Renowned photographer, filmmaker and a host of other titles Vincent Laforet describes Gotham 7.5 as the “scarriest helicopter ‘photo mission’ of my career … and the most beautiful.

Held only by a body harness and in the care of a highly experienced helicopter pilot, Laforet photographed the magic of Manhattan from 7,500 feet above the night skyline, writing:

I was recently on assignment for ‘Men’s Health Magazine’ and I proposed shooting the city from an unusually high altitude so that we could capture the lines that are formed by the streets of New York at night. It was an article about psychology and I’ve always thought that from a high altitude the streets looked like brain “synapses” - at least to me.

Laforet explains that he has long dreamed of taking these images, but his brain was ahead of the camera technology. Helicopters vibrate significantly, requiring night images to be shot at a very fast shutter speed.

The height also presented challenges for a helicopter. After all, at 11,000-12,000 feet, oxygen masks are required. In a moment of serendipity, Laforet and his pilot were flying ABOVE all the airline traffic landing at New York’s three airports: JFK, LGA and Newark.

Indeed, these images capture the magic of a Manhattan night. Exquisite.