10 Ways To Shoot The City

Join Claire Gillo, and get creative on an urban photography adventure

The urban environment is packed with opportunities to photograph a wealth of subjects, from sprawling cityscapes and soaring skyscrapers to the everyday hustle and bustle of traffic and people on the streets.

In this feature we’re going to take you on a tour of the city and its spectacular sights, and show you how to capture a variety of eye-catching and engaging images. We’ll cover everything from shooting abstract black-and-white architecture to capturing quirky aerial views, sweeping panoramas, and candid street shots – and we’ll even venture underground. Get ready to experience – and shoot – the city as you’ve never seen it before!

01 SHOOT ARCHITECTURE

Capture stunning architecture from every angle.

Our cities are packed with interesting and often spectacular architecture, from sleek modern structures to older buildings bursting with character, and you can take a variety of approaches to shooting them, and develop your own style. It’s vital when shooting any building that you explore all the angles – literally – before setting up your camera. Moving in close and pointing the camera up can be effective if you want an abstract effect, or you may choose to stand back from the subject and shoot it head-on for a more conventional result. You also need to take into account the light, and what effect this will have on the image. Strong shadows can be distracting, but you can also use them to your advantage in an abstract shot.

1 THE BASIC SETUP