TYPES OF AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY

Date: 08/02/2024 Time: 09.00 -10.00 am

BGE-402

Compile by: Dr . Swarup Jyoti Baishya

Aerial Photography
 Introduction
• A “bird’s eye view” is very useful for map making
– Features obscure each other less when viewed from
above than when viewed from ground level

• Air photography can come from many sources

– Airplanes of all types can be equipped with cameras
– So can hot air balloons, helicopters, pigeons, etc.

• We’ll discuss primarily film cameras, but most of

the same concepts also apply to digital cameras
 Basic Terminology
• Focal Length – the distance between the camera lens and
the film
• Flying Height – the height of the plane (and therefore the
camera) above the ground
• Nadir – the point on the ground directly below the camera
• Flight Line – the path of the airplane over which a
sequence of pictures is taken
• Stereoscope - a device used to view/measure feature
heights and/or landscape elevations using pairs of air
photographs
• Fiducial Marks – marks on photographs used to align
adjacent photos for stereoscopic analysis
 Air Photo Scale
• Scale (RF) = 1 : (focal length / flying height)

• Focal length and flying height should be in the

same units

• Example:
– Focal length = 6 inches
– Flying height = 10,000 ft
– Scale = 0.5 / 10,000 = 1:20,000

Ray, R.G. (1960) Aerial Photographs in Geologic Interpretation and Mapping. Geological Survey Professional Paper 373.
 Basic Camera
• Everything above “C” is inside
the camera

• The film sits on the film plane

• f = focal length
• H = Elevation above ground
• ACB = angle of coverage
• Scale: RF = 1/(H / f)

http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/mbinford/geo4120c/Lectures/week_2_2005_Image%20Acquisition,%20Aerial%20Photography%20Prog
rams,%20Cameras%20and%20Films.pdf
 Stereoscopic Parallax
• Stereoscopic Parallax
is caused by a shift in
the position of
observation

• Parallax is directly
related to the
elevation / height of
features

http://www.geog.okstate.edu/users/rao/raoweb/4333/fall07/lectures/lec5.pdf
 Stereopair

http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~liangmao/RS_LAB/Lab9.pdf
 Stereoscope

http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~liangmao/RS_LAB/Lab9.pdf
 Aligning Air Photos
• Fiducial marks
– Type and number vary amongst cameras
– 4-8 marks (e.g., top, bottom, left, right, & 4 corners)

• Principal Point (PP) - the exact point at which the

camera was aimed when the photo was acquired

• Conjugate Principal Point (CPP) – the principal

point of an adjacent photograph in the flight line

http://forest.mtu.edu/classes/fw4540/lectures/aerialphoto.pdf
http://forest.mtu.edu/classes/fw4540/lectures/aerialphoto.pdf
 A) TYPES OF AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHs on
angels
1. Vertical
2. Low oblique
3. High oblique
 1. VERTICAL AERIAL PHOTO
“where the camera lens
axis is truly vertical or
perpendicular at the
moment of exposure to
the surface of the earth.”
 A vertical photograph has the following
characteristics:
• The scale is constant and directions are accurate.
• It covers a small area.
• The shape of the ground area a square or rectangle.
• it gives an unfamiliar view of the ground.
• accuracy of maps if taken over flat terrain.
• Relief is not readily apparent.
VERTICAL PHOTO GRAPH
 2. Low Oblique
“This is a photograph taken with the camera
inclined about 30° from the vertical”. It is used
to study an area before an attack, to substitute
for a reconnaissance, to substitute for a map,
or to supplement a map.
 A low oblique has the following characteristics:

• It covers a relatively small area.

• The ground area covered is a trapezoid, & photo is
square or rectangular.
• familiar view, comparable to viewing from the top of
a high hill or tall building.
• No scale is applicable and direction, distance cannot
be measured.
• Relief is distorted.
• It does not show the horizon.
LOW OBLIQUE PHOTO
 3. High Oblique.
“The high oblique is a photograph taken with the
camera inclined about 60° from the vertical”. It
has a limited military application; it is used
primarily in the making of aeronautical charts.
HIGH OBLIQUE PHOTOGRAPH
A high oblique has the following characteristics:

• It covers a very large area (not all usable).

• The ground area covered is a trapezoid, but
the photograph is square or rectangular.
• The view varies from the very familiar to
unfamiliar, depending on the height at which
the photograph is taken.
• Distances and directions are not measured .
• Relief is distorted.
• The horizon is always visible.
 B) TYPES OF AERIAL
PHOTOGRAPHS ON FILM
1. Panchromatic (B& W)
2. Colour
3. Camouflage Detection
4. Infrared
1. Panchromatic (B & W) :-
➢Most often used in photogrammetry & cheap
➢Most aerial photography is taken with
panchromatic film
2. Colour:-
➢ Easy to interpret due to atmospheric scattering
➢ It is limited in its use because of the time required to process it
and its need for clear, sunny weather.
3. Camouflage Detection:-
➢ This film is a special type that records natural vegetation in a
reddish color.
4. Infrared:-
➢ This is a black-and-white film
that is sensitive to infrared
waves.
➢ It can be used to detect
artificial camouflage
materials.
• Types of Infrared film
a) Black & White Infrared:-
– Flood mapping (water appears very
dark)
– Vegetation mapping
– Soils - dry vs. Moist
b) False Color Infrared (CIR,
Standard False Color):-
– Vegetation studies
– Water turbidity
 C) TYPES OF AERIAL
PHOTOGRAPHS ON LENS
1. Single Lens
2. Trimetrogon
3. Multiple Lens Photography
1. Single Lens
 2. Trimetrogon
• Three photographs taken at the same time, one
vertical and two high oblique's.
2. Trimetrogon
 3. Multiple Lens Photography
• two or more lenses,
 D) Other TYPES OF AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS
1. Panoramic 2. Convergent Photography
1. Panoramic.
 1. Panoramic.
• to cover in greater detail and more areas
of the world.
• extremely high-resolution levels.
• scanning type of camera that sweeps the
terrain of interest from side to side across
the direction of flight.
• panoramic camera to record a much
wider area of ground than either frame or
strip cameras.
• advantageous for applications requiring
the resolution of small ground detail from
high altitudes.
 2. Convergent Photography.
• done with a two single-lens, wide-angle
cameras.
 E) TYPES OF AERIAL
PHOTOGRAPHS ON Size
1. Small size
2. Medium Size
3. Large Size
1. Small size
2. Medium Size
3. Large Size
Thank you for your
Attention