People are proud of their cities. Most of us live surrounded by old and new architecture, by fancy design, bridges, and noisy streets. People, cars, buses, bicycles, and lights are all the subjects of a city. Cityscape photography is a way of picturing the life inside a community. It is a way of understanding history, a way of appreciating street art, and a way of storytelling. The first thing you need to do to become a cityscape artist is to love the cities. Sometimes they can be wilder than a wild forest. You will need a lot of energy in the process, but cityscape photography is one of the most appreciated types of photography. After all, humans are your public and humans are proud of their cities. Here are some tips to improve your style in cityscape photography.
Include people
Streets, buildings, and bridges are, of course, a very important part when it comes to cityscape photography. But people are the ones that keep the city alive. You can see them everywhere, busy with their day to day activities, enjoying life, playing, jogging or having coffee. You can choose to photograph activities or to do portraits. Street fashion has become an important part of the fashion industry, so you could pay attention to clothes as well. As a rule, if you want to shoot portraits, ask for permission before you take the picture.
Choose the right moment
In a city, everything happens fast. It is important to be active and agile to achieve the perfect snapshot. Use fast shutter speed if you don’t want blur pictures. A wide angle lens will help also. Predict what is going to happen and prepare in advance. Cityscapes can be hard to catch, but some of the great moments of the urban life require precision, determination, and luck.
Catch the lights
What can be more beautiful in a city than the lights? Every night, thousands of them light up, colorful and bright. It is a good opportunity to practice night photography. It is also a good opportunity to practice long exposures. Transforming car lights in a multicolor river is the most common technique used in cityscape photography.
The dark side
City life is not always bright and beautiful. Cityscapes don’t always have to be about old architecture and stylish people. The dark side of a city is part of its identity too. Include in the story ruins, garbage, graffiti, dirty markets, people of all kinds. They are also part of the city life and give authenticity and honesty to your pictures.