Adi Geisegger

Adi Geisegger’s photography journey began at age seven, when he received a camera as a gift. Right from the start, he had the desire to see the world from a different angle. “I climbed up a mountain with that camera thinking ‘The first photo on this roll needs to be something special. It must be a unique perspective.’ That was my first real landscape shot."
 
Adi eventually started working as a landscape photographer for the tourism industry. He has now been a professional photographer for over 20 years.

Eventually, Adi became fascinated with the idea of shooting from the sky. He experimented with aerial shots using homemade kite rigs before discovering paragliding. That was when the idea clicked. "I saw a paraglider and thought, this could be the solution. You have freedom up there — no windows, no vibration, just a chair in the air with 360-degree views."

Adi now combines his paragliding and photography skills to take stunning in-air shots. He is one of a handful of people in the world doing paragliding photography, and perhaps the only professional doing it as his main focus.

Shooting from the air presents serious challenges — both technical and physical. "You’re flying an aircraft at the same time as you’re shooting," Adi says. "You need to know when you can safely let go of the controls, grab your camera, take the shot, and return to flying."
 
Knowing when to shoot and when to fly is a decision that requires intense focus. "It’s always a bit of a gamble. The moment you let go of the controls to shoot, you have to be sure it’s safe. That confidence comes from spending thousands of hours in the air.”
 
His images are defined by a blend of high-altitude drama and serene landscapes. "In my heart, I’m still a landscape photographer," he says. "I try to create images where the paraglider is part of a bigger scene, but the landscape is the hero."

Adi’s work has taken him around the world, but one of his favorite projects was flying over the Egyptian pyramids. It was tough to organize, requiring permission from the Egyptian army, but resulted in once-in-a-lifetime shots.
 
“That was a childhood dream,” Adi explains. “Even in school, I was fascinated by Egypt, and 40 years later, I was flying above the pyramids with a camera in my hand."

Another of Adi’s standout projects was in Socotra, an island off Yemen. "It was an adventure just getting there. There had never been paragliding on the island, and we had to deal with travel restrictions and political instability."  
 
The project resulted in a documentary film, Forgotten Island, which toured cinemas and outdoor festivals.

One of Adi’s biggest ongoing challenges is shooting the Red Bull X-Alps, a grueling hike-and-fly race across the Alps. He’s been involved several times, documenting well-known athletes like Christian Maurer.
 
The race covers 1,280 kilometers and crosses the main ridge of the Alps four times. Pilots are allowed to choose when to hike or fly but cannot use motorized transport.  
"I have to train almost like the athletes do," he says. "I hike, fly, and race alongside them, carrying my gear and creating a lot of content in very tough conditions.”
 
Adi’s own experience as a paragliding competitor helps him throughout the experience. “It’s a very hard race, and the athletes aren’t going to wait for you. Sometimes I follow them, and sometimes I stay around the most beautiful landmarks and wait for them.”

Of course, not every flight goes according to plan. One particularly close call happened while shooting at the white cliffs of Dover in England. "I wanted to get this perfect shot looking back at the cliffs from the sea. To do that, I had to fly farther and farther out over the water."

Eventually, he pushed just a bit too far. "I ended up in a space near the cliff face where there was no lift, so I couldn’t get back to the ledge. There was no landing area either —just water and a small rock below. I managed to land on that rock, and my friends had to call for a boat to rescue me. If I’d gone in the water, it could’ve ended very differently.”
 
The risks are real, but so are the rewards. "That shot, though — it was worth it. I like to use my work to show people how amazing our planet is. Hopefully, some people will see these photos and be inspired to take care of it more.”

Adi’s workflow advice is simple but effective: plan ahead. “You need to have a strong idea for the images you want to create. Otherwise, you will be looking for ideas when you’re on location, and it will take your concentration away.”
 
This planning will affect all your decisions on the project — from briefing the rest of the team to bringing the right equipment.
 
Adi always tailors his setup to the environment. "Some cameras are better in low light, some have better resolution. You need to choose the right one for the job. Don’t use RAW just because everyone else does; go with what will work for you.”

Adi first heard about Angelbird from Christoph Malin, an astrophotographer friend. "He was shooting time-lapse footage on high mountains, in very cold temperatures, using Angelbird gear. So, I got the impression that Angelbird storage media must be very good.”
 
A few years later, he connected with Angelbird’s founder, Roman, and they hit it off. "It felt natural — more of a friendship than a business relationship. But he saw what I was doing in the air and said, 'You should be one of our ambassadors.'"

When it comes to shooting in the air, Adi finds that Angelbird products are essential. "I am a huge fan of the Angelbird memory cards, especially the CFexpress B and SD cards because they’re small, light, and incredibly durable," he says. "Sometimes I’m changing cards at 4,000 meters in freezing wind, in the middle of a cloud. In winter the temperature is minus 25 degrees, so I need gear that can handle it.”
 
Adi also uses Nikon cameras, primarily the Z8 and occasionally the Z9 for longer flights. His go-to lenses are a 24-120mm f/4 and a 14-24mm f/2.8. He also uses Insta360 cameras and drones for social content.

Adi regularly speaks to photography students and always delivers the same advice: be fully committed. "If you treat photography like a 9-to-5 job, you’ll never stand out," he says. "You have to live it. I’m not just a photographer during working hours — I’m a photographer during the whole day. It’s my life.”
 
“If you just follow what everyone else is doing, you’ll get lost in the crowd. So combine your talent with your passion. I feel like that’s what’s made me successful. And most of the time, I don't even feel like I'm working."
 
Adi’s passion for what he does has taken him far — figuratively and literally. His work has helped him get featured on the cover of every major paragliding magazine multiple times.

Adi stays inspired by going where no paraglider has flown before. He also looks to other photographers for motivation. "I love seeing how others shoot, how they grade their images," he says. "It gives me ideas and pushes me to evolve my style."
 
He mentions being inspired by another Angelbird Collective member, Pep Bonet. “We met at a Nikon event and became friends. It was really cool to see his style, and maybe we’ll do something together in future. He's living his dream, and it motivated me to keep pushing mine."