Lagunas Escondidas de Baltinache

The Lagunas Escondidas de Baltinache from above

The Lagunas Escondidas de Baltinache appear like colored inclusions in the bright surface of the Atacama. This becomes particularly clear in the steep views, in which a green pool of water stands almost alone in the picture. Another perspective shows the distances between the individual pools.

Color and contour of the pools

In the Lagunas Escondidas de Baltinache, the water color is only part of the motif. The different pool edges and the distance between the lagoons only become visible when the surrounding desert floor is visible.

In a lagoon, the color differences in the water are clearly visible from above. Light and dark areas can be related to the background, the lighting or the depth. Without additional measurement, the color initially remains an observation. It can be described particularly well at a clear boundary line, for example at the transition to sand or rock. For a sequence of images, it is worth looking at the entire water surface and then at such a transition in a narrower section.

Orientation in open dry areas

In a dry, largely open landscape, familiar references to size relationships are often missing. A channel in the foreground may be much smaller than its clear markings suggest. A path or a clearly visible edge of the terrain helps with classification. In the aerial photograph it is also worth looking into the distance, where several color zones meet. There the relationship between the nearby surface and the larger landscape becomes visible without the need for a building as a comparison.

The almost vertical view

When taken almost vertically, the side surfaces of the objects recede. What remains is the contour, color and the distance to neighboring shapes. This is helpful when explaining a floor plan or arrangement in a small space. An oblique view then complements what the steep view foreshortened, namely height, differences in level and the relationship to the horizon. For joint publication, at least one clearly recognizable detail in both images should serve as a reference point.

Warm tones within the series

To switch between two of the 34 aerial photos, shot 28 and shot 34 can be called up directly in the gallery. In the second view, warm reds and browns have more weight than in the first. Red-brown and yellowish areas are particularly noticeable next to cooler surfaces. What is interesting when comparing is whether they are concentrated on a single object or appear spread out across the entire view.

Shot 1 and Shot 34 are among the views from March 13, 2022. According to the camera's time information, there are approximately 10 minutes between the two images. The exposure time was 1/640 second for the first of the images mentioned and 1/500 second for the second.

For a selection of moving images, the gallery contains 6 linked clips. Among them is “Lagunas Escondidas de Baltinache in Chile”. Under Aerial Videos the preview leads to the aerial photographer's respective offer at Adobe Stock.

Show the proportions of the landscape

For a series of natural history images, an observable form is the best starting point. Where does a surface end, what structure continues next to it, and how much environment do you need to tell the two apart? The questions can be followed directly from the photo. Statements about origin, depth or age, however, require additional sources. An aerial photographer can capture the visible traces and draw attention to a detail. In the later caption you can then clearly explain what can be seen in the photo and what comes from the technical classification.

Related motifs in the aerial photo archive

Two additional views can be used in the archive for comparison. The first can be found under Laguna Inka Coya. Around the Laguna Inka Coya, dry slopes meet flat green zones. The second belongs to the article Atacama Desert. The Atacama is surprisingly colorful in these aerial photos.