Czech Republic – Cechtice

Čechtice in the open field landscape

Čechtice sits as a compact settlement between large fields. The rows of roofs are clearly visible from above, and paths run through open plots on the outside. The relationship between the densely built-up center and the wide corridor can be easily explained in a single oblique overview.

The contour of Čechtice

In Čechtice, the small-scale townscape is directly adjacent to larger fields. If you use the last few houses as a benchmark, you can better classify the dimensions of the adjacent areas.

The center of a town can often be recognized from the air by the intersection of several streets. These lines diverge towards the open landscape, the properties become longer and the distances between the houses become larger. Anyone who chooses an image for a location portrait can pay attention to these transitions. A motif with a piece of the surrounding area tells where the place is. A narrower shot, on the other hand, gives people who live or have lived here more opportunities to find familiar buildings in the picture.

Field boundaries as a benchmark

From a greater height, the field appears to be an orderly floor plan. A closer look shows how the paths change direction at curves, embankments and property boundaries. When selecting images, it is helpful to preserve at least one of these transition points. It turns a colored area into a piece of actually used landscape. For an article about the surrounding area, even the inconspicuous edge of a field can explain more than a wide section that only shows numerous plots as small spots.

What becomes visible on the edge of town

On the edge of town, several scales come together in a small section. On one side there are individual buildings with gardens and driveways. On the other hand, a single open area sometimes takes up as much space as several streets. This change can be shown in the picture over a common edge. A section in which the border between the two areas remains visible even when displayed narrowly is suitable for a website. The motif then retains its local reference even in the mobile view.

The distribution of blue tones

If you browse through the 7 aerial photos, you can stay at shot 6 and shot 7 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 1 and Shot 7, the same day is noted in the image files, July 6, 2020. The recording times recorded are about 8 minutes apart. The exposure time was 1/640 second for the first of the images mentioned and 1/800 second for the second.

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

A townscape for chronicle and community

Anyone who wants to show their family their place of origin often first looks for their own house in the aerial photo. When publishing for the community, the task is different. Even a non-local reader should be able to easily follow the path from the core to the landscape. An aerial photographer can start from the same terrain for both purposes and choose the section differently. What counts for the family portrait is the recognizability of a specific property. When it comes to the townscape, however, it is worth adding a little more surrounding area, even if it means that the individual roof appears smaller.

Related motifs in the aerial photo archive

If you are looking for related motifs, you can start with Czech Republic – Otrocice. In Otročice, the first thing you notice is the difference in size between the small houses and the surrounding fields. It's worth taking a second look at Czech Republic - Borovnice. At Borovnice, wide field units extend far to the horizon.