Finland

Finland's lakes and forested islands

In the Finland series, forested islands divide the vast expanses of water. Small buildings and individual riverside paths only become noticeable when you move from the panorama to the nearby area. The combination conveys both the extent of the lakes and the small size of individual inhabited or built-up areas.

An island as a reference point in the lake

When it comes to Finnish lakes, two similarly forested islands can be very different in size. A jetty, a small house or a riverside path offers a useful reference for the comparison.

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.

The outer contour of the island

On an island, the distance from the shore determines the message of the photograph. If water is visible all around, its shape can be seen at a glance. If there is a piece of land in the picture, the situation in the larger body of water becomes understandable. Both options complement each other for a photo series. The first glance explains what belongs to the island. The second shows from which direction you approach it and which visible reference points connect the narrow piece of land with its surroundings.

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

Among the 167 photos in the gallery, shot 137 and shot 126 provide a good starting point for the 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.

The camera data for shot 84 is June 27th, 2019, the camera data for shot 167 is July 14th, 2019. This gallery therefore contains more than one recording time. Anyone who compares the landscape or the building condition can incorporate this data into the image description. The exposure time was 1/80 second for the first of the images mentioned and 1/800 second for the second.

The Aerial Videos section supplements the photos with 92 clips. The aerial photographer's photos linked there include “Ship off Helsinki from the air”. The relevant video page on Adobe Stock can be opened using the respective preview.

Show the proportions of the landscape

It is easy to overestimate the size of a shape in a landscape painting. A bright spot may be a small open area or show an extensive portion of the terrain. When selecting images, a comprehensible reference point is therefore more important than the most dramatic perspective possible. If present in the motif, a path or a clearly recognizable shoreline can take on this task. An aerial photographer can also relate an overview and a single view. Readers are then given an idea of ​​the location before viewing the surface up close.

Related motifs in the aerial photo archive

Two further articles invite comparison. In the first, Poland – Masuria, a different detail is in the foreground. In Masuria, the aerial images change from the narrow harbor area to large open areas of water. Then you can go to Titisee Neustadt. In the aerial view, Lake Titisee lies between forested heights and a densely built-up shoreline in places.