This document provides steps for interpreting ground level photos from a map reading perspective. It instructs the reader to study the foreground, middle, and background of photos, take notes, use an atlas or map to learn more about the area, trace important features to understand their relationships, estimate sizes of objects using familiar scales, observe landform formations, and then describe observations with notes, diagrams, and sketch maps.

1. Map Reading Skills
How to interprete ground level
photos

2. Step 1
• The first step is to study the fore, middle and
backgrounds of the photo. While you are
studying these sections of the photograph
write some notes on your observations
regarding the important features.

3. Step 2
• If you have an atlas or a map, use it to get
more details of the area shown in your
photograph.

4. Step 3
• Trace the important features shown on the
photograph so that you keep their relation.
You can use this when describing the features
and their relationships.

5. Step 4
• You can estimate the size of objects by using
familiar objects in the photograph. For
instance, you can use cars to estimate the size
of buildings.

6. Step 5
• While looking at landforms, look carefully to
see if you can observe their formation. For
instance, look for such things as cracked rocks,
scree, eroded rocks and many others which
may act as pointers to the formation of the
given features.

7. Step 6
• When you have made notes, then you can
carry out a description with diagrams, sketch
maps and explanations of what you would
have observed.