Find aerial photos in the archive

Select aerial photos based on subject and location

Anyone looking for an aerial photo often first knows its intended use. A post about a city requires different perspectives than a chronicle of a house. In the F4 aerial photo archive, both searches can begin with a place name and be refined based on the motifs depicted.

Find a suitable image in the archive

An example of the search for a striking building is the Old Main Bridge in Kitzingen. On the other hand, if you are looking for a regional landscape, you will find several river sections in the Danube series. This difference alone changes how exactly the place name and image detail should be chosen.

The starting point of an image search can be a specific spatial question. If the image is intended to explain the location, a wide view with reference points makes sense. If it is about a single building, its shape may take up more space in the section. Before making your selection, it is worth comparing the size you plan to use later. A photo that has its strength in small details in a large format can be significantly less understandable in the narrow column of a website.

Start with a place name or an image idea

Suppose the opening photo is still missing for an article about river cities. Then “aerial photos” is a very broad search term. If you then look at Würzburg, Dresden or Passau, you can already compare three different solutions. In Würzburg you can see the height of the fortress compared to the Main. In Dresden, the wide Elbe has space in front of the old town skyline. In Passau, the situation at the confluence can become an issue. The decision for a location follows from the actual story.

Those looking through the archive for a travel memoir often do the opposite. First, the place you are visiting is clear, then you look for a recognizable look. It could be the alley by the water or the first glimpse of a hill. In the overview of similar images, it is worthwhile to first open two or three views and pay attention to the same reference point in each case. This is how you find out which image comes closest to your own memory.

Organize photos based on readers' questions

Before making the final selection, it helps to place the motifs next to each other without file names. Which one explains the location immediately, and which one already requires local knowledge? The understandable overview image opens the series, even if a detail looks more spectacular in a large format. This close-up view is then given a comprehensible place. The order may be different for each publication. A cover image for a brochure must be readable on its own; a supplementary image in a longer article may build on the previous text.

Build a comprehensible sequence of images

A sequence of images wins if each additional view answers a new question. You can start with an overview that introduces the location. Afterwards, a closer look may reveal a characteristic surface or shape. Finally, a side perspective can spatially explain the previously seen area. If you just string several very similar sections together, you are wasting this opportunity. When making your selection, it is therefore worth simply testing whether you can formulate your own, accurate caption for each image.

Turn a selection into a request

If you have any questions about the aerial photographer, the link to the gallery along with the position of the image will help. If you want to print, you can add the format provided. For a website, it is helpful to decide whether the photo should run across the entire width or be next to text. The space provided influences which cutout works. A slim portrait format needs different spacing around the main subject than a wide page header.

The Overview of all aerial photo galleries leads to the local contributions and their available images.