MATT’S TOP TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR CITY-LIGHT SHOTS
Abstract cityscapes
As the sky gets darker experiment with focal lengths. Don’t feel the need to include the whole scene or the sky, as what you leave out is just as important as what you include. Use a telephoto lens or careful cropping in post-production to create amazing abstracts.
Traffic trails
Light trails can be created by any light source moving through your image. Vehicle lights in particular are an ideal subject for blue-hour trails. Shooting in Bulb mode, open the shutter before the light source enters the frame and close it once it is fully out of shot after reaching the correct exposure.
High-ISO shooting
It is very possible to capture city lights without the use of a tripod – particularly useful if you want to capture people in the scene. You will need to boost your ISO, which will increase noise, but by focusing on the pockets of light you can keep the important highlights in check.
Include people
Including people in city scenes is sometimes unavoidable, yet it can give the scene both scale and context. Blending architecture with street photography can create stunning shots that are more dynamic or interesting than a people-free picture.
Star bursts
A crisp, clean starburst can make a nice focal point in your image and can make street lamps and artificial light sources more interesting. A long exposure at a narrow aperture of around f/16 should give you a nice burst. Also the more aperture blades in your lens, the more pronounced and striking the look.
Bokeh
An interesting effect when shooting city lights is to throw the scene out of focus so that the lights take on a circular bokeh look. Simply compose your shot, make sure you are in manual focus, and then adjust the focus until you get the look you want.
Beat the bad weather
Shooting long exposures in bad weather is undoubtedly a challenge, yet if you can keep your lens free of rain for the duration of your exposure then it is possible to get some really strong images, as gloomy skies or wet pavements can add drama to your scene.
Reflections
Photographers can make use of a whole host of subjects to create beautiful reflections in their city scenes, such as rivers, canals, lakes, harbours or even puddles. Look for bodies of water that are calm and still to create cleaner reflections. It’s best to avoid shooting reflections in windy and rainy conditions.
Christmas markets
Christmas market season is fast approaching and this is a great time to get out into a city to shoot the lights. While the markets are often too busy for tripods, the lights and crowds lend themselves far better to high- ISO shooting at wider apertures.