I’ve been traveling the world for almost two years now. It’s been a wonderful trip so far and I’ve tried my best to document the journey with my camera. Throughout my travels I’ve found that I’m basically shooting three things: people, landscapes, and cityscapes.
Although an urban setting looks incredibly different than the great outdoors, landscape and cityscape photography are strikingly similar. Most of the techniques are the same for both. Here are a few things I’ve learned along the way. These simple tips will help you get the best results possible.
Shoot at the right time of day
There is no substitute for great light. Shoot during the “magic hour”, about one hour before sunset or one hour after sunrise. This will give you directional light that is very warm and golden. Many photographers agree that the best light is the first light of the day. The only way you’re going to photograph that light is to get up early and be on location before the sun comes over the horizon. Get a good alarm clock and greet the day with anticipation.
Of all of the advice I can give you I think this one is the most important of all. Light is the material we use to create great images, if you miss the good light you’ll also miss making great photos. So get up, get out, and get going. There is no substitute for great light.
One of my favorite tools for determining great light is called The Photographer’s Ephemeris, also known as TPE. It’s an app that can be used on your computer, iPad, iPhone, or Android device. With TPE you can see when the sun will rise, where it will be in the sky, and areas that are good starting points for your photos. It’s a tool that lets you do most of the hard work of planning a shoot without ever leaving your house.
This image of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was taken just after the sun set but while there was still a bit of light in the sky. This is knows as “blue hour” and is one of my favorite times to shoot cityscapes.
I shot this image of Cartagena, Colombia when the light wasn’t the best. But the black and white conversion allows us to see the shapes of the buildings and the strong back light creates a city that’s almost a silhouette.
This image of the Taj Mahal was shot in horrible light. I was only in Agra for a day and I was unlucky enough to be there when the sky was gray and overcast. The wind was blowing and the sky was filled with smog. Try as I might, there was just no good light and the results show it.
When you are photographing something important for an assignment or your portfolio make sure you give yourself some extra time if possible. If you experience bad weather, there’s not much you can do except wait for a better day.
This image was shot in Nagarkot, Nepal. The day I arrived the sky was cloudy and it rained most of the day. I used the bad weather to look for good places to shoot and was rewarded the next day. Just before sunset on the second day there was a break in the rain and the sun painted the valley in gold for a few short minutes. When working with natural light you have to be patient and prepared to shoot when the opportunity presents itself, it may be the only chance you get!
This image of Machu Picchu was taken just a few minutes after sunrise. I almost didn’t get the shot because the sky was very cloudy in the east and the light was very drab. But I waited it out and was rewarded with about 10 minutes of good light.
Bonus Video: Shooting Machu Picchu.
This shot of the Louvre in Paris, France was shot just as the sun was above the horizon.
Scout for the Best Location
This one seems too obvious to even mention, but I’m constantly surprised by the number of photographers who think too generally. “I’m going to shoot the Grand Canyon” or “I’m headed to the New York City!” Yes, those are both amazing places to take photos, but where should you shoot when you get to the Grand Canyon? Where should you set up to capture the New York skyline? Where is the best vantage point? Figuring all of this out while the sun is rising is a great formula for disaster.
I suggest scouting the location in normal light the day before you’re actually going to shoot. Take some test photos to determine your best camera angles. If you plan on using a tripod you may want to take your test photos without the tripod at first. This way you can work quickly, these are just test shots, so why bother with the tripod until it really counts? Once you’ve decided where you’re going to shoot set up your tripod and try again. You don’t want to forget about the tripod altogether only to find out the next day that your perfect location is too narrow or steep to use your tripod.
If you’re doing some extreme wilderness scouting you may want to take a GPS device. Mark your locations on the GPS so you can easily find them the next day before the sun comes up. I use a Garmin Fenix 3 GPS watch for most of my location scouting. It’s a huge time saver.
I spent two days looking for just the right spot to photography Quito, Ecuador. I spent a lot of time looking for just the right spot. Once I’d found a location I liked I saved the coordinates on my GPS watch. I then returned to my hotel and used the coordinates to find the exact spot on Google Maps. I was then able to use TPE to determine the best time to shoot. Planning made all the difference in this photo.
Bonus video: Watch me scout and photograph Quito, Ecuador.
Use a Longer Lens
In most situations you’ll use a wide angle lens for extended field of sharpness and capturing big skies. But there are times when a longer lens works better. Longer lenses help us capture the details in a larger scene. Longer lenses can also be used to compress images, things in the foreground and background appear much closer together and that can really make things pop.
In La Paz, Bolivia I used the trams to get high above the city. This gave me the perfect vantage point to capture the image below.
Using a 200mm lens allowed me to make the distant mountains look much closer to the city.
This image of Mt Fitz Roy in Patagonia, Argentina was shot with a 135mm lens. The long lens allowed me to focus on the peaks instead of the vast range that I captured with a wider lens.
This image of Mt Fitz Roy was shot with a 50mm lens. Although a 50mm lens isn’t a telephoto lens it’s certainly not a wide angle lens either.
Bonus Video: Watch me get blown off the mountain while shooting these images in Patagonia.
Shoot from Different Vantage Points
Sometimes the same location can look strikingly different when shot from different places. When scouting locations, it’s always good to find several different vantage points. In these shots the difference between the valley floor and the scene from above was just a 30-minute hike, well worth the extra effort.
The valley just outside El Chalten, Argentina.
The same valley after a short 30 minute hike.
This photo was taken on the beach outside Kaikoura, New Zealand.
This shot was taken just down the road after a 15 minute walk. Both photos are of the same beach but the foreground is totally different.
This image of bustling Bangkok, Thailand was shot from a walkway just above the road.
This image was also shot in Bangkok, but it was taken along the river and tells a much different story.
Get Everything Sharp and In-Focus
Hyperfocal is the focus distance that gives the maximum depth of field at any given focal length and aperture value. It’s the best way to get everything in focus, from the closest object all the way to infinity.
Bonus video: Hyperfocal shooting
Many photographers overlook shooting at hyperfocal and instead simply close the aperture as far as possible. It’s true that a smaller aperture will give you greater depth of field but it comes at a cost. Smaller apertures also introduce a problem called diffraction. Diffraction causes images to lose sharpness and becomes more evident the smaller the aperture becomes.
You can read a lot more about diffraction at the Adorama Learning Center here.
The best place to set your aperture is in the “middle” somewhere between f/8 and f/11 depending on the lens you’re using. I’ve found that it’s much better to shoot around f/8 and focus at hyperfocal than to stop my lens all the way down. If you have a wide angle lens, you’ll get all you need in focus and your images will remain as sharp as possible.
The key lesson is simple; focus at hyperfocal and use a “middle” aperture value. You’ll get more in focus and your images will be much sharper. And don’t forget to use a tripod, a solid foundation is always best for sharp images.
This image of Luxembourg Palace in Paris, France clearly illustrates the benefit of shooting at hyperfocal. Everything from the closest objects to the palace in the background are in focus. Shot with a 21mm lens at f/6.8.
This image was shot at f/8 using a 35mm lens. Because the lens was focused at hyperfocal we have a sharp image from start to finish.
Another image shot while focused at hyperfocal. This image of El Calafate, Argentina was taken with a 21mm lens set to f/8.
Shoot Slow
Sometimes when you’re shooting landscapes or city scenes it’s good to show movement in the photo. You may want to show running water or cars moving through the streets. The key to showing motion is to use a slow shutter speed. At night this can be very easy, just set up a tripod, put your camera in aperture priority mode with a low ISO value and shoot. You shutter is most likely going to be slow to compensate for the low light.
In daylight you will have to add a Neutral Density filter to get slower shutter speeds. Neutral Density filters (also known as ND filters) are like sunglasses for your lens. They limit the amount of light that passes through the lens so you can shoot with slower shutter speeds in bright light.
Some ND filters are darker than others. You’ll have to use the ND filter that is just the right strength. You may want a shutter speed that’s 1 second but not 20 seconds. If you go too dark or too light you won’t get the results you’re after.
I recommend buying a variable ND filter. A variable filter allows you to rotate the filter and make it darker or lighter. It’s like having several filters in one and it can adapt to almost any situation.
This image was shot with a shutter speed of 2.5 seconds in the midday sun. The aperture was set to f/20 and a variable ND filter was used.
Another shot of Quito, Ecuador. This one a bit later in the night. Notice the slower shutter allows me to show the cars zipping through the streets.
Look for Foreground Interest
When you’re shooting with a wide angle lens don’t forget to place something of interest in the foreground. It will pull the viewers eye into the photo and balance the foreground and background.
The dock and boats provide nice foreground interest to Lake Titicaca in the background. This photo was taken with an iPhone 5. Sometimes a small camera is just what you need.
The rock wall in the foreground helps to pull our eyes into the hills of Sapa, Vietnam.
Don’t Forget About the Details
One all encompassing photo is great, but don’t forget to shoot some of the small things as well. I’ve found this to be especially true of cityscapes. Cities are made up of people, cars, food, pets, and all of the little things of daily life. Shooting some of the details can go a long way to help show others your experience in a specific place. The skylines of most major cities are very similar, it’s the food, people, transportation, and culture that sets them apart.
Vendors in the markets of Delhi, India.
Local food in Bangkok, Thailand.
A bicycle in Cartagena, Colombia.
Assignments
Week 1: Use a wide angle lens (35mm or wider) focus at hyperfocal, and shoot some scenic images. Try using different aperture values. Which settings give you the best results? Keep practicing until you are able to get everything sharp and in focus every time.
Week 2: Use a tripod and a variable ND filter to shoot some long exposures during the daytime. Try shooting some flowing water or clouds moving through the sky. Experiment with different ND filter settings to get longer and shorter shutter speeds. Practice until you find the settings that give you the results that you find most pleasing.
Week 3: Scout a new location during the day and then return during the magic hour to capture the golden light of sunrise. Shoot the scene from different vantage points. Compare your magic hour images to the test photos you shot. Which photos are more pleasing to you?
Week 4: Walk through a city and capture the small details of daily life. Look for things that are specific to the city (or town) you’re in. That may be the public transportation, a specific landmark, the street food, or the way the locals dress. Try to see things from the perspective of someone who has never been to your city.
