Interpretation of Photographs
Senior 2 · Geography and Environment
Interpretation of Photographs
Lesson 1 of 2
18 min
A map shows where things are, but it cannot show what a hillside actually looks like after heavy rain, or how crowded a market is on a Saturday. A photograph can. Geographers use photographs to study places they cannot visit, to compare a place before and after a change (a new road, a landslide, a drained swamp), and to check what a map is telling them. Your examinations also include a photograph to interpret, so you need a clear method.
A photograph is a picture of a real scene recorded by a camera at one moment in time. Because it records a single moment, it shows the season, the weather and the activity of that day, not what is always there.
Photographs are classified by where the camera was and which way it pointed.
| Type | How it is taken | What you see |
|---|---|---|
| Ground horizontal (ground-level) | From the ground, camera held level | The fronts and sides of objects, much as you see them when standing; near objects hide those behind them |
| Ground oblique | From a high point on the ground (a hilltop, a tower), camera tilted down | A wider view of the land below, often with the horizon |
| Aerial oblique | From an aircraft or drone, camera tilted at an angle | Low oblique: no horizon. High oblique: the horizon and sky are visible |
| Aerial vertical | From an aircraft or drone, camera pointing straight down | Only the tops of objects (roofs, tree crowns); it looks like a map and has no horizon |
A satellite image is closely related to an aerial vertical photograph, but it is taken from space and usually covers a much larger area.
Look at the photograph below. Ask three questions:
Conclusion: this is a high aerial oblique photograph.
To describe where something is on a photograph, divide it into parts, just as you use grid references on a map.
Combining the two gives nine sections, such as "left foreground" or "right background". In the volcano photograph, the forested cone is in the centre foreground, the flat plain is in the middle ground, and the two high peaks are in the centre background.
Tip
Exam technique. When asked for the type of photograph, give the type and your evidence: "Aerial oblique, because the scene is viewed from above at an angle and the horizon is visible." One word without evidence rarely earns full marks.
Solution: An aerial vertical photograph: the camera pointed straight down, so only tops are visible and there is no horizon.
Solution: The foreground.
Solution: A low aerial oblique photograph.
Solution: It covers a large area at once, and it looks like a map, so plot sizes and road lines can be measured from it.
Summary
Sources and credits
The classification table, worked example and practice items are written by Ganzaa.
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
