Therightframing can make your images of
landmarksand city life instantly more dynamic
Refine composition
Ascityenvironmentsare inherently busy,
it canbetrickytocompose images well.
Firstly,it isa challenge to find subjects within
thecacophonyofactivity on a city street
andintelligentlyapply the photographic
techniquesthatyouhave practised over the
years.Secondly,onceyou’ve found a subject,
you’llneedtoarrange a picture that is clean
andunobstructedbyextraneous detail.
Cranes,scaffolding, tarpaulins, traffic cones
androadsignsareallexamples of objects that
arecommontourban scenes but only serve
asdistractingelements in a cityscape shot.
Trytoavoidthemif you can, as they ruin thedramatic theme of an image, mostly because
viewers recognise these as temporary items
that are not fixed aspects of the city scene,
unlike a monument or building.
Always compose cityscapes so that they
only include objects that complement fixed
elements. Treat your scene as a film set and
capture it in a way that conveys a story but
presents it so that anybody might find it
themselves. It’s always better to attempt to
capture something unique and surprising, but
cut out non-critical, changeable features. Here,
our two pros explain the rationale behind
some of their composition choices.ROOMTOBREATHE
Providesomenegative
spacetoallowyour
subjectbuildingtostand
outfromitssurroundings.LEVELS
Arrangeyour
compositionto
emphasisethe
varyingheights
ofobjects,adding
structureanddepth.DIRECTION
Use leading lines to
guide the viewer into the
shot and give the scene
a sense of direction.S TATIC AN D M OVIN G
Include contrasting
elements – in this case
the stationary buildings
and traffic in motion.Choosing the right lens
24-70MM
Whileinteriorsbenefit from use of an
ultra-wideoptic,exterior shots and
streetscenescansuffer from unsightly
distortionandelements becoming
toosmallin theframe. Instead,
optfora lensstartingat around
24mmfull-frameequivalent
(16mmforAPS-C,12mm for
MicroFourThirds).70-200MM
For skyline images it is helpful to compress
perspective with a short to medium telephoto
lens. 200mm is a great all-rounder for both full-
frame cameras and those
with a smaller sensor.
Look for a model
around 50-150mm
and the equivalent
range on APS-C.WIDE TILT/SHIFT
For external shots of buildings, a tilt/shift
lens of 17-24mm is a great choice. This
enables wide images to becreatedw ile
correcting converging
verticals when workingat
closer distances to the
subject. Consider hirin
a lens if you don’t own
one yourself.56TECHNIQUES