Türkiye

Turkish coastal landscapes from a bird's eye view

The Turkey series leads from rocky coasts to more distant slopes. Depending on the direction you look, dark headlands reach into the bright water surface or the mountains lie in several layers one behind the other. Combining these views creates a more spatial landscape portrait than a series of similar beaches.

Coast and mountains in connection

The Turkish coast alternates between quiet bays and expansive mountain shapes. For a series of images, it is worth changing the distance so that not only the coastline but also the gradation behind it is visible.

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 graduation of the mountain ranges

The silhouette of a mountain range is a good way to start looking. First you notice the highest point, then the succession of saddles and flatter sections. In an oblique shot, this profile connects with the shapes in the foreground. A steeper perspective takes more interest in the surface of the slope. A direct comparison makes it understandable why a location can change significantly when the viewing angle changes, even though the recognizable heights in the background remain the same.

How the bay opens

The two sides of a bay do not have to take up the same amount of space in an aerial photo. Often the closer headland obscures part of the opposite bank. A higher view opens up the space in between and shows the transition to open water. This makes a second view particularly valuable for depicting the location. While one image explains the location on the coast, the other can show the sheltered interior area, where the course of the shore and the use of the land are more clearly visible.

The distribution of blue tones

For a direct image comparison, use shot 9 and shot 20 from the gallery with 29 aerial photos. 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 data for shot 15 is February 24th, 2021, the camera data for shot 1 is March 6th, 2021. This gallery therefore contains more than one recording time. Anyone who compares the landscape or the building condition can incorporate this data into the image description. The exposure time was 1/640 second for the first of the images mentioned and 1/1250 second for the second.

The Aerial Videos section supplements the photos with 34 clips. The aerial photographer's photographs linked there include “Kas in Turkey from the air”. The relevant video page on Adobe Stock can be opened using the respective preview.

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.

Related motifs in the aerial photo archive

The article Patara Sand Dunes offers another perspective. At Patara, the flat ridges of the sand dunes meet a long, almost uninterrupted coastline. In the gallery Kaş there is a different focus. In Kaş, Turkey, houses and narrow streets are close together.