One of the most overlooked photography genres worldwide is urban photography, even though millions of people practice it. Why is that? Why doesn’t it get the recognition it deserves? What exactly is urban photography? And how can you improve your results?
This Urban Photography 101 guide will answer all those questions and more. With that in mind, keep reading to discover everything there is to know about this exciting genre of photography!
Check out the video above by Peter McKinnon to learn more about urban photography.
Table of Contents
- Urban Photography Defined
- Urban Photography vs Street Photography
- Styles of Urban Photography
- Urban Photography Tips
- Urban Photography Gear
- Final Thoughts on Urban Photography
Urban Photography Defined
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The first question many people have is: what exactly is urban photography? Technically speaking, it is defined as any image that showcases features and subjects of urban environments. It is an umbrella term that can include pictures of buildings, people, transportation, etc.
Therefore, urban photography is a hybrid genre of photography that combines aspects and techniques of architecture, street, portrait, landscape, fine art, and documentary photography. Even though many new photographers might never have heard of urban photography before, it’s one of the most popular genres of photography today, especially among big city dwellers.
Urban Photography vs Street Photography
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The most common mistake people make when discussing urban photography is making the assumption that it’s the same as street photography. While they are similar, there is a big distinction between them. Let’s learn what it is.
The difference focuses on people. For example, in street photography (whether you knew this already or not), people must always be present in the image. The main subject of street photography is always a person (or multiple people). Moreover, street photography should always display candid, unstaged photos.
In contrast, urban photography doesn’t need to include people. It just needs to include city elements (i.e., buildings, cars, trains, parks, people, animals, etc.). What does this mean? Every street photography image is almost always also considered urban photography. However, not all urban pictures are necessarily street photography. How’s that for food for thought?
Styles of Urban Photography
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There are many different styles of urban photography. While they all display elements of city life, the similarities tend to stop there. Check out the list below of the most common styles of photography that can have an urban flair.
- Street photography
- Portrait photography
- Landscape/cityscape photography
- Documentary photography
- Architectural photography
- Lifestyle photography
- Travel photography
- Wildlife photography
- Fashion photography
- Product photography
Urban Photography Tips
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Let’s examine three essential tips for urban photography. The first one is to choose the right camera settings. While the settings will differ slightly depending on the exact style of urban photography you are shooting, a good rule of thumb for beginners is to use aperture priority mode and autofocus.
Next, you should get creative with your angles and perspectives. Today, everyone’s social media feeds are full of the same images. Playing around with angles and perspectives is an excellent step in the right direction if you want your photos to stand out and capture viewers’ attention.
Another top tip is to shoot during the right times of the day. Two of the best times for urban photography are the golden hour and the blue hour. You can also capture stunning urban images at nighttime by taking advantage of city lights. They create unique moods and atmospheres, and if you slow down your shutter speed and use a tripod, you can create epic long exposure shots full of motion blur.
Urban Photography Gear
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To capture the best images, you need to build a good camera kit. The first piece of gear you’ll need is a capable camera. We recommend getting an interchangeable lens camera like a DSLR or mirrorless camera for urban photography. The Sony Alpha a6100 is a solid camera for beginners, and the Canon EOS R5 is a great choice for professionals.
Next, you must consider which lenses to pair with your camera body. If you can only afford one lens, the best option is a versatile standard-length 24-70mm zoom lens. After that, you can expand your kit with wide-angle, telephoto, and prime lenses. 50mm lenses are fantastic for this type of photography.
Two other key pieces of equipment to include in your camera kit are a tripod and a camera bag. With that said, you can kill two birds with one stone with the Vanguard Urban Kit. Vanguard specifically assembled the bundle for urban photographers, and it includes a lightweight travel tripod, a comfortable crossbody bag, and a smartphone holder.
Each of these items is ideal for photographing in urban environments. The tripod is compact, lightweight, and easy to carry in hand as you navigate the city. The crossbody bag features enough space for a small mirrorless kit and a couple of lenses, or, if you prefer to be even more mobile, you can use the smartphone holder with the tripod to capture images with your smartphone. It doesn’t get much easier!
Final Thoughts on Urban Photography
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We bet many of you have been shooting urban photography for years and didn’t even realize it. Perhaps some of you even used to consider yourselves street photographers when, in fact, you are urban photographers!
Now that you know what this kind photography is, the different types, and what gear you need to excel at it, what are you waiting for? Grab your camera, lenses, and tripod, head into the city, and start practicing!
Finally, if you don’t own a tripod but aren’t interested in the Urban Kit, here are some other awesome tripods from Vanguard to consider investing in.
- Vanguard VEO 3T 265HCP Carbon Photo and Video Tripod
- Vanguard VEO 3 GO 235AP Aluminum Tripod and Monopod
- Vanguard VEO 2 PRO 263CO28 Outdoor Tripod
- Vanguard Alta Pro 3VL 303AV18 Aluminum Video Tripod
- Vanguard Vesta 234AP Aluminum Pan Head Tripod
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