A small team of Russian photographers have quietly been creating some of the most detailed panoramas in the world

AirPano is made of eight team members, who have wide-ranging backgrounds (civil engineering and medical cybernetics, among others). The amateur photographers are currently traveling around the world, shooting major cities and other sites of interest.

The group mainly shoots from helicopters, using a specialized rig that holds 3-4 cameras, arranged circularly. They also sometimes shoot from rooftops or use light jets, dirigibles, hot air balloons and radio-controlled helicopters.

Sergey Semonov, who created a panorama of Manhattan that won first prize at the Epson International Photographic Pano Awards, told The Atlantic why he finds panoramic photography so interesting.

"I like new, progressive and unique things,” Semonov said.

The group has created over 700 panoramas already, which you can check out on their website. We’ve put together a selection of our favorites.