A very large vineyard area to the east of Cape Town, South Africa © Michael Fay / National Geographic / Offset

Seaweed farms in Bali, Indonesia © Brooke Whatnall / National Geographic / Offset

Fish traps in Kosi Bay, South Africa © Michael Fay / National Geographic / Offset

From the ground, these landscapes look perfectly natural, verdant with trees, grasses, and flowers. When viewed from the air, however, these sweeping expanses reveal themselves to be entirely manmade, composed of stripes, grids, cubes, and any geometric pattern imaginable. Our latest Offset show pulls together aerial landscape images from around the globe, from the rice fields of China to the salt-works of Namibia. Whether we’re soaring above South Africa or touching down in France, the extent to which we have reshaped our planet and harnessed the powers of the earth has never been more devastatingly beautiful.

Piles of salt in Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni © Art Wolfe / Mint Images / Offset

Plowed farmland landscape in the Northwestern United States © Art Wolfe / Mint Images / Offset

Aerial view of polder in the Netherlands © Peter Adams / Offset

Oxidized iron minerals in the water at an old mining area, Rio Tinto, Huelva Province, Spain © Peter Adams / Offset

Wind generators in the landscape of the Altamira Pass, California © Art Wolfe / Mint Images / Offset

Aerial view of salt-works in Namibia © Peter Adams / Offset

Rainforest remnant surrounded by farmland near Iguacu National Park, Brazil © Frans Lanting / Mint Images / Offset

Aerial view of Iowa fields, Des Moines © Galeries / Offset

View of a green field in Hartenholm, Germany © Frank Blum / Westend61 / Offset

Colorful “cobblestone” salt wells in Tegguiada-n-Tessoum © Michael Fay / National Geographic / Offset

Oyster farming in the Luderitz Bay, Namibia © Michael Fay / National Geographic / Offset

A mining operation with slag management and Acacia reforestation © Michael Fay / National Geographic / Offset

Aquaculture in Bay of Cadiz, Andalusia, Spain © Radius Images / Offset

English Lavender Field, Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur, France © Radius Images / Offset

Vineyard Landscape, Ortenau, Baden Wine Route, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany © Radius Images / Offset

Rows of slender trees on a tree farm in France © Stephen Sharnoff / National Geographic / Offset

Raised bed manioc culture in Zambia © Michael Fay / National Geographic / Offset

Hay Bales Near Jamestown, North Dakota © Galeries / Offset

Aerial view of terraced rice fields in Yuanyang, China © Art Wolfe / Mint Images / Offset

A Flock Of Sheep Gathering Together On A Farm in Hamburg, Germany © Galeries / Offset

Paddy fields of the South Central Plateau in Madagascar © Michael Fay / National Geographic / Offset

All photos featured in this post can be found on Offset, a new curated collection of high-end commercial and editorial photography and illustration from award-winning artists around the world. Offset is an exclusive category channel partner on Feature Shoot.

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