7 tips for taking great city photos with your smartphone

Visiting a big city can be an amazing experience. The sheer size and scale of the place can be overwhelming, and the sheer number of people can make you feel as small as an ant. However, big cities also offer a great opportunity to take photos unlike any other, as long as you follow a few golden rules.

1. Use Selective Zoom to Capture the Scale of a City

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It's nearly impossible to capture the full scale and size of a city in a single photograph. Unless you're flying a drone overhead or taking a boat out to sea, you can't fit the vastness of a city into a single photograph. However, by choosing the right location to shoot from and using a selective zoom, you can at least try to give people a sense of the scale and size of a city.

2. Use landmarks such as rivers, roads, bridges and buildings

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Part of photographing a big city is helping viewers understand what they're seeing. And this is where landmarks come into play. There are many possible landmarks to choose from, including rivers, roads, bridges, and buildings. All of these can help draw viewers into the heart of the city.

3. Make the most of the abundance of reflective objects around you

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Just like straight lines, most cities will boast plenty of reflective surfaces that photographers can and should take advantage of. Reflections can add interest to even the most boring subjects. For example, the reflection of a square building is more interesting than the building itself.

4. Create dynamic movements to reflect the busyness of city life

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The largest cities have millions of people, all working, living, and playing in the city you visit. And the best way to reflect the busyness of a big city is to show people moving in some way, which can create a sense of movement in the viewer's mind.

5. Try to shoot from angles and perspectives that others have never seen

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Big cities attract a lot of people. That's why you visit them as a tourist. Unfortunately, this means that almost everything in those cities will be photographed multiple times and from all different angles. So you have to find a unique perspective that no one else has seen.

6. Apply the right filters and edits to set the mood

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Your smartphone photography of big cities doesn't end when you get home. In fact, some smart editing on your phone can help take your photos from mediocre to great. Using filters and other editing tools, you can set the mood for an entire photo album or for specific shots that need a little extra work.

7. Always be ready to take photos and expect the unexpected

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There are plenty of reasons why you don't need a dedicated camera anymore, but the best thing about smartphone photography is that you always have your phone with you. That means you're always ready to snap a photo when something interesting happens. And those moments are more likely to happen in a big city than anywhere else.

As you can see above, there are some simple yet effective tips for capturing the heart and soul of a big city. They can be applied when shooting in any big city.

Good luck!

David Pac

Update 09 December 2024