Drone technology introduces new imagery to the contemporary tourist experience. This research aims to explore the relationship between the landscape and the self-presentation of photographers, mediated through the drone gaze, specifically, “dronies” (selfies taken using drones). This paper is conceptual and empirical and adopts a predominantly exploratory and qualitative approach. The corpus consisted of the universe of photographs on the specialized website Skypixel, with the hashtag #dronies and their respective metadata. Not surprisingly, when it comes to landscape features, the most common environment is the countryside. This study analyses tourist photographs inspired by Roland Barthes’ semiotic theory. The relay (relais) between photography and caption predominates. Studium is more common than pungent imagery; the former may reveal the intentionality of the photographer in rendering landscapes a spectacle. The analysis of emotions also points to positive feelings among the viewers. In dronies, a juxtaposition occurs between tourists’ self-representation and the features of the landscape, and it is at this point that the concept of the drone gaze emerges. This gaze is a proposal of ours. Although resulting from a combination of previous theorizations, this gaze is distinct, as it includies mobility and online sharing as relevant factors, right from its inception. We can also observe both ruptures and continuities with conventional selfies.
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Turismo: Visão e Ação, linked to the Graduate Program in Tourism and Hospitality - Master's and Ph.D., is a scientific journal published in a continuous flow system, with an interdisciplinary and international scope. According to Qualis/CAPES criteria (2017-2020), it is classified as 'A3' in the fields of Administration, Accounting Sciences, and Tourism. Registered with ISSN number 1983-7151, Tourismo: Visão e Ação began its activities in 1998 with printed publications in English and Portuguese. In 2008, it transitioned to an online publication, expanding its reach to a broader audience. It maintains a policy of being an open-access journal without submission or access fees. The abbreviated title for the journal is Tur., Visão e Ação, commonly used in bibliographies, footnotes, references, and bibliographic captions.
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