Above it all 3.0 Anonymity and Superiority

Screen shot of ©Google Maps view of SF. Scale bar on lower RH side. 

The viewer of a photo is automatically placed in the position of the camera; however, an aerial photo is an extreme variety. It foreshortens the height dimension so much that the image resembles a plan. Viewers feel above it all without feeling specifically located, similar to the anonymity 2D plans provide. Like plans, aerial photos also require additional help to effectively communicate spatial relations. Tourists who plan an easy walk from Levi's Plaza west to Coit Tower, will get a message from their bodies about what data is missing on the satellite pic above! 
Anonymity, disengagement and superiority: some of the emotional color an aerial shot or a plan provides.

West to Coit Tower from Levis Plaza

Greenwich steps looking down & east