Introduction to aerial photographs Learning Intentions
In this section, you will learn: zz that there are different types of aerial photograph zz to identify the time of year on aerial photographs zz to identify land uses and functions in urban and rural areas on aerial photographs
zz to identify transport issues on aerial photographs. Angle
Vertical Oblique
Foreground Background Horizon Function
Aerial photographs can be used to show features on the landscape. They are taken from the air and give us a bird’s-eye view of a landscape. We can learn a lot from studying aerial photographs, just as we do when we study OS maps.
We are now going to look at the skills you will need to interpret aerial photographs in Second Year. Types of aerial photograph
Aerial photographs can be taken from different angles in the sky. As a result of this we get two distinct types of aerial photograph. These are referred to as vertical and oblique aerial photographs. Vertical photographs
: Figure 7.6 How a vertical aerial photograph is taken
: Figure 7.5 A vertical aerial photograph
A vertical photograph is taken when the camera is facing directly downwards, as in the photograph above. Only the rooftops of buildings can be seen and all the features are scaled down equally. You cannot see the horizon on vertical photographs.
