever brighter

Midnight sun: In Midtown Manhattan, the vibrant, neon stretches of Times Square light up the night

Light bulb built on light bulbs: The GE building's famous sign

Birds-eye-view: Hawke's name is apt. His photos could pass for the view of a bird swooping through Manhattan's most famous buildings