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The beach of Punta Penna
At the Spiaggia di Punta Penna, the bright beach forms a flat arc in front of the open sea. Lower vegetation and paths follow inland. This sequence is particularly clear from a bird's eye view because water, sand and hinterland each have a different surface structure.
The width of the coastal margin
At Punta Penna the length of the beach line can only be conveyed from a distance. A section with land and open sea maintains the course, even if individual traces disappear in the sand.
From a low angle, a beach often looks like a narrow, light fringe. The bird's eye view reveals its actual shape and shows where it widens or ends at a protrusion. In addition, connections to the hinterland emerge. The section where a path or buildings reach the beach can be particularly interesting for a townscape. There the location can be specifically named and the individual motif can be found within a longer stretch of coast.
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.
The distance in the composition of the image
The position of the horizon determines how much space the landscape receives. If it is high in the image, more details can be seen on the ground. A lower horizon gives greater weight to the sky and weather. Both options can accurately describe a place if the connection to the main motif remains recognizable. When comparing two aerial photos, it is worth taking a look at the foreground. Often it is an inconspicuous piece of land at the bottom edge of the picture that conveys a sense of the vastness.
The distribution of blue tones
If you browse through the 11 aerial photos, you can stay at shot 3 and shot 1 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 11, the same day is noted in the image files, September 30, 2020. The recording times recorded are approximately 9 minutes apart. ISO 100 and an exposure time of 1/500 second are recorded for both files.
For a selection of moving images, the gallery contains 4 linked clips. Below is “Spiaggia di Punta Penna in Italy from the air”. Under Aerial Videos the preview leads to the aerial photographer's respective offer at Adobe Stock.
Select the coastal view for a photo series
In a coastal view, water is both a motif and an open space. Whether a large piece of sea remains in the picture depends on the story. When reporting on the shoreline, it holds different landforms together. For a portrait of a coastal town, the development may need more space. An aerial photographer can take this difference into account when choosing the angle of the image. When publishing, it's worth taking a final look at the final format so that a headland or riverside path at the edge isn't accidentally cut off.
Related motifs in the aerial photo archive
If you are looking for related motifs, you can start with Greece – Volos & Surroundings. In the series, the area around Volos appears as an open coastal strip and as a densely built-up city. It's worth taking a second look at Tarifa. In Tarifa, a narrow strip of land extends into the open sea.