Italy – Corniglia

Corniglia on the ledge above the sea

Corniglia sits high above the sea on a protruding stretch of the Ligurian coast. In the oblique shots, the houses are pushed closely to the edge of the site. The steep slopes continue behind the town and give the small settlement center a second boundary.

The place above the surf

In Corniglia, the projection beneath the buildings forms the crucial connection to the sea. If the image is cropped just above the houses, this special location is lost.

Rock surfaces are often harder to read in an aerial photograph than their sharp outline suggests. A dark area can be a deep crevice or just in shadow. The connection of several visible edges provides information. Where they converge and cover a surface, a spatial jump is understandable. A location with clear rock contours is suitable for publication with smaller images. In a larger format, the eye can wander more over the finer differences in the surface.

The coastline as orientation

From land the first thing you notice is the open water. In an aerial view, the process can be reversed and the coast can be seen from the sea. Wherever it changes direction, small protected spaces are created. Other sections extend almost straight to the edge of the picture. When selecting a motif, it is worth comparing these transitions with each other. A single, striking rocky outcrop can identify a location more clearly than a much larger expanse of water with only light and waves visible.

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.

The distribution of blue tones

To switch between two of the 21 aerial photos, shot 4 and shot 15 can be called up directly in the gallery. 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.

Shot 1 and Shot 21 are among the views from September 29, 2020. According to the camera's time information, there are approximately 40 minutes between the two images. The exposure time was 1/320 second for the first of the images mentioned and 1/400 second for the second.

The Aerial Videos section supplements the photos with 4 clips. “Corniglia” is one of the images linked there by the aerial photographer. The relevant video page on Adobe Stock can be opened using the respective preview.

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 Cinque Terre. In the Cinque Terre, small settlements punctuate the sequence of steep coastal slopes. The second belongs to the article Matera. At Matera, the deep gorge directly approaches the densely built-up city.