Urban photography is one of the most exciting genres, and it can allow you to capture places you either live or love with significant detail. However, it’s easy to let bad habits stick—and unfortunately, many people hold themselves back by not thinking about their shots more carefully.
Today, we’ll cover some common urban photography mistakes that you might be making. You’ll learn about different camera settings that you can change, along with things you can do while out and about.
1. Using the Wrong Aperture on Your Camera
Using the wrong aperture for the kind of shot you’re capturing is one of the most common urban photography mistakes. For example, I used to take a lot of skyline photos at f/5.6—which ultimately resulted in too much of the picture being out of focus. It’s also important to consider the conditions you’re shooting in, as you may need to adjust your aperture accordingly.
As a general rule of thumb, it’s good to use a narrower aperture for skyline photos. That way, you’ll get more of your shot in focus. Street photos depend on whether you want something that’s more similar to a portrait or whether you’d like to have the surrounding architecture also in focus.
If you’re unsure where to start with aperture, see our completebeginner’s guide to aperture in photography.
2. Only Photographing Places You’re Familiar With
Human beings like familiarity and photographers are no different. It’s all too easy to find one formula that works and not try anything else. There’s nothing wrong with sticking with something that you like, but you should not let it limit your creativity. And only photographing places you’re familiar with can do that.
You probably have your favorite and least favorite places tocapture images in your hometown. But that’s only one dimension, so it’s worth exploring other neighborhoods. Of course, you should be sensible and not go anywhere dangerous—but try challenging yourself to explore different places.
3. Not Using a Zoom Lens
You don’t strictly need to use a zoom lens in urban photography, but having one is beneficial for many photographers. Since you’ll be capturing a wide range of scenarios, using a zoom lens will give you the flexibility required to do precisely that.
If you’re new to photography,using your kit lens has several advantages. However, you can always look through the range that your specific camera manufacturer offers. Note that many zoom lenses don’t have apertures as wide as primes, so you’ll need to think about whether this is a trade-off you’re happy to deal with.
See thiszoom lens vs. prime lens guideto learn more about the differences between them.
4. Not Photographing Both Indoors and Outdoors
Life occurs both inside and outside, and nowhere is that more evident than in big cities. So, it’s a huge mistake for urban photographers to only stick with one.
When photographing inside, you can try several scenarios. For example, you can go to your favorite café or check out some cool independent stores. You can also take photos of the food you eat at all the restaurants you visit.
Indoor and outdoor photography are two very different skills, and you’ll need to consider numerous aspects. For example, the lighting situations are usually not the same—and you may also not have as much space to move about when indoors.
5. Only Shooting in Manual Mode
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Many urban areas are fast-paced, which can result in lots of great photo opportunities. However, the speed of life can also mean that you miss great shots because you are too busy adjusting your camera settings.
Manual Mode has several advantages, and you should absolutely learn how to use it. But at the same time, you must also consider the additional time you need to take when altering your shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. This might be fine when taking pictures of static objects, but it won’t work if you’re closer to street level.
In fast-paced situations,try Aperture Priority Mode. Shutter Priority is another great option.
6. Ignoring Your Camera’s Lighting Meter
The lighting meter on your camera is a small graph that runs from -3 through +3. Going too high above zero can result in an overexposed image, with the opposite occurring if you’re closer to -3. Your lighting meter is especially important in urban photography situations.
Generally speaking, you should shoot underexposed if you must pick between the two. This is normally what will happen in low-lighting situations, such as on cloudy days. However, you should still try not to go below -1.
If you use Aperture Priority or Shutter Priority, you can easily make sure that your camera settings don’t exceed your desired setting; you usually only need to twist a dial.
7. Sticking to One Vantage Point
Another huge urban photography mistake is sticking to only one vantage point. For example, you might decide to simply capture images at street level. Again, it’s fine if you have your preferences—but you should remember that urban life takes place at multiple levels.
Even if you crouch down when taking some of your pictures, you’ll be able to take some interesting photos. However, you should try other things as well—such as catching the ferry to view your city from the water.
Once you’ve taken a broader range of photos, you’ll have a bigger portfolio from which you’re able to sell your work (if that’s what you want). See ourguide to photo paper sizes for printing your pictures.
Shoot Urban Photography Like a Pro
Urban photography is more difficult than it seems, and you can capture a city in thousands of ways. It’s all too easy to become trapped in your routines, but doing so will hinder your creativity. As a result, you need to think carefully about how you can enhance your urban shots—as there are both camera-related and non-camera-related things you can do.
From using the right lens to adjusting your aperture appropriately, it’s sometimes the simplest changes that can make the biggest difference.
