Tips For Urban Landscape Photography

Urban landscape photography may appear mundane at first glance. But with skillful photography, common scenes can become captivating scenes worthy of consideration and poetry.

Finding success when taking urban landscape photographs involves looking beyond what appears obvious and finding fresh perspectives and angles to capture original scenes. Consider getting low or shooting from above. Experiment with different framing and exposure-compensations techniques too – even subtle changes in composition or exposure can drastically change an image’s impact.

Wide-angle lenses are indispensable when photographing expansive city skylines and street scenes. You can find reasonably priced wide-angle lenses that make for more efficient landscape shots than their telephoto counterparts.

Consider using an ND filter when shooting long exposures to slow the shutter speed and capture beautiful, blurred motion in your photos. Furthermore, using a circular polarizer can help cut glare from bright sunlight while making colors more vivid.

Lighting is also an integral factor when photographing urban landscapes, especially during golden hour after sunrise or sunset, when warm light highlights textures and details in the cityscape. Rainy or overcast days may provide great opportunities to capture moody, atmospheric images – however be wary not to overexpose a scene too heavily with light as this could create harsh shadows or oversaturated highlights that create unwanted artifacts in your photos.