Cityscape Photography

Sydney, New York, London, Paris consider any popular cities around the globe and their renowned cityscapes will instantly come to mind. It’s no wonder that cityscape photography is among the most popular kinds of photos to capture. Cityscapes are usually high up on the majority of travel photographer’s top priority of a location. Not only will they look amazing in your portfolio and even hung on a wall, but they likewise have a tendency to sell well. However, creating exceptional cityscape photographs can be challenging. Here we will discuss everything you need to know in order to capture outstanding cityscape photographs.

The Equipment you need

This genre of photography usually does not requires high-end equipment.

• Camera body: A beginner or an average camera body can do the job here. The goal while choosing the camera body should be that it could capture high-resolution photos and perform well in different light settings. Mid-range cameras will do well if you cannot afford expensive high-end cameras.
• Lens: As most of the time you will need to capture the whole cityscape, thus a wide-angle is necessary. A 16-35mm lens will give you a very good range. However, to focus and zoom into a particular section of the cityscape or various structures you will need a telephoto lens. If you would like to photograph a panoramic cityscape, we suggest using a telephoto lens in order to preserve as many details as possible.
• Tripod: If you don’t want camera shake or motion blur in your photos, especially when shooting slower shutter speeds, you should definitely use a tripod. A tripod will allow you to get more stable and sharp photographs. Remote control or a cable release will make working with a tripod and low shutter speed more efficient because you will not need to touch the camera.
• Accessories and Filters: Always keep extra batteries with you because shooting long exposure shots consume more battery power. ND Filters or polarizing filters can also help a lot in certain conditions. For example, photographing when the sky is blue and the Sun is shining bright.

Camera settings for cityscape photography

The camera settings you should use depend on the conditions you are shooting in. If you are shooting in daylight, getting proper exposure levels in the photos won’t be difficult. But if you are shooting in darker conditions or at night time, you will need to adjust shutter speed, aperture, and the ISO to get the best result.

• Slower shutter speeds will allow you to get brighter photos but can cause motion blur, this can be avoided by using a tripod.
• Use an aperture such f/8-f/11 to get a deeper depth of the field for sharp photos. If you want to avoid lower shutter speed and still get proper exposure, use wider apertures such as f/2.8 or f/3.2.
• Avoid using higher ISO sensitivity, as it can introduce a significant amount of noise in the photos. Instead, use lower ISO e.g. ISO 200-400 so you can get sharp and clear photos. At night time we recommend using ISO 650-1200
• Use Autofocus function to focus on your subject. Then set the focus settings to manual, especially if you are photographing in low light.

Plan Ahead

Planning ahead is the quality of a perfectionist. Do your research and find out the best location, as it will determine the quality of your photos. Try to find a point that offers an unobstructed view of the tall building and complex infrastructures. A good place to look for is along waterfronts or on bridges. Bridges can provide perfect frames on opposite sides.
Try to look for things that can make photos look more interesting, like bodies of water. While shooting at night the water will reflect the city light adding an exceptional effect to your photograph. Bodies of water such as lakes or rivers can become a good element of the photo even in the daylight.
The high viewing areas such as skyscrapers and towers can provide an interesting and unusual view of the cities. Getting access to these points may be challenging, but if you get there, it will definitely pay off.

Any type of outside photography relies heavily on the readily available light. To record stunning cityscape photos you will need the conditions to be right. Never forget to check the forecast, so you can get an idea of the conditions and the environment you will face during the session.

Always arrive early

Arriving early can give you more opportunities. Capturing the sunrise with the cityscapes can result in amazing photos. The Golden hour i.e. a short period after sunrise and before sunset is the perfect time. The orange sky can act as a backdrop that can make the buildings and structures stand out.
If you arrive before the sunrise or sunset, you will get to photograph the blue hour i.e. the when the Sun is significantly below the horizon. It gives us a predominantly blue sky that can also act as a perfect background. Confusingly however, whilst it is called the blue hour, it nearly never in fact lasts an hour. Usually the blue hour last for around 40 minutes but can be as short as a couple of minutes.
These sunrise and sunset moments are surprisingly quick so you will need to act fast and arrive to the location beforehand.
Arriving early can also help you avoid crowds, which is somewhat difficult in the big cities.

Work on the composition

Prior to snapping away spend a few minutes analysing the scene. Work on the composition. Try to improve it. It will not be a striking photo unless it is framed properly. Do not rush. Take your time and work on the best possible compositions, before starting to click the camera.
Use the most basic composition rule i.e. the rule of thirds in order to improve the framing of the photograph. It is quite simple but it can help a lot. Just try placing the main subject on the intersecting points of the grid lines that you see on your camera screen.
Leading lines are an essential factor of 3D cityscape composition. They can lead the viewer towards the subject. By adding perspective and depth, it can add more meaning to the photo.

Shoot light trails

Long exposure light trails can represent the fast-paced city life in the best way. By using longer shutter speeds you can capture light trails mainly caused by the vehicle lights. These artistic patterns can guide the viewers through the photo, making it more interesting.

Shoot cityscape panoramas

Sometimes it is not possible to get the whole frame you want in a single photo, even with a wide-angle lens. Photographing panoramas will let you do so. In fact, these photographs can give great results by capturing the total scene in a single frame. Use a telephoto lens for best results.

Post-processing

Post-processing is a vital part of the field of photography. Adjust the colours and any other parameters during the editing process. This will help you create the perfect photos that you are satisfied with.

Conclusion

Capturing exceptional cityscapes is not a complicated subject. By considering some important tips and techniques, you also can take professional-level photographs that rightfully represent the beautiful cityscapes.

At City Vista Photography, we have a huge array of images and timelapse videos of Sydney’s most famous landmarks, so make sure you get in touch today.