8 Tips for Mastering Skyline Photography

3. Shoot at blue hour

You may be used to taking photographs at golden hour, the period just before sunset when the sun gives your subjects a golden hue. But for skyline shots, it’s better to shoot during blue hour — either immediately after sunset or before sunrise. That way, the buildings of the city will be lit up, but you’ll still have a vibrant blue backdrop in the background.

Of course, you can shoot skylines during the day or night as well, but you won’t get as many colors. Wake up early and set up your equipment so you don’t miss the light show.

4. Use bracket exposure or HDR

With the sunlight changing so quickly and if lights are on in all of the buildings, it can be hard to get the exposure right. Fortunately, DSLR cameras allow you to bracket your exposures, or take shots with different exposures in quick succession.

This means you’ll end up with three or more versions of the same shot, increasing the likelihood that one of them will be properly exposed. If not, you can use the HDR (high dynamic range) tools in your editing program to combine them into one perfectly exposed shot.

5. Try long exposures

If you have time, you can play around with even longer exposures. Try 10 or even 30-second exposures to maximize the amount of light that enters your camera. Long exposures can highlight unusual light sources, such as reflections in bodies of water. Alternatively, you can even capture light trails from the headlights of cars zooming down the highway.

There’s no limit to how creative you can get. Learn how to adjust the shutter speed and aperture to let in the right amount of light for your photo. Remember, each photo doesn’t have to be perfect, but the more you take, the more chances you have of getting it right.

6. Use a tilt-shift lens

The tilt-shift effect is ideal for skyline photography. You can achieve this effect by buying a tilt-shift lens for your DSLR, or using a tilt-shift app on your smartphone. The tilt-shift purposely blurs part of the image to trick the eye into perceiving it differently. From the right perspective, the buildings will look like miniature models, while the cars and people moving around on the street will look like toys.

Tilt-shift photos are best taken from high vantage points that are looking down on a city. Search for a view of a busy intersection, train station, or port, with the skyline rising high in the background.