Shipping containers create a sea of colour from above

(Image: Alex MacLean/Beetles + Huxley)

Like Lego stacked by the gods, a sea of cargo becomes a patchwork of colour in this aerial photo of a huge shipping container terminal in Portsmouth, Virginia.

Alex MacLean captures his photographs from 5000 feet above Earth in a light airplane that he pilots himself. His bird’s-eye view reveals the large-scale traces of humanity around the world.

An exhibition of MacLean’s work, Aerial Perspectives, is at the Beetles + Huxley gallery in London until 29 March.

See more stunning aerial views in our gallery of Earth’s most colourful landscapes.