Environments You Will © to interpret physical and human environments shown ‘on photographs * about the usefulness of photographs in conveying information ee amie gn Nata Aree er ease 1. ryou were the photographer, where would You bbe taking this photograph from? 2. Can you see any unusual feature inthis photograph? 44, What does this photograph tell ou about he environment? €2_ChepterThrough Photographs People take photographs to remember places they have visited, people whom they have met and events that have taken place, What are other reasons why people take photographs? It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. In what way is this true? For geographers, a photograph is a visual record of information about aplace or an area at a particular time. Photographs are useful in helping us to understand the physical and human features of a place. They help us form.an accurate image of the world and give a Sense of reali thestudy of Geoxtaphy. ie a oo 5Photographs as sources of information Like maps, photographs provide information about a place. However, while maps use symbols to represent features, photographs show the actual features. For example, a map may represent rice farming on slopes by means of symbols and contours. On the other hand, a photograph of the same area shows the rice farms as they are in real life, For example, it shows how the slopes have been cut into terraces. Hence, photographs are useful for studying features and processes that may not be drawn or shown on maps. Photographs are also useful if we have never seen the place atures in the area before. Because the world is, so big, itis impossible for us to visit every place for ourselves in our lifetime! Hence, photographs allow us to see and study Fig 62 the phoworagh shows tatty tHe Physical and human features in places which we might not be able trvate more and fore arming, fat tO visit. For instance, this photograph of a floating market in Thailand land known a traces owas rasta bah al (Rig 6.3) shows how some Thai people sell their goods. Without photographs, we would probably have a hard time imagining what life sin62 Thsphotomep shows tow WOUKd be like for them along the river, unless we make a trip to the penpichawadapnd shor physical floating market srrtmnert Fo sempl Reyrove i ha hanes on isi the et and made use a the vert sel thir gods,Photographs as records of changes Ifyou compare a photograph of yourself as a toddler and a photograph of you now, what differences would you see? Just as comparing old and new photographs of yourself shows how you have changed over the years, comparing old and new photographs of an area allows us (0 identify the changes that have taken place in an area over time, We can 0 study how the physical environment has been changed by human activities. For instance, the photographs below show Jurong Industrial ate in 1960 and 2004. These two photographs allow us to see the development of the Jurong area and the changes that have taken place over time. (a) Jurong Industrial Estate before (6) Jurong Indust ‘evelopment in 1960 in 2008 Photographs as a tool to study the environment Photographs are used as tools to study features and oceurrences on the Earth, Forinstance, photographs help us to study the extent of forest fires and their impact on the environment. By observing our environment, we will be more aware of how our actions affect the Earth. We will also be more careful not to cause further damage to our environment. Fig 64. Jong, an area once covered boy swamps, developed into one of the largest indstial estates in Asi in lass than 20 yeas. What changes can you see fom the photographs! a What are some usos of photographs? Fig 65 Thisphotograph alow usto see the effets of re on tho iphs 65 Environments Through PhotogWhat are the Different Types o' he? Photoara hotogra ‘There are three main types of photographs: landscape photographs, acrial photographs and satellite images. Each type of photograph presents different information about a place or feature, and is used for different purposes. Landscape photographs Landscape photographs are photographs taken at the ground level. A landscape photograph shows a big picture of an area, as if we are standing in front of it. It shows the main physical or human feature, and other less important details around it, We use this type of photograph when studying a feature in detail, Aerial photographs Fig65 Thislondscape phoiny-aphshows Aerial photographs are photographs taken from a height, such orlya smal part the ve. What ther ag from an aeroplane or a tall building, This type of photograph physical and human inthis photogragt? Mweseanyouse® provides us with a bird’s eye view of an area, similar to that of @ map. An aerial photograph shows a bigger arca of land than a landscape photograph. Hence, an aerial photograph helps us to ig 67. Taken tour, features eee geen ft ous ve, Tues estimate the size ofa feature or un area, such as the area of a school father any In this andscapo photo, we ca cleat ee the deta of ta wall ro Pesce Pieces een Voices Po en etHowever, we usually eannot see the details of features as clearly as ima landscape photograph. Some aerial photographs show a vertical view of a place from the top. Such photographs are taken by a camera which points straight down on the Barth’s surface These photographs are useful for studying the layout ofa settlement, They are often used by town planners or geographers who are interested to see how a city develops. Satellite images With advanced technology, satellite images of the Earth’s surface can be taken by instruments on board a satellite in space. A satellite is an ia Tixtiedtulalos al object that is sent into space to collect and send information to the ve city of Zurich As the main arth, As satellite images present a large area of the Barth's surface, So" they are useful in helping us study changes in the environment, For example, meteorologists (people who study the weather) use the oy the ge information colle satellite images to for to warn people of dangers, such as approaching hurr oy FIg610 A satelite mage lke tis is used Cenane ric aed eon cs ac ehSatellite images are also recorded in “real time’. This means that we can see the photographs within seconds after they aes have been taken, Why do you think itis important 1 use ee i satellite images to monitor changes in the environment regularly? In the case of forest fires, for example, fire fighters need to be alerted immediately so that they can save the wildlife or people who are living nearby. Tere Worsnesié1 NAW ‘ ‘S/E: Worksheet 6.1 NA: Worksheet 6 How Do We Read and Interpret Photographs? We learnt that photographs are useful in helping us to understand physical and human environments, In order to Ashe red wert as much information as possible from a photograph, in Sumava on 19 June 204, They we need to interpret it in a systematic way. Follow these steps below, msec to read and interpret photographs. Step 1: Divide the photograph into three sections In order to refer to the different parts of a photograph easily, we can eB Ukicere tiestree divide the photograph into three equal sections: foreground, middle types of photographs? ground and background. The foreground is the lower section of Whats each type of the photograph, the middle ground is the middle section, while the icoparanh need far? background is the upper section, Background Middle ground Foreground Fig6.12 Dividing a photograph ino trae sections hols us lncate and identity feats nyo locate and identify the shyscal and human oats inthis photograph? 68 Chaptor6Step 2: Identify and describe the physical and human features Identify the main feature in the photograph and state the section where the feature is located. If the photograph shows a main feature, we can describe it straight away. If the photograph shows an area of land, we 1 identify the features in the area. Physical features Physical features include rivers, plants, mountains and plains. We also describe how the land looks like. Is the land steeply sloping or gently sloping? For example, the background of Fig 6.12, we see that there are mountains with steep slopes. Human features Human features farms, Are there many buildings and roads? What are the human activities shown? Where are the settlements and activities located? For example, in the foreground of Fig 6.12, we see that the settlements are located on both sides of the river. include buildings, reservoirs, roads and Step 3: Draw geographical conclusions Using the information from the photograph, we can describe the fig 13. Whatphysicl and human features interrelationship between people and the environment. Does the elects Ohta photograph show a physical environment or a human environment? How does the environment affect people? How have people changed the environment? ‘As seen in Fig 6.12, the environment affects where people choose to stay. People have built their homes at the foot of the mountai where the land is flat, At the same time, the people have changed their environment by building houses and roads on the land “S/E Werkhest 62 NAWodshee 62 Seeing the World Through Photographs Different types of photographs provide different information about the physical and human environments, They also show us what human activities are carried out in an area, We are thus able to interpret the interrelationship between people and the environment from the ave photographs. What are the steps to reading and interpreting photographs? Environments Through Photographs 6970 Chapters Skills. Photographs are an important tool ‘or understanding physical and human environments. When interpreting a shotograph, itis important to examine the photograph closely and look at every big and small feature shown. Although the more important features usually take up a large section in @ photograph, details that are less obvious may also provide important information about the environment. Let us now try out the steps to interpret photographs! 1. Finda photograph that shows an interrelationship between people and the environment. You can download the photograph from the Internet, make a photocopy from a book, or cut it out from the newspapers 2. Use the three steps that you have learnt on interpreting photographs (pages 68 and 69), and write down four to six sentences to describe what you see. Describe the interrelationship between people and the environment. Exchange your photograph witha classmate, and interpret each other's photograph. 5. Compare your interpretations of the two photographs with your classmate’s. What have you leaint from your classmate's interpretation of the photographs? at It leans ae The background of a photograph refers to its upper section ‘The foreground of a photograph refers to its lower section. ‘The middle ground of a photograph refers to its middle section. A photograph is a visual record of information about a place or an area at a particular time.t It ered Uses of photographs: * Sources of information * Records of changes in the environment aver time * A tool to study features and occurrences on the Earth Landscape * Taken at ground level © Shows the big picture * Covers a small area * Used to study a of an area or feature physical or human *_Details of the main feature in detail feature are clear * Taken from aheight + Showsalargerarea © Unable to study * Can show the top than a landscape the main features view of an area photograph in detail * Used to estimate # Top view of an area the size of a feature or shows the size of an area, oF to study the feature the layout of a settlement and how it changes © Taken by instruments ¢ Shows a large + Unable to study onboardasatelitein area of the Earth's the main features space surface in detail © Used to study changes * Images are readily in the environment available Environments Through Photographs 71pM ae 7 ened ae OTS eNCUUeL ene i) elEnvironment Pea PEE UCU) What Makes up the Chapter 9 ree si CTCF Greece ue Ca DoD ur nc) cars Tete ect ue ard