A jarring juxtaposing of inequality can be found in dozens of places in South Africa, says Johnny Miller, the photographer whose work recently featured in the cover of Time magazine.
Miller has been documenting such cases of rich and poor living side by side through aerial photographs for his project Unequal Scenes, which highlights parts of South Africa – and the world – where wealth divides are clearly visible from the air.
He hopes that his work will spark debate and continue bringing attention to growing inequality.
In many cases, residents in wealthier suburbs had little idea how close they were situated to areas grappling with severe poverty, says Miller. Other times his project shows how wealthy suburbs shield themselves from areas of poverty with high walls, electric fences, or green boundaries.
The Time cover featured an aerial photograph of the Johannesburg suburbs of Primrose and Makause to showcase South Africa as the most unequal country on earth.
Miller says he plans to continue his Unequal Scenes project this year. He has also set up a project called africanDRONE, incubated by Code For Africa, which is empowering African drone operators, journalists, and enthusiasts to use drones for good.
“We see drones as profoundly democratic pieces of technology and want to use them to further understanding and awareness of our world,” he says.
These are some of the photos that make up Unequal Scenes in South Africa.
Johannesburg
Cape Town
Durban
Miller's work has now also taken him to other unequal societies – and his photos show that places such as Mexico City also have their share on inequality jarringly visible from the air.
See also: Drone photos of Mumbai reveal the places where extreme poverty meets extreme wealth
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