Shooting Cityscapes with Tom Wagner - Latitude Photography Podcast

What is it about the city that excites us as photographers? And not just any part of the city, I’m talking about capturing the entire city.

This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 86 for June 28, 2020

Links Mentioned in today’s show:

Find Tom’s website here: https://www.tomwagnerphotography.com and on Instagram at @tomwagnerphotography

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Introduction and Announcements

I am your host, Brent Bergherm. Welcome to Latitude Photography podcast, the place where we seek to learn, grow and inspire, all in the context of travel-outdoor photography of course. We’re all on a journey to create more images and to do so with purpose. Thank you so much for being here.

Today I’ve got Tom Wagner here to discuss shooting cityscapes, Tom, welcome to the show!

Main Topic: Cityscapes

Intro, what exactly are we talking about here?
Preparations for Cityscapes
Finding a Spot
Trying to find a good overlook – Elevation can help provide a better view of the buildings as opposed to a street view
Try to include water reflections
Look for leading lines (water features, roads, sidewalks, etc.)
Google Maps
Google Earth
Time of Day
Best time for cityscapes is golden/blue hour – this is when you get best light in sky, and building lights are on, which makes for a more interesting photo
Sunrise – Less lights on buildings and less busy
Sunset – More lights on buildings and more people
Avoid shooting into sun – washes out buildings
Gear
Tripod
Blue hour shooting has reduced lighting, leading to longer shutter speeds
Makes it easier for blending in post-processing if all shots are aligned
Wide Angle Lens
Zoom Lens
ND Filter
Helps with getting smooth water
Helps with getting light trails from cars

Setting Up and Shooting Cityscapes

Arrive Early
Allows for trying different compositions
Allows for analyzing light and how it will interact with scene
Long Exposures
Can add light reflections to water, which provide leading lines into cityscape
Can add light trails from cars to provide leading lines
High Aperture Number for Star Lights
Stay Late (if able and safe to do so)
Allows for most lights on buildings (for sunset)
Leads to easier long exposure shots (water, light trails)

Post-Processing Cityscapes

Distortion of buildings, can correct using “Transform” panel in Lightroom or “Transform” tool in Photoshop
Can use “Lighten” blending mode in Photoshop to add lights to scene
Color Management
Combination of man-made lighting and natural lighting leads to lots of colors in the photo.
Too many colors can clash and ruin the photo

Example 1 – Charleston, SC Battery Sunrise