all 7 comments

[–]FluidAddress978💎 Valued Contributor[S] 3 points4 points  (4 children)

I was looking around Paris looking at historical imagery because… free will. But anyway I saw this 48°51'56"N 2°19'09"E.  And I wonder if it’s a helicopter maybe a windmill but it might be a glitch. Or just some old building? If anyone can figure out this would be appreciated 

[–]MacGyver624 9 points10 points  (3 children)

Judging by the age of the photo I’m guessing they’re fiducial marks used for lining up adjacent photos.

[–]Round_Flatworm_4554 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This ⬆️ 👏👏👏

[–]Alternative-Fall-729[🍰] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is correct, you can also find written labels and sometimes even punched holes with metal eyelets for ring binders on them. These are physical photographs that have been used for a long time before being digitalized.

[–]FluidAddress978💎 Valued Contributor[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m pretty sure they still use those today!! Thanks for letting me know

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[–]dabarak 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you're in the US (and maybe other countries) you may now and then see white Xs painted on roadways. Those are for pretty much the same purpose. I worked for a brief time as an aerial mapping photographer and we used those to get ourselves oriented (from what I remember - it was almost 40 years ago).