Donald Yip
Donald Yip blends together multiple exposures in post to capture sparkling city lights, with dramatic sunrise or sunset backdrops
Donald tells how he combines multiple exposures of cityscapes to produce ‘time blends’ that capture both day and night.
MISSION: Experience and shoot some of the most beautiful and unique urban locations in the world PHOTOGRAPHER: Donald Yip
LOCATION: Australia
KIT USED: Nikon D750, Nikon AF-S 16-35mm f/4g ED VR and AF-S 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6g ED VR, MEFOTO Roadtrip tripod
WEBSITE: www.donaldyip.com
INSTAGRAM: @donaldhyip
My interest in photography began around the time digital cameras were becoming affordable in the early 2000s. The technology amazed me as a teenager, because I could take an infinite number of photographs and view them instantly! I brought my camera on family holidays and outings, and enjoyed shooting a variety of subjects. Eventually, I began using photography not only as a pastime, but also as a means to relax.
I especially enjoy shooting cityscapes. As the sun rises or sets, you witness the city come alive. Scenes can be busy, and challenges lie in deconstructing what’s in front of you to create a composition that viewers can grasp. I’m a fan of using multiple exposures from a tripod to produce a time blend. This allows you to capture and combine an entire spectrum of events in a single image. For example, the vivid colours of a sunset or blue hour, infused with the twinkling lights of buildings, and sweeping trails produced by headlights.
All of these elements blend together to provide the viewer with a beautiful photo that possesses extra depth and creates a more immersive experience. For this type of photography a lightweight yet sturdy tripod is far more important than the type of camera or the speed of your lenses. You simply cannot handhold or risk camera shake when shooting long exposures.
Urban horizons
La Paz, Bolivia, is located at a headacheinducing altitude of 3640m, but it’s an incredible city. I was greeted with this view [1] at the top of a cable car line and wondered how I was going to cram the sprawling city into a single frame. La Paz
Scenes can be busy, and challenges lie in deconstructing what’s in front of you
is huge, but the mountains that surround it are bigger. I eventually decided to build my composition around the iconic Illimani mountain and used a telephoto lens to help amplify its presence within the frame.
Kuala Lumpur is a popular transit hub and a foodie’s paradise. An image of the Petronas Towers places any photo in the Malaysian capital [2]. Due to the immense height of the buildings and the reflection, I took this photograph with a wide-angle lens, to fit it all in. Barrel distortion was a problem, but this was corrected in Lightroom during post-processing.
Rooftop bars and restaurants can offer stunning city views. One such vantage point allowed me to capture this sunset in Tallinn, Estonia [3]. Sometimes you may need permission to take photographs and some locations that allow photography do not permit the use of tripods.
The Ladder of Kotor, Montenegro, holds one of my favourite views in the world [4]. Hiking up with a full bag of gear was tough. The church, situated halfway up the mountain, was the obvious focal point for my composition. The dramatic red light did the rest of the work for me.
In the port of Omiš, Croatia, is a fortress that is open to the public for a small fee. When planning sunrise or sunset shots for private areas, keep in mind the opening and closing times. When I took this shot [5], sunset was at 8:30pm, but the fortress closed at 8:00pm. I was lucky the groundskeeper let me stay a bit longer!