What type of aerial photograph is taken directly above the subject with the optical axis of the camera approximately perpendicular to the Earth's surface?

Vertical photographs are captured from directly above the subject, with the camera's optical axis oriented perpendicular to the Earth's surface. This positioning allows for a true representation of the area being photographed, making it particularly useful for mapping and surveying purposes. By maintaining this vertical alignment, these photographs minimize distortions that could arise from angle or perspective, ensuring scale and distance are more accurately depicted.

This method of photography is essential in various applications such as cartography, urban planning, and environmental analysis, where accurate spatial information is critical. Vertical photographs often serve as the foundational imagery for creating topographic maps and other geographic data representations due to their clarity in revealing the layout and features of the land.

In contrast, other types of photographs, such as oblique photographs, involve angles that may distort the appearance of the objects in the image, and orthophotos, while corrected for distortion, typically require a vertical shot as the basis for their production. Radial lines are not a type of photography but rather a method of delineation or measurement, differing fundamentally from the concept of aerial photography.