Passau

Passau at the intersection of the rivers

Passau's old town lies on a narrow headland between the Danube and the Inn. The Ilz complements the cityscape of the city of three rivers. In a bird's eye view, the water surfaces explain the course of the densely built-up old town, while bridges connect the narrow space with the other sides.

The old town between the Danube and the Inn

In Passau, the confluence is the actual organizing principle of the cityscape. The developed land areas can be distinguished more easily if the various watercourses are at least partially visible.

A river changes its role with the direction of view. Across the water you can clearly see how close the development is to the bank. A view along the run connects several sections that appear separate from the street. A particularly vivid image is one in which there is a prominent bank in the foreground and a second reference point further back. The eye can then follow the distance between them itself. A picture caption is achieved by indicating which side of the river the main motif is on.

What the roofs reveal about the floor plan

If you look at it at an angle, the houses not only show their roofs, but also their facades of different widths. This gives the motif more depth than in the pure top view. Even the change from a low neighboring building to a taller building reveals something about the gradation of the place. Such a view is particularly useful for a local chronicle if the caption indicates the starting point of the view. Readers can then follow the rows of houses themselves to the edge of the picture.

Which shows the connection between both sides

In the overview, a bridge is initially a line that connects two separate areas. A closer look reveals differences between access, supporting structure and subsequent paths. For a photo series it is therefore worthwhile to include a view of the entire connection as well as a section with one of the bridgeheads. There, the integration into the terrain becomes particularly easy to understand. For comparison, both images can be oriented the same way so that the start and end of the route can be seen without additional explanation.

Shades of green in the image

If you browse through the 26 aerial photos, you can stay at shot 11 and shot 10 for a comparison. In the first image, green areas make up a smaller part of the section than in the second. It's worth tracking the green areas individually. Only in connection with neighboring forms does it become clear what is in the foreground and what belongs to the more distant surroundings.

For Shot 26 and Shot 1, the same day is noted in the image files, April 30, 2020. The recording times recorded are about 8 minutes apart. ISO 100 and an exposure time of 1/500 second are recorded for both files.

In the Aerial Videos section there are 2 clips for this article. One example is “Passau aerial photos”. Its preview leads directly to the video in the aerial photographer's Adobe Stock portfolio.

Explain the course of the river in the picture

An image path along a body of water can follow the direction of flow. In order for readers to understand the transition between the local views, they need a recognizable reference point for each section. This can be a crossing or a significant bend. Whether water can still be seen on the left or right of the finished print also depends on the page format. It is therefore worthwhile for the aerial photographer to know whether a wide double page or a narrow single image is intended. A cut-off bend in the river can significantly change the view of the town.

Related motifs in the aerial photo archive

If you are looking for related motifs, you can start with Schärding. In Schärding, the rows of houses reach the Inn on a long strip of bank. It's worth taking a second look at Miltenberg. Miltenberg stretches between the Main and a wooded slope.