Durres

Durrës on the harbor basin of the Adriatic

In Durrës, long piers reach out into the Adriatic. The harbor basins form clear geometric spaces, while the dense urban area spreads out behind them. Seen from the water, the connection between the harbor and the city can be shown particularly well in a shared section.

The interface between port and city

In Durrës the harbor basins are much more regular than the adjacent coast. It is precisely at this crossing that you can see which part of the bank was opened up to ships.

In a harbor, the individual areas are best seen from the water. A pier delimits the entrance, straight edges frame a pool, smaller footbridges divide the area. Boats and ships provide an indication of size without an exact distance being able to be derived from the image. The shape of the harbor provides an overview. A closer look at the edge of a quay, on the other hand, shows how the water directly connects to the landside paths, buildings or open spaces.

The coastline as orientation

At the sea, the direction of view changes the picture even over a short distance. If you look almost parallel to the coast, you will see ledges and bays one behind the other. From a steeper view, the actual contour of the bank is easier to follow. A piece of open water can deliberately remain in the cutout. It gives the land a recognizable outer edge and creates distance between two shapes extending into the sea. In a publication, an indication of the location together with the name of the visible stretch of coast helps to classify this view more precisely.

What the roofs reveal about the floor plan

A city center can often be read by its roofs. Where narrow gables are close together, the street space is also divided into short sections. A large, connected building interrupts this sequence. In the aerial photo you can follow the direction of an alley from such an interruption. For an illustration in a smaller format, a section with just a few easily distinguishable roof groups is worthwhile. In a large print, however, the spaces and small changes in direction are allowed to keep their place.

The distribution of blue tones

For a direct image comparison, use shot 8 and shot 7 from the gallery with 8 aerial photos. In the first excerpt, shades of blue play a smaller role. In the second shot, blue areas take up more space. Blue can extend over a large contiguous area or only appear in individual parts. What also counts for the effect is whether these areas extend to the edge of the picture or surround the main subject.

According to camera data, Shot 5 and Shot 8 were taken on August 15, 2020. There is a gap of around 10 minutes between the two images. ISO 100 and an exposure time of 1/800 second are recorded for both files.

A moving view is also available. Under Aerial videos you can find the clip “Albania - The city of Durres from the air”. The linked preview leads to inclusion in the aerial photographer's portfolio on Adobe Stock.

Select the coastal view for a photo series

When telling a story about a coast, the order of the images counts. A further look first explains the course of the bank. A closer view can then show the transition from land to water. If an image series begins with a narrow section, readers usually need an additional location reference. The planned size is also important for the aerial photographer. A small indentation can be a clear reference point on a double page spread and almost disappear completely in a narrow column. The caption should match the actual section used.

Related motifs in the aerial photo archive

The article Villanova offers another perspective. In Villanova on the Apulian coast, the harbor is directly adjacent to low buildings and paved shore areas. In the gallery Croatia – Dubrovnik there is a different focus. In Dubrovnik, the red roof of the old town stands out clearly from the Adriatic.