23rd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Travel
Vertical Ascent

Three glass-and-steel towers surge from the frame, their vertical ribs and reflective facets slicing a pale, empty sky; converging lines drag the eye upward to a single, tiny airplane that punctures the stillness and gives the composition a startling sense of scale.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 06.2024
Date Uploaded: 10.2025
Photo Location: Shanghai, China
Camera: ILCE-7RM4
Copyright: © Chunhui Ma