Image Skills (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Geography): Revision Note

Photographs

• The command word for photographs is usually 'describe'

• This is about observational skills and understanding about what is being viewed

• When describing, look for: 

  • Physical features: vegetation, climate, relief, drainage, distinct features (cliff, river, desert, landslide, etc.), rocky outcrops, etc. 

  • Human features: grouping of buildings: offices, homes, factories, etc. Urban, rural or fringe settlements. Industry and transport; developed or developing areas and general condition of features: busy, quiet, modern, old, etc. 

  • Relief: height and shape of ground surface, named features, overall appearance

  • Agriculture: animals—type and spread; vegetation type—grass, barren, sparse, etc. Land type: arable or pasture, ploughed or fallow, crops or harvested, etc. Types of farm buildings and machinery along with their condition

  • Settlements: rural or urban; features of buildings; types of buildings; use of settlements and buildings; spacing between or among buildings—linear, dispersed, nucleated, etc.

  • Housing: size and storey: bungalow, large, multistorey, skyscraper, etc. number of windows, are there building plots or vacant sites on the urban fringe or new builds, etc.

Aerial images

• An aerial image is a photograph taken from above the ground, usually from an aircraft, drone, or satellite

• They shows a bird’s-eye view of the Earth’s surface

  • Vertical aerial photos: Taken from directly above, these views are map-like and good for measuring distances

  • Oblique aerial photos: Taken at an angle – shows a more natural perspective but harder to measure

^{Rose Kennedy Greenway CC-BY-SA-3.0}

• Aerial images are often used in geography to study natural and human features

• Interpretation of aerial images requires both a description and explanation

Identify physical features

• Identify natural landscapes:

  • Rivers (winding shapes, valleys)

  • Hills or mountains (shadows, contours of land)

  • Coastlines, beaches, cliffs

  • Forests, fields, lakes

Recognise human features

• Identify human-made structures:

  • Buildings (rectangular blocks)

  • Roads and motorways (long, straight or curved lines)

  • Railways, bridges

  • Settlements (look at layout – grid, scattered, linear)

  • Farmland (fields with boundaries)

Describe layout and patterns

• Description should include information on:

  • Distribution (e.g. “Houses are clustered along the road”)

  • Shape and pattern (e.g. “Fields are regular and rectangular, showing planned farming”)

  • Land use (e.g. commercial, residential, industrial)

Use direction and location

• Refer to compass directions (N, S, E, W).

• Use the foreground, middle ground, and background if describing an oblique image

Analyse

• Suggest reasons for what you see:

  • “The settlement is near the river, possibly for water supply or transport.”

  • “The fields are large and open, suggesting arable farming.”

Field sketches

• Field sketches should include:

  • title

  • location/site number

  • compass direction

  • key features found at a site