Hohenschwangau Castle

Hohenschwangau Castle in front of forest and lakes

The yellow building of Hohenschwangau Castle stands out clearly from the darker forest in the aerial photo. From higher up, lakes and mountain slopes appear as surroundings. This gives a different view of the castle than the narrow view in which towers and battlements define the edge of the picture.

The color of the castle against the forest

Near Hohenschwangau, the color of the castle stands out from the forest. In the further view, the lakes gain in weight and give the building its position in the landscape.

The system can be told from two distances. The overview first clarifies how much space the building takes up on its hill or on the bank. The view then turns to a characteristic corner, the transition between two wings or the opening to a courtyard. This order is clear for an editorial article because readers can find the detailed section on the overview image. This is particularly helpful when multiple towers or wall edges obscure each other in a single view.

The view over a calm body of water

On a lake, a large area can appear almost uniform. Only an arch on the bank, a boat or the reflection of a slope gives the eye something to hold on to. In aerial photography, the image often appears particularly spatial, as it contains a piece of land in the foreground in addition to the water. For a wide image, the water surface can have more space. In a narrow format, their connection to the shore should be retained so that the landscape becomes a recognizable place and not just any blue area.

What the treetops reveal

A forest changes the view of every structure and every path that lies on its edge. From one side the treetops cover the lower area, from another a small gap opens. Photos in which the boundary between open space and vegetation can be clearly seen are particularly interesting. They explain which parts of a motif are visible. In a description, it is possible to distinguish precisely between the section depicted and the terrain hidden by the foliage.

The distribution of blue tones

If you browse through the 10 aerial photos, you can stay at shot 5 and shot 6 for a comparison. 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.

For Shot 6 and Shot 1, the same day is noted in the image files, September 27, 2020. The recording times recorded are about 3 minutes apart. The exposure time was 1/640 second for the first of the images mentioned and 1/400 second for the second.

Communicate architecture and location together

Anyone who has visited a building themselves often remembers the entrance and the first view upwards. In the aerial photograph, these exact areas can disappear behind a roof or a wall. A suitable caption helps to connect the tour experienced with the spatial overview. For an aerial photographer, planned use is therefore a good starting point. A view for a site plan needs clear outer edges. An image for the cover page may focus more on the interaction between the building and its surroundings.

Related motifs in the aerial photo archive

If you are looking for related motifs, you can start with Neuschwanstein Castle. At Neuschwanstein Castle, the bright building extends over a narrow ridge. It's worth taking a second look at Ehrenberg Castle Ruins. From the Ehrenberg castle ruins, the view sweeps over a wide valley in Tyrol.