Teach you to play skyline photography

Nothing can better reflect the magnificent panorama of a city than a beautiful skyline photo. However, it is not easy to take a "wow" photo. You must be fully prepared in advance and pay a lot of time and patience in the shooting process. Below I will show you some skills to help you take shocking skyline photos more easily.

1, get ready early:

Similar to most photographic subjects, a perfect shooting plan and field investigation will always be the cornerstone of a perfect result. This includes choosing a good shooting location, that is, before you start shooting, you have to think about that location and what angle you can show the most beautiful side of the city. Usually with the help of Google Maps, it is a good choice, through which you can find the specific location of the city center and where you can have a better view. Remember, if you want to take panoramic photos of the city skyline, you need to choose a location far away from the downtown area of the city.

Parks, rivers, lakes and ports can add more interest to your skyline photos. Find them on the map and mark their locations so that you can easily find them when you come to the shooting location. In addition, you can also use the photo library function of the map to refer to how others take photos of the skyline in the same place, so as to get inspiration and avoid duplication.

Step 2 communicate with local people

No one knows their living environment better than the locals, right? So we should make good use of their knowledge. After all, people living in cities can give you more useful advice. Maybe these good words can help you take unique photos instead of bad travel photos. For example, as a Londoner, I know that many people like to choose a bridge on the Thames as the location to shoot London, but if you choose to shoot in Vertigo Bar, you can actually get a more unique angle.

3. Lens, tripod and filter

I'm definitely the kind of person who doesn't want to carry too much equipment, but unfortunately, when you plan to take pictures of the city skyline, in order to ensure the final effect, the following equipment is essential:

If you shoot at any time in the morning, evening or night, then long exposure is inevitable. A stable and reliable tripod can ensure that your image is clear and sharp.

A wide-angle lens is necessary, but you may need to use a telephoto lens occasionally, which usually happens when you are far away from the skyline.

Reasonable use of a variety of filters, including medium gray mirror and polarizer, can help you create more unique visual effects.

The key is to make sure that you have everything you need, because you may not get a second chance, so in this case, it may be worthwhile to take a taxi. After all, it's not easy to bring so much equipment.

4. Catch the light in the morning and evening.

It is no accident that many amazing skyline photos were taken in the early morning and evening. A few hours after sunrise to before sunset, the light is the most beautiful. In fact, you can try to take photos of these two periods in the same place, and there will be a strong contrast when you look at them together. It is wiser to arrive half an hour earlier than to arrive at the designated shooting location on time, so that you can have more time to prepare and arrange equipment.

Step 5 wait for the night to come

The sun sets in the west and the lights are on. This time is usually the most dazzling moment in many cities. If you plan to pack up and go home at this time, you will miss the best opportunity to shoot the night view of the city. Wait another hour after sunset, and you can successfully complete the day's shooting work. At this point, the tripod is absolutely your essential magic weapon, and the reason is self-evident. Of course, it doesn't rule out that you will want to shoot with ISO3200 in the future, and then pull a level 5 exposure. Remember to ensure safety and take photos in areas with good security in the city at night.

Step 6 use your residence

The best place to shoot the city skyline is your residence, such as your hotel. Many big hotels are usually equipped with terraces, outdoor swimming pools, rooftop bars and other places with good views, which means you can take photos in these places, so don't forget to consider the needs of taking photos when choosing a hotel. When you arrive at the hotel, you can also ask the waiter if his hotel can see the city skyline.

7. Add interesting elements to photos.

We should know that the skyline of most cities has been photographed countless times, and it is basically based on pure scenery, so sometimes we choose to add some interesting elements to the foreground of the photos, such as running animals or people walking through. This way can not only enhance the uniqueness of your photos, but also increase the story of landscape photos and make them more unique.