Gray Malin, famed for his aerial fine-art photography series focused on beach scenes from around the world, grew up in Dallas but has fond memories of wintering at his grandparents’ home in Vero Beach.

“I remember the sunsets being pretty spectacular,” he says.

Inspiration for his over-water series hit Malin at The Palazzo hotel in Las Vegas while standing in a top-floor room with a bird’s-eye view of a swimming pool. Once he’d snapped the image through the window, he wanted to take more like it, so he went to Miami later that year. The problem? Many hotels wouldn’t allow him access. He did the next best thing—rented a doorless helicopter. This chopper adventure has led to two photo collections (A la Plage and Art Deco) of idyllic pools and beaches scattered with umbrellas and sunbathers.

“It’s a thrill, going up and having the wind against my face as I capture what’s going on below. I notice pops of color and shapes that form patterns that mesmerize me,” Malin says. graymalin.com