Plakas – Crete

The Plakas waterfront on Crete

At Plakas there is only a narrow populated strip between the barren slope and the water. The street follows its course. Seen from the sea, groups of houses and individual entrances to the water can be seen without the slope behind them disappearing from the picture.

The road between the slope and the bank

In Plakas, the coastal road explains how the town spreads along the coast. A short visible section is often enough to turn a group of houses into a coherent townscape.

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.

How the place changes from the inside out

The center of a town can often be recognized from the air by the intersection of several streets. These lines diverge towards the open landscape, the properties become longer and the distances between the houses become larger. Anyone who chooses an image for a location portrait can pay attention to these transitions. A motif with a piece of the surrounding area tells where the place is. A narrower shot, on the other hand, gives people who live or have lived here more opportunities to find familiar buildings in the picture.

The slope of a landscape

It is difficult to estimate how steep a slope is from a top view alone. A street that rises in curves or the staggering of neighboring buildings gives the eye additional clues. The relief becomes even more vivid if part of the valley floor or the bank remains in the picture. Anyone who selects a recording for a location description can pay attention to this connection. It helps to understand the position of individual subjects without having to estimate height differences from the apparent distance in the image.

The distribution of blue tones

Among the 6 photos in the gallery, shot 6 and shot 1 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 captured October 6, 2020 for shot 1 and shot 6. The time interval between these two views is approximately 2 minutes. The exposure time was 1/500 second for the first of the images mentioned and 1/400 second for the second.

Select the coastal view for a photo series

When telling a story about a coast, the order of the images counts. A further look first explains the course of the bank. A closer view can then show the transition from land to water. If an image series begins with a narrow section, readers usually need an additional location reference. The planned size is also important for the aerial photographer. A small indentation can be a clear reference point on a double page spread and almost disappear completely in a narrow column. The caption should match the actual section used.

More aerial photos for comparison

Two further articles invite comparison. In the first, Stavros Beach – Crete, a different detail is in the foreground. At Stavros Beach on Crete there is a surprisingly closed area of ​​water behind the curved beach line. Then Fortress Spinalonga – Crete is a good option. Spinalonga can be seen as an entire island from the air.