F4LUFTBILDER
Stříbro from the town square to the surrounding area
In the Czech town of Stříbro, the large open area of the central square between the roofs is striking. Closer shots show the facades on its edge, others show the transition to the green surroundings. The city gains its profile precisely from this alternation between open space and dense rooftops.
The square in the Czech city plan
In Stříbro, the town square can be recognized by the surrounding roof edges. The adjoining streets provide a direction in which the view can continue to the surrounding area.
In the aerial photograph, a place can initially be recognized by its edges. The facades give it a shape that a viewer on the ground can only see parts of. The streets leading into it are particularly revealing. They show from which directions the open space is accessed and how neighboring districts connect. An oblique shot also preserves the impression of the building heights. When it comes to depicting the town center, it is worth comparing a steep view of the floor plan and a side view.
What the roofs reveal about the floor plan
If you look at it at an angle, the houses not only show their roofs, but also their facades of different widths. This gives the motif more depth than in the pure top view. Even the change from a low neighboring building to a taller building reveals something about the gradation of the place. Such a view is particularly useful for a local chronicle if the caption indicates the starting point of the view. Readers can then follow the rows of houses themselves to the edge of the picture.
Recognize the shape of the valley area
Two different narrative directions emerge along a valley and across it. The longitudinal view leads into the distance and shows what is arranged one behind the other. Looking sideways, the width of the valley floor and the rise on either side become clearer. Which view is convincing depends on the question asked of the image. For a description of the location, a lateral view is often productive. For a stretch along a route, the longitudinal view gives the viewer a direction to follow across multiple subjects.
Shades of green in the image
Among the 8 photos in the gallery, shot 5 and shot 1 provide a good starting point for the comparison. In the first image, green areas make up a smaller part of the section than in the second. It's worth tracking the green areas individually. Only in connection with neighboring forms does it become clear what is in the foreground and what belongs to the more distant surroundings.
The camera captured July 5, 2020 for shot 1 and shot 8. The time interval between these two views is approximately 4 minutes. The exposure time was 1/500 second for the first of the images mentioned and 1/800 second for the second.
A moving view is also available. The clip “Stribro in the Czech Republic from the air” can be found under Aerial videos. The linked preview leads to inclusion in the aerial photographer's portfolio on Adobe Stock.
Prepare a cityscape for readers
A local person will often recognize a street by a single roof. Anyone who sees the city for the first time needs more clues. For a city guide, a short caption can best start at a visible intersection and lead the eye from there to the actual subject. The aerial photographer sees the surroundings outside the section while taking the picture. Readers will later only see the published area. Especially when cropping later, it is worth checking whether the connection described can still be seen in the final image.
More aerial photos for comparison
Two further articles invite comparison. In the first, Arnstadt, another detail is in the foreground. In Arnstadt the squares are bright interruptions in the dense structure of the roofs. Then Slovakia – Spisske Podhradie is an option. Spišské Podhradie in Spiš, Slovakia, can be seen from afar due to its dense town center.