Rothenfels

Rothenfels from the Main to the castle

In Rothenfels, the Main, the houses on the bank and the castle on the hillside lie on top of each other in a small space. The oblique aerial photos make these elevation levels visible. Seen from the other side, the same elements tend to be arranged in a sequence of foreground, middle and distance.

Three altitude levels on the Main

In Rothenfels the view from the Main leads through the narrow town up to the castle. Anyone who describes these three levels together can explain the location of the city in just a few words.

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.

Follow the watercourse in the picture

At the river it is worth taking a second look at both edges of the picture. Sometimes a road ends there and continues along the water in the next section. In another place, a line of trees frames a stretch of bank. Such clues connect the place with its river valley. For a double page spread, you can choose an overview showing the course and juxtapose it with a close-up view of the shore. It helps if at least one bend in the bank or a building can be found in both motifs.

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.

Warm tones within the series

If you browse through the 7 aerial photos, you can stay at shot 7 and shot 2 for a comparison. 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.

For Shot 7 and Shot 1 the same day is noted in the image files, July 2nd, 2020. The recording times recorded are about 6 minutes apart. The exposure time was 1/800 second for the first of the images mentioned and 1/1250 second for the second.

The Aerial Videos section supplements the photos with 3 clips. The aerial photographer's photographs linked there include “Rothenfels in Bavaria from the air”. The relevant video page on Adobe Stock can be opened using the respective preview.

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 Wertheim. In Wertheim, the castle towers over a densely built-up core. It's worth taking a second look at Marienberg Fortress. The Marienberg Fortress lies high above Würzburg.