The year 1839 will forever stay engraved as the dawn of the new era.

That is the year the French

government released a new medium into the world, the first ever, an entirely successful,
marketable, photographic process has been invented. By releasing the Daguerreotype to the
masses, the French government created a frenzy of wealthy photography "maniacs" eager for
the chance to "realistically" record the world around them, as well as making it possible for the
evolution of the new medium to continue on without a hitch.

The enthusiasm of the crazed photography crowd made it possible for the new medium to strive
exponentially. The early success inspired young enthusiasts to try and incorporate newly
acquired techniques in scientific research. One such method revolved around trying to capture
the image of the planet Earth from above, and as such, the endeavour ensnared the young
pioneers of the 19th-century photography. As they came close to endeavouring a reality, the
technique of trying to capture the image of Earth from above, aerial photography, stopped being
either purely artistic or scientific. It grew into something much more sinister and rooted itself
to the age-old tradition. It became a war effort, and it became difficult to separate the
development and evolution of the new technique from the history of war itself. 1

The factor of the alienation of the human aspect comes into play, as well. As information
gathering was no longer dependant on the subjective reasoning of the spies and observers,
providing objective evidence was becoming widely accessible in the form of photographic
images, and as such, they will be the central theme of this essay. The topic revolves around
aerial photography and military aerial reconnaissance in World War I.2

This essay will argue the importance of aerial surveillance in the “great” war and how it implied
likelihood to change and revolutionised both warfare, as well as brought forward new
technological research methods.

1
Haffner, Jeanne. The View from Above. Massachusetts: The MIT Press, 2013.
2
The First World War began with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in the Bosnian capital of
Sarajevo, and the conclusion was reached with the ill-fated Treaty of Versailles in June 1919, despite hostilities
ceased in November of 1918. Most of the major world powers, dissatisfied with their current state and hungry
for more colonisation, were drawn to the conflict, which saw huge armies like never before and the development
of new weapons which contributed to the slaughter as tactics and strategy remained firmly in the 19th century.
It ended with millions of casualties and another dangerous border and power reapplication caused by the break-
up of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the humiliation of Germany, the Bolshevik takeover of Russia and the near
financial ruin of major world powers, such as Great Britain. It was only the beginning, though, as it sowed the
seeds of an even greater and more destructive conflict, but it also prompted new inventions, new ways of thinking
and innovative problem-solving.

1
Questions, such as what aerial photography is, how it began and developed in a technical sense,
how its usage suited the war-prone nations and influenced the outcome of the “great” war will
be addressed and discussed.

Aerial photography, or airborne imagery, has been defined as taking photographs from an
aircraft or other flying objects. The early history of air photography does not have a pure
lineage, and its development depended on evolving new techniques and numerous discoveries
made and competed for between different countries and individuals. The initial interest in aerial
photography can be closely associated with the developments in both the photography and
aviation, but one of the constants of this historical evolution is the significance of the military
interest. Military forces, since the beginning, were showing interest in creating realistic maps
as well as obtaining accurate photographic images of the earth from above.3

The duration and experience of the so-called "great war" have been dramatically changed with
the development of airborne cameras which set in motion the aerial visualising of war. At that
point, aerial visualisation was a technological process solely in service of military leadership.
The images of the battlefield were mostly taken from the great height of 10000 ft or more
commonly known as 3 kilometres. The photo depicted an area of approximately one square
mile. By the end of the war in 1918, the process became so distinguished that photographs were
able to be taken from the height of 12000 ft or 5.5 kilometres. It resulted in the depiction of an
image, which when enlarged could reveal a clear footprint.4

A fun fact is that the first aerial photograph ever taken happened years before brothers Wright
made their historic flight, in 1903.5

Up to this point, balloons, kites and dirigibles were mainly used as aerial
camera platforms. It were the events on 17 December 1903 that influenced
the history of both aviation and aerial photography forever. On this famous day,
the Wright Flyer, constructed by the brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright, made
a 12- second flight near the village Kitty Hawk.6

3
Cosgrove, Denis, and William L. Fox. Photography and Flight. London: Reaktion Books Ltd., 2010.
4
Mirzoeff, Nicholas. “The World of War.” In How to see the World, edited by Nicholas Mirzoeff, 108-109,
London: Penguin Random House, 2015.
5
The Wright brothers first flew their plane at Kitty Hawk in 1903. It should be worth mentioning that the first
air force was created by Napoleon himself in 1784. and they proved to be a valuable asset during the Battle of
Fleurus.
6
Stichelbaut, Birger., Jean Bourgeois. Images of Conflict: Military Aerial Photography and Archaeology.
Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2009.

2
The first aerial photograph was taken from a balloon operated by none other than Gaspard-
Felix Tournachon, or known merely under his professional alias Nadar.

Napoleon III approached Nadar with an offer to run surveillance and photograph the war
France led in Italy against Austria, and while that came out fruitless, Nadar continued with his
work and research and came out with the development for rudimentary photogrammetry, by
taking photographs from different angles in order to plot the position of objects on the ground.
It is considered a foundation for stereoscopic aerial photography.7

In regards to the significance of the WWI for technical development of aerial reconnaissance,
it is the single most abundant source of aerial photographs in history. The carried-out
reconnaissance flights produced millions of aerial photographic prints. In the beginning, there
was a wide variety of print dimensions as it depended on the size of the glass negative that was
used. In some instances, prints or just sections of it were enlarged to make the details more
readable to analysts.8 Different formats of the photographs, although used and helpful for
various purposes, are not at all that surprising given that prior to the beginning of the war in
1914, standard camera sizes weren´t available.9

Early aerial observation teams went to such lengths as purchasing their photographic
equipment; a fact to which a wide variety of print formats held and found in collections over
the years can attest to, especially prints dating from the early war period of 1914 and 1915.

Oftentimes the early negative measured to 13x18 centimetres, frequently used for cameras with
26-centimetre lenses. Later on, measures of 18x24 centimetres became standard negative
measurement in aerial photography, with its use for a variety of different camera focal
lenses.10However, a wide-angle lens11 and a telephoto lens12 were the most frequently used
ones. The usage of the lenses differentiated as well as produced different images, a photograph
made with a telephoto lens provided far greater detail and was easily interpreted while a shorter
lens covered more surface.13

7
Cosgrove, Denis, and William L. Fox. Photography and Flight. London: Reaktion Books Ltd., 2010.
8
Prints and negatives were mostly the same size, usually.
9
Stitchelbaut, Birger. The Great War seen from the Air: In Flanders Fields, 1914-1918. Brussels:
Mercatorfonds, 2013.
10
The negative format and the length of the focal lens don´t actually have any real connection between them.
11
26-centimetres.
12
120-centimetres.
13
Stitchelbaut, Birger. The Great War seen from the Air: In Flanders Fields, 1914-1918. Brussels:
Mercatorfonds, 2013.

3
The usage of negative measurements and focal lenses, by different warring nations, varied.
Every colonial force included in the war had different preferences. The French, followed by
Belgian and American aerial observers favoured cameras that used negative measurements of
either 13x18 or 18x24-centimetres. On the other hand, The British developed specialised
cameras for use in aerial reconnaissance. Watson aerial camera frequented a negative measured
to 10.2x12.7-centimetres, while other non-standard British negatives measure up to 16.5x21.6-
centimetres. In 1918 they had converted measurements to a standard for all Allied aerial
photographs, 18x24-centimetres.14

Surprisingly, less is known about German aerial photography during the first world war.
According to Cosgrove and Fox, co-authors of the book on aerial photography called
Photography and Flight, Germany was the first colonial force of the “great war” which
possessed lead reconnaissance technology. They had advanced cameras aboard the Zeppelins.
Research indicates the usage of five different negative formats, at least, that ranged from small
to large.15 Focal lengths, though, were similar to the ones used by the Allies16, as well as the
photographic process. Alliance standard had negatives that consisted of silver bromide
emulsion coated glass plate.17

When it came to the quality of aerial images procured, without a doubt the importance falls on
the camera optics, more precisely a good quality lens. In that regard, Germany was the leading
force. They possessed a significant advantage because they controlled the production of high-
quality lenses made by Carl Zeiss. The only real match to Zeiss, in this war of the lenses, was
a French manufacturer, Parra-Mantois.

The war of the lenses was held in high regard as good artillery was based on and depended on
the accurate interpretation and reading of the aerial image which is affected by the quality of
the image produced.

Getting an easily interpretable and readable image isn´t always as easy as it might seem and it
doesn´t always rely on the quality, but instead on the clarity of the photograph. To suit the
requests for more straightforward interpretation, the images needed to be clear, without being

14
Stitchelbaut, Birger. The Great War seen from the Air: In Flanders Fields, 1914-1918. Brussels:
Mercatorfonds, 2013.
15
Formats, such as 9x12, 10x15, 16x16,13x18, … can be found.
16
Focal length ranged from 25 to 50, 70, and 120 centimetres.
17
Flexible film was being tested at the time as well.

4
under or overexposed, weather conditions18 were known to be a deteriorating factor in play
when it comes to the clarity of the photograph as well as the process of printing, another
deteriorating but overall manageable factor. The less haste the production is, the easier it is to
"read" an image, as it is more detailed and precise. At wartime, you can´t choose so the
significant factor in processing information from the pictures and processing the images
themselves was speed. Some photographs had been ordered, taken and printed within the 3-4
hour deadline. It was made possible with the usage of specific emulsions that sped the time of
development. Even though it was far from perfect, it yielded up the information required.

The first incorporation of aerial photography in the workings of the war happened in the first
few months after the conflicts started. Before that, as the purpose of military aviation was
information gathering, the pilot made slight notes and sketches of what he could see and wrote
up a report when he landed. Incorporating cameras only made for a more accurate and more
detailed description, as photographs served as confirmation of visual observation.

In the earliest reconnaissance planes, a cumbersome and time-consuming ritual took place, of
an observer leaning over the side holding a camera and taking a photo. To take another one he
had to change the glass-plate negative, then lean over and make another one. 19

Cameras developed increasingly modern as the war advanced and were settled to the side of
the aeroplane. They were activated by a remote control worked by the pilot or the observer.
Before the end of the war, the flexible roll-film had supplanted glass-plates. Focal points
enhanced in quality, and by 1918 gigantic focal points of up to 20-inch focal length could
record great, interpretable pictures from 20,000 feet.

Taking a photograph wasn´t all that cut and dry, it wasn´t just about pointing and shooting.
There are three types of aerial photographs taken depending on the requirements of what kind
of information it needed to showcase. Amongst those three, one can discern between vertical,
oblique and panoramic photos taken.

Vertically taken images are quite difficult to read compared to the other two. Experience is
needed to interpret them as one is trying to read out information about a 3-D reality out of a 2-

18
An overcast produces darker images, the clarity and contrast are indiscernible. Other difficulties manifested
with scattered shadows cast by clouds making the content less interpretable.
19
It was a dangerous endeavour in the beginning, with the observer having to hang over the side of the aircraft
and take the pictures. It required a steady hand, a nerve and a capacity to adapt to freezing temperatures at
heights of around 5,000 feet, while all the time being a sitting duck just waiting for an enemy assault which
could mean relatively impending demise.

5
D representation of it, just like a map. To take a vertical shot one has to angle the camera´s
optical axis perpendicularly towards its target, the surface. The shot is made directly from
above the mark. Making such a photograph was made possible once the camera was strapped
to the body of an aeroplane itself, instead of being in the hands of the pilot or an observer.

On the other side, an oblique shot is easier to read and interpret as its perspective is very much
like people commonly observe the world, similar to a person´s natural vision. Camera´s optical
axis is positioned under an angle in relation to the target surface. It could be described as a
slope as it is neither horizontal nor perpendicular to the photographic target, just like looking
down from the top of the hill. Oblique photographs prove their value as they can yield a great
deal of information to an amateur analyst, their foremost importance consists of aiding to
understand the terrain´s topography and its military installations to converse such information
into valuable cartographic data, although its worth in map making is substantial next to the
value of the vertically shot photograph.20

The third type of aerial photography is a panoramic type. The optical axis of a camera runs
parallel to the horizon, showcasing both the terrain and the sky above it. The importance that
military valued with panoramic shots is that they could show the entirety of region´s battlefront
as well as the geographic relief all in one print.

In the eyes of the military analysts, when interpreting military features across the terrain, such
as trenches, vertically shot image can showcase it far better than the other two, as the
perspective closely resembles a ground plan or a map.

Despite it being adversarially better, vertical photography never entirely took control as the
better part of the collection of aerial photographs still produced consisted of oblique and
panoramic types.21

Finally, the type of shot made isn´t the most important part of the whole process and technique
of aerial photography. The most important part is how they were used. According to Captain
R.R. Arnold:

The army uses aerial photographs for two general purposes. One of these
purposes is the preparation of the maps which are used by army staffs to plan

20
Stitchelbaut, Birger. The Great War seen from the Air: In Flanders Fields, 1914-1918. Brussels:
Mercatorfonds, 2013.
21
Panoramic shots more often than not provided valuable information on where to set trenches in regards to the
enemy line and their own defense.

6
 their operations and by the combat troops to find their way from place to place
on the ground or to compute field artillery and infantry firing data. Aerial
photographs are also used for intelligence purposes. Pictures taken from the air
over enemy lines are studied for signs of activity to aid us in making our plans
and to disclose those of the enemy. By taking similar pictures of friendly
territory, breaches of camouflage discipline are detected and the extent that our
own plans are revealed to the enemy can be deduced. This latter activity is
referred to as counter-intelligence.22

To guarantee that the most data has been drawn from an image acquired, specialised
photographic analysts were utilised. These men could spot signs that give away enemy
positions, upgrades to trenches or centralisations of troops and gear for an offensive. As this
work achieved new dimensions of effectiveness, the cover was created to camouflage front line
movement from the ''eye in the sky''. Another approach to keep observation aircraft from
satisfying their central goal was to prevent them from crossing the front line, which
demonstrated a specific risk amid photographic flights, which called for the aeroplane to stay
over in the enemy region for a significantly critical period of time.

With the end of the flight, the job of the observer didn´t end. Notwithstanding, they were the
first ones who analysed the images after printing, identifying the terrain and with that
simplifying the work of utilised experts.

After printing the photograph went through 3 to 4 stages of analysis. The first stage consisted
of reading the image. Every aspect of the picture, either natural or human-made had been
scrutinised, after which the importance of every detail was to be determined and relying on its
significance, marked, after which the most crucial stage came up, the interpretation and review
of the images according to the situation at the front.23

Finally, with the fresh set of information analysed and understood, the troops were able to set
up and act accordingly, hopeful not to have any surprises, but with the great evolution of the
air force and aerial reconnaissance, the artillery was forced to evolve as well. They managed
to learn the art of mimicry and deception. By using clothes and colors to blend in with the

22
Arnold, R.R. “MILITARY USES OF AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS.” In TECHNICAL MANUAL TM 5-230
TOPOGRAPHIC DRAFTING,
file:///D:/Class/PHOTOGRAPHY%20IN%20HISTORY/ESSAY%20literature/1941_jun_90-95.pdf
23
The French reduced the analysis to 3 stages; seeking out and clarifying the details, marking the data on the
map and sketching the details on the image itself. Photographs taken on different dates were subsequent to
detailed comparison as change was expected.

7
vegetation and terrain and hiding in plain sight in the shadow of trees, just to escape the “Eye
in the sky”. It was an intense battle between the sky bound reconnaissance observers and earth
bound troops, going back and forth, both sides trying to outsmart one another. In the end, one
could say that the air force won that battle 24, just like the Allied forces won the war in 1918.

In a nutshell, the point of this essay was to argue the importance of aerial surveillance in the
first world war and to explore the changes it brought to warfare, as well as research the methods
developed during the war. The technique of aerial photography was developed by the young
photography pioneers active in the 19th century, They were endeavouring for a way to
realistically photograph the earth from above and thus experimented with balloons and later on
with aeroplanes. Soon they found themselves targeted by the military in order to utilize the
technique of aerial photography for the services of military reconnaissance in the “great” war
and during the period between 1914 and 1918 the technique developed further, making
revolutionary changes to the understanding of the battlefront and the readiness of the troops.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Arnold, R.R. “MILITARY USES OF AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS.” In TECHNICAL MANUAL TM 5-230
TOPOGRAPHIC
DRAFTING,,file:///D:/Class/PHOTOGRAPHY%20IN%20HISTORY/ESSAY%20literature/1941_jun_90-95.pdf

Cosgrove, Denis, and William L. Fox. Photography and Flight. London: Reaktion Books Ltd., 2010.

Haffner, Jeanne. The View from Above. Massachusetts: The MIT Press, 2013.

24
The technique of stereoscopy has been introduced to aerial photography towards the end of the actual war.
The magic of a stereoscope image consisted in simply taking an interval between two consecutive vertical shots
in order to create an overlapping image (at least 2-3 inches), with the overlapped part seemingly assuming a
three-dimensional appearance instead of the usual two-dimensional and thus accentuating the surface relief seen
in the overlap.

8
Mirzoeff, Nicholas. “The World of War.” In How to see the World, edited by Nicholas Mirzoeff, 108-109, London:
Penguin Random House, 2015.

Stitchelbaut, Birger. The Great War seen from the Air: In Flanders Fields, 1914-1918. Brussels: Mercatorfonds,
2013.

Stichelbaut, Birger., Jean Bourgeois. Images of Conflict: Military Aerial Photography and Archaeology.
Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2009.