Airships past and present, together with chapters on the use of balloons in connection with meteorology, photography and the carrier pigeon . Fig. 202.—Village in Posen, as seen from a balloon in winter. has to accustom ones self to the birds-eye point of view. Theinterpretation of an ordnance map requires some experience,and in exactly the same way with overhead photography it isnecessary to learn to recognise the lie of the land. It is verydifficult, and, indeed, almost impossible, for a balloon photographto show the unevenness of the landscape ; particularly is thisthe case when the balloon
Airships past and present, together with chapters on the use of balloons in connection with meteorology, photography and the carrier pigeon . Fig. 202.—Village in Posen, as seen from a balloon in winter. has to accustom ones self to the birds-eye point of view. Theinterpretation of an ordnance map requires some experience,and in exactly the same way with overhead photography it isnecessary to learn to recognise the lie of the land. It is verydifficult, and, indeed, almost impossible, for a balloon photographto show the unevenness of the landscape ; particularly is thisthe case when the balloon is at a great height, and the camera y 2 324 AIRSHIPS PAST AND PRESENT. is pointed directly downwards. It is therefore well to say afew words about the means that exist for interpreting balloonphotographs. It may be pointed out in the first place that a balloon photo-graph often gives the impression that there are hills in thebackground, or at any rate that the level rises in passing from. Fig. 203.—Herrenberg in Wiirttemburg. the bottom to the top. This may be due to an effect of perspec-tive, or to the peculiarities of lighting. The appearance ofvillages is curious; the houses look as though they haddropped out of a childs toy-box. The difference between lightand shade is not very marked at great heights. The photographof a place called Herrenberg, which is here reproduced, showsthis very clearly. It was taken from a very moderate height,and it will be noticed that the shadows in the foreground arewell marked, disappearing somewhat towards the middle and in THE INTEBPBETATION OF PHOTOGBAPHS. 325 the background. The effect is still more marked at great dis-tances. The slope which appears on this photograph is wellmarked, and is emphasised to some extent by the low position ofthe balloon. It looks doubtful at first glance whether the wholetown is on the side of a hill or whether the rise only begins nearthe church in the background. But a very simple sketch showsthat
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookpubl, booksubjectaeronautics
