Busy city photography doesn’t have to be complicated. If you don’t have filters and other specialized tools for landscape and cityscape photography, here are some tips to make it easy.
Landscape photography in an urban setting has a unique charm of its own. While the weather and the light environment affect it similarly to the natural landscape, the movement of the multitude of visual elements in the city, as well as the artificial light, has a uniquely enchanting aesthetic. its own unique. At the same time, shooting cityscapes can be a great way to master outdoor exposure techniques as well as how to overcome challenges in the environment.
Just like landscape photography in general, cityscape photography can be accomplished through a variety of approaches depending on what you intend to photograph and how you want to portray the place. The city can be seen from different points of view and at different times of the day. At the same time, different exposure and image design techniques can be used to create a unique and compelling image. In this article, let’s talk about the three easiest tips for your first time trying out cityscapes.
Shoot without filter
Without a doubt, filters are very useful in taking pictures of cityscapes. They solve one of the most common problems when shooting during the day, that is, the brightness imbalance between the sky and the city or the foreground, due to the limitation of dynamic range. This is solved by fair use graduated neutral density (GND) filter. In the absence of those, this can be accomplished by shooting with a bracketed exposure. That means taking at least three consecutive exposures with increasing brightness so that enough light can be captured for the different light parts of the frame. Most cameras offer this feature, and the resulting images can be combined automatically through Adobe Lightroom Classic.
Other way, neutral density (ND) filter very useful to be able to have long exposures during the day when light is abundant. However, no matter how obvious it may seem, some photographers tend to be too religious when it comes to long exposures even in situations where it’s not necessary.
Long exposures during the day come in handy when there are a lot of moving elements in the frame, and the movement they make can create intriguing patterns as they leave traces. In the city, this can be seen in fast-moving clouds, moving vehicles, and flowing water when available. However, when none of those products are available on site, doing a quick exposure is a better approach. Not only does it save time and effort, but it also allows you to look deeper into the location and find more angles and composition to photograph.
Choose your focal length
There is a misconception that the best lens for cityscapes is the super wide-angle lens. This is mainly because there may be signs that want to show as much of the view as possible from a certain vantage point. The reality, however, is that many of the city’s (and even landscape) vantage points are far beyond the view. Shooting with a wide-angle lens in such a situation means that the area you want to show will be very small and insignificant in the frame.
If you only have one lens, the standard zoom lens will still be the most versatile. A 24-70mm or equivalent kit lens should be able to let you shoot wide at 24mm and zoom in dramatically up to 70mm. However, the best lens for a particular shooting situation will depend on how far away you are from the view you want to render and how it fits into your intended composition. If you have multiple options, choosing a lens to use is like choosing a shirt to wear. You choose the shirt that best suits the way you want yourself (the subject) to be seen. Instead, this doesn’t necessarily mean always filling the frame by maximizing it to the corners; This means using space artistically to create visually appealing images.
Perfect timing for the right lighting
Cityscape photography can be done at any time of day. However, the quality of light and its effect on your photos will vary greatly. Some of the simplest ways to capture cityscapes happen in just 16% of the 24 hours you have each day.
It is a well-known fact that the best time to photograph landscapes and cityscapes falls around two hours around sunrise and sunset. This is true because this is when the light is most balanced in terms of the sky and foreground, and at the same time; sunlight has a more vibrant quality that best complements the blue sky. Shooting cityscapes during sunset can give you some of the most dynamic compositions you can do in the city because of the way light and shadow intersect creating countless layers of images in Frames. This is best seen when the panorama of the city you are photographing is exposed to sunlight from the side. The sun shines a strong warm light on unobstructed structures, and these structures then cast long shadows over anything behind them. Even without a filter, without the need for a long exposure, these conditions still produce very dynamic and vibrant cityscape images.
On the other hand, the simplest tip for getting good cityscape photos is to shoot in the blue hour frame. This blue hour occurs just minutes after the sun sets completely below the horizon. The sky remains relatively bright with a blue tint due to the indirect residual effects of the sun as it descends further and dims enough for the city lights to shine along with it. In that brief moment of balance between natural and artificial light, you can create dynamic images with lots of color. If you’re shooting with a tripod, the added benefit of long exposure shooting will allow you to capture movement from vehicular traffic to showcase city life in your photos.
The most important aspect of photographing cityscapes, or any type of photography for that matter, is that the images are clearly envisioned and the intent is artistic. When guided by an outcome you want to produce, all other factors are secondary and being able to manage them leads to great photographic results.
