Outdoor Photography How To

The great thing about cityscape photography is that when you run out of ideas, there’s always a city or town nearby. By following the straightforward advice below, you’ll be able to capture “perfect” photos wherever you live.

Another advantage to this type of photography is that it doesn’t require any special equipment. In fact, Instructor Peter Forsgard insists that, “photographers spend too much time thinking about gear.”

Forsgard is a Finnish pro who says, “Cityscapes are one of my favorite subjects to photograph” In this nine-minute behind-the-scenes episode from Helsinki, he reveals his five favorite tips.

According to Forsgard, it helps to think of cityscape photography as shooting landscapes in an urban area. So if landscapes are your thing, you’re already part way there. And just like when shooting landscape, it’s very beneficial to do some careful planning and location scouting in advance of your shoot.

Anyone who has spent time walking around a city knows that the urban environment can appear totally different throughout the day. That’s why part of your scouting exercise is to determine the best time to photograph the various locations you select.

Part of capturing a perfect image is nailing the exposure, and that can be challenging because of the wide range of tones common to cityscape scenes. Forsgard has a number of helpful tips for achieving accurate exposures, and he discusses other important camera settings for optimum results.

While watching the video you’ll also pick up valuable advice on composition, and how slight changes in camera position can make a big difference. Like when shooting landscapes, conventional wisdom is that a wide-angle lens is the best choice. But Forsgard demonstrates how a longer lens enables you to capture detail shots, as well as compress perspective.

You can find more great tips on Forsgard’s YouTube channel, so be sure and take a look. Then get out there this weekend and photograph the town where you live.

Slow shutter speeds are often helpful when photographing cityscapes, so we recommend that you also check our recent tutorial, explaining how to make dramatic long-exposure photos without expensive ND filters.