Cities are unique places to photograph. Its dynamism, the architectural elements or the different types of light that we find throughout the day, can be the protagonists of countless stories. Because the urban landscape is a setting like few others where we can unleash our creativity, as well as a great opportunity to put into practice a large number of photographic techniques and knowledge.
WHAT IS AN URBAN LANDSCAPE?
Cityscape photography aims to capture the essence of a general urban environment. That is, in an urban landscape, the city is the protagonist. Whether through details or more general plans, we seek to portray the soul of the city, just as in a natural landscape we seek to capture the soul and beauty of nature.
IDEAL TEAM
The ideal team is always the one you already have ? but if you have a choice, the best one to go out and photograph this type of landscape is:
- Camera with manual settings: To be able to play with the three variables of the exposure triangle (diaphragm opening, speed, and ISO).
- Wide angle lens : It has a wide field of view so it allows you to cover a lot of the scene. It also has a high depth of field, which will allow you to have more planes focused on the image. It is the one that will probably give you the most play.
- Medium focal lens : For closer shots, this type of lens can also be very useful. It does not create so much distortion in the lines and in a fixed format, you can find bright lenses at a very good price.
- Telephoto lens: If you want to photograph details from a certain distance, this lens can be very useful for you.
- Tripod: Just like for a natural landscape , the tripod becomes a very useful tool if we want a very sharp image free of shakes and an essential tool if you are going to encourage yourself with techniques such as long exposure.
- Filters:
- Polarizing Filter : It will be very useful to eliminate reflections, and get contrast in the sky.
- Neutral Density Filter (ND): Essential for long-exposure daytime photos. These filters reduce the entry of light without modifying the tonality of the image.
RECOMMENDED SETTINGS
As for a natural landscape, an urban landscape should be treated in a similar way, looking for sharpness and a good depth of field.
ISO
Always work at the lowest ISO your camera will allow or at least stay low. You already know that the ISO is associated with the sensitivity of the sensor but also with noise.
SHUTTER SPEED
Another aspect that influences the final sharpness of the image and that must be taken into account. Whenever you can, try to work at high speeds to avoid jitter in the image. Or use a tripod.
Depending on the objective, you will be able to work at more or less slow speeds. A good starting point for setting a minimum speed is to use this simple formula:
Minimum speed=1/Focal length
If you are working with a 50mm, the minimum shooting speed will be at 1/50s, if you are working with a 400mm telephoto lens, the minimum speed will be above 1/400s. It is not an exact science but it serves to establish a minimum for each of your focal points.
DIAPHRAGM APERTURE
It is the opening through which light passes through the lens to the sensor of your camera. The larger that aperture is, the more light you will have for your image. And conversely, the more closed that opening is, the less light will enter the sensor.
As a "side effect" it happens that the more we open the diaphragm (more light) at the same time we have less focused area in the image. And the more we close the diaphragm, the larger the area in focus in the image.
That said, the most advisable thing in a landscape of any kind, is to have the largest area in focus possible, so you should work at apertures around f/8 of/16 unless you want to blur the background for some reason or need a lot of focus. light.
Here you have it perfectly explained in case of doubt ?
RAW FORMAT
When you are looking for the highest possible quality, the RAW format becomes essential. This format stores much more information than JPEG, so the results when revealing the image in an editor are infinitely better.
WHITE BALANCE
If for whatever reason you decide not to work in RAW, you should pay special attention to the white balance, since you will be working with different types of light (warm and cold) that can tint your image with their hue, and even with various types of mixed light .
I advise you to try it in manual mode, because otherwise it is possible for your camera to correct tones that you liked, such as the warm light of a sunrise.
HYPERFOCAL
If you want to get the largest possible area in focus in your image, I recommend familiarizing yourself with hyperfocal . It will be useful for all types of landscape and even for street photography and in general all those photographs where you need to have the largest area of the scene in focus.
LIGHT IN THE URBAN LANDSCAPE
Light is everything, also in the urban landscape, with the addition that the landscape not only changes with the light and the tones that come from the sun, but also artificial light typical of the urban environment is added to the scene.
This means that throughout the day we have completely different scenarios, just as different will be, therefore, the photographic opportunities that arise.
THE GOLDEN HOUR
Don't be fooled by the "time" because it only lasts a few moments. It is the time of dawn and dusk , when the light is warm, soft and sideways. It is one of the most beloved lights by photographers for all types of photography, from portraits to landscapes, including the urban landscape, of course.
Its sidelight lengthens shadows, enhances textures and alone adds an intriguing element to your image.
THE BLUE HOUR
Personally, it is the light that I find most fascinating in a city. It is that moment just after sunset, when the sky has lost its warm tones and turns towards an intense navy blue. At that moment the lights of the city come on, and the combination of that blue and the oranges of the typical lights of the lampposts or of the buildings, seems spectacular to me.
To better understand these two famous types of light, I recommend that you take a look at this article: How to Get Great Golden Hour and Blue Hour Photos .
CENTRAL HOURS OF THE DAY
The urban landscape photographer does not live by the magical lights of dawn alone. If you like high contrast , strong shadows, and white light, this might be a nice touch for your urban photos.
In my opinion, each type of light has its magic, you just have to know how to find it ;).
IN BAD WEATHER GOOD PHOTOS
The lights of a cloudy, rainy or foggy day are the perfect setting to achieve different images, with unique lights and scenes that would otherwise be impossible to achieve.
Taking advantage of the color of the umbrellas in the streets, of the lights of the cars or streetlights through the rain, the drops through the windows, or the atmosphere generated by the fog are just some of the many photographs that you can get with bad weather .
THE COMPOSITION
After good lighting, composing in a way that helps convey the message of the photograph is the most essential step.
ADD A HUMAN ELEMENT
Without losing sight of the fact that the subject is the landscape, you already know that adding an element naturally increases interest in the image. Also, it helps to add a sense of scale to the scene.
THE RULE OF THIRDS
It is not convenient to abuse this rule because it is very visible, but it can help you in specific scenes, because no matter how elaborate this rule is, it is also true that placing the center of interest in one of its intersections greatly enhances that point of the composition .
LAW OF THE HORIZON
You must previously think about which area of the image you are going to give more prominence to. If it is to the sky, it should occupy approximately 3/4 parts of the frame. If, on the contrary, you are more earthy, the city should occupy those 3/4 parts of the frame.
And remember, the horizon is always straight, you can activate the help grid of your camera for it. Because, although you can correct it in editing, doing so always implies some cropping of the image.
THE POINT OF VIEW
It is very important to vary the point of view in the compositions, be they an urban landscape or a portrait. Learning to look differently helps to develop the photographic eye, to find different and unique images.
- Contrapicado: If you look up from your feet, you will see how different images of the buildings and constructions that surround you rise up.
- Chopped: If you are in an elevated position, looking at the ground can offer you very different and interesting points of view.
- Normal: It's the most used, so it's not usually the most exciting ? Although that doesn't mean you can't or shouldn't use it.
In short: Look around you, up, down, think before you press the shutter. Is there any other way of framing that makes this image more interesting? With this simple gesture, your image will surely win points.
THE REFLECTIONS
In urban landscapes there are many opportunities to compose through reflections, since we have windows everywhere. Looking for interesting reflections can be a good way to find different images for your landscape photos: puddles, mirrors, windows, or whatever reflective surface you find interesting.
GENERAL PLANS
Find the depth and breadth of your city through general plans. A good idea may be to look for buildings that rise above your city to photograph it from above, or look for places where you have a good view of the skyline of your urban landscape.
THE DETAILS
While we tend to think big when faced with a landscape of any kind, sometimes the image we seek can be in the finer detail.
Therefore, pay attention to details, experiment with minimalism and depth of field, sometimes the little things hide the message we were looking for.
THE PORTRAIT FORMAT
I always like to remember that the vertical format exists, also for landscapes ? , so be sure to experiment with it. You will see that it fits perfectly with the vertical shapes of the buildings, becoming a great compositional ally for your photos.
THE NATURAL SETTING
Framing elements of our landscape through other elements such as windows, doors, walls, etc., provides different and compositionally attractive images.
LONG EXPOSITION
I would dare to say that it is the star technique of any urban landscape. We all have in mind those scenes of a night sky with long trails of colors generated by passing cars, but there are many more options.
If you are lucky enough to have a river running through the city, you can get images of water with a silky effect , play with the movement of people when moving, moving clouds, etc.
To achieve a long exposure in conditions, do not forget that you will need a tripod and work in manual mode or with speed priority. Here is an article that explains how to do it step by step.
TIP: If you want the lights to appear like stars, close the diaphragm as far as possible.
DAYTIME LONG EXPOSURE
Although when we think of long exposure we think of night, it is also an option to take into account when photographing daytime landscapes.
The long exposure is used to create a silky effect in the water, but also in the clouds.
It also allows you to “eliminate” people from crowded places that you are interested in photographing. If you manage to keep the shutter open long enough in a place where people are constantly moving around, you will see that they are blurred and even disappear from the sensor.
For daytime long exposure, in addition to your tripod, you'll need an ND filter or a gradient ND filter if you plan to include the sky in your composition. What these types of filters do is subtract a certain number of light stops without modifying the color. That is, they subtract light from the scene so you can work at slower speeds without burning your image.
Cities are environments full of life and dynamism that offer you creative opportunities everywhere, among them, as you will have seen if you have read this far, the urban landscape. I hope that you are encouraged to portray your city as it deserves, that you experiment with different techniques and compositions, but above all that you enjoy this wonderful hobby that we share, photography.
