Aerial artistry

She continued to explore the drone's operating techniques during the journey. Several months later, on a trip to the island of Tanna in Vanuatu, located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, Liu shot one of her representative works titled The Epic of Tanna.

Carrying dozens of kilograms of equipment including two drones, cameras and a tripod, she spent 10 days filming on the crater of Mount Yasur, an active volcano.

Having to overcome volcanic winds, tremors caused by eruptions and corrosive gases, toxic ash and spewing lava, controlling the drones in flight proved a major challenge.

"I experienced immense self-confidence and a sense of triumph afterward. It made me more enthusiastic about aerial photography," Liu says.

Liu barely sees any difference between male and female aerial photographers, except that the female ones might be at a disadvantage when carrying very heavy equipment.