Aerial photography (or airborne imagery) is the taking of photographs from an aircraft or other airborne platforms.[1] When taking motion pictures, it is also known as aerial videography.
Platforms for aerial photography include fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or "drones"), balloons, blimps and dirigibles, rockets, pigeons, kites, or using action cameras while skydiving or wingsuiting. Handheld cameras may be manually operated by the photographer, while mounted cameras are usually remotely operated or triggered automatically.
Aerial photography typically refers specifically to bird's-eye view images that focus on landscapes and surface objects, and should not be confused with air-to-air photography, where one or more aircraft are used as chase planes that "chase" and photograph other aircraft in flight. Elevated photography can also produce bird's-eye images closely resembling aerial photography (despite not actually being aerial shots) when telephotoing from a high vantage structures, suspended on cables (e.g. Skycam) or on top of very tall poles that are either handheld (e.g. monopods and selfie sticks), fixed firmly to ground (e.g. surveillance cameras and crane shots) or mounted above vehicles. There are three types of aerial images based on the orientation of the camera axis: Vertical photographs–the axis of the camera is in a vertical position. This results in little to no relief visible in the image and a smaller amount of area covered. Experts most often use vertical photographs like a map.
Low oblique photographs–unlike with vertical photographs, to take low oblique photographs you tilt the camera axis more than 3 degrees in a manner that the horizon–the area where the earth and sky meet–is not visible in the image. High oblique photographs–the camera axis has a higher degree of tilt–approximately 60 degrees–which covers a larger area, and the horizon is visible in the photograph. In contrast with vertical photographs, this level of tilt produces a great deal of relief. That allows you to better identify natural or manmade features.
Vertical photographs–the axis of the camera is in a vertical position. This results in little to no relief visible in the image and a smaller amount of area covered. Experts most often use vertical photographs like a map. the top ten uses of aerial photographs in civil engineering projects. The uses are: 1. Preliminary Surveys 2. Acquisition of Land 3. Water Supply and Power Schemes 4. Transmission Lines 5. Road and Railway Engineering 6. Town and Country Planning 7. Land Drainage and Flood Prevention 8. Navigation Channels, Harbours and Coast Defense and Others.
