Lightning photography is the most challenging photography genre for photographers. Lightning is unpredictable, and you don’t know when and where it will strike. It happens for a fraction of seconds, and before you can click the shutter, it disappears. In this article, we will overcome all the challenges in lightning cityscape photography. So, shall we start?

Gears you required:

Let’s talk about the gears you require for this photography. First, you need a camera. Any DSLR or mirrorless camera will work. If you have a full-frame camera, it would be better because it gives better results in low light conditions. A wide-angle lens is the second requirement because lightning bolts are enormous, and we also want to capture city buildings. Any wide-angle lens you have will work fine.

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The third requirement is a tripod because lightning photography needs lots of time, and we can’t hold the camera for such a long time. It should be sturdy as there may be heavy winds during the storm, and a light tripod can fall and damage your expensive gears.

And lastly, you need a lightning trigger. A lightning trigger is a camera remote that clicks the lightning pictures automatically. MIOPS Smart is the best camera remote to capture lightning. It has a laser mode that detects lightning and clicks the image at the right moment. You have almost zero chances of missing the shot with this lightning trigger.

Some of you may be thinking that why can’t we use the sound mode of the camera remote to capture lightning. The reason behind it is that the speed of sound is much slower than the speed of light, and by using the sound mode, you will always miss the shot. If you’ve noticed, when the lightning strikes, you hear the thunder after one or two seconds of the light flash.

Other than these, don’t forget to take something to protect your camera and other gear. Lightning cityscape photography will require lots of time so bring some snacks, hot coffee, and water.

Location and Timing:

We need to find some locations with an open sky and beautiful high-rise buildings in the foreground. If you live in a city where you don’t have high-rise buildings, you may use mountains or trees as foreground elements. It’s not advisable to take pictures of the only sky with lightning. It’ll not look very interesting.

Find three or four locations in different directions, so no matter from which direction the storm is coming, you’ll always have a place to click the picture with the interesting foreground.

After location, we need to know about the weather, so you can be there well in time when an opportunity comes. Nowadays, many apps are available for weather forecasts and storm alerts. Use them to know about the weather in advance and plan accordingly.

Camera and trigger settings:

Okay, let’s talk about the camera and trigger settings. Mount your camera on the tripod and set the frame. Now focus on the buildings and put it again on manual focus settings. We are using a wide-angle lens, so we’ll get a deeper depth of field, and the sky will be in focus automatically.

We will control exposure for lightning using aperture and exposure for buildings using shutter speed. Light strikes for milliseconds, so shutter speed will not affect its exposure. First, set the ISO to 200, aperture to f/5.6, and shutter speed to 1/125. Now attach MIOPS Smart to your camera, set it to “Lightning” mode with 2-5% sensitivity.

Now, wait for lightning to strike. When it happens, MIOPS Smart will automatically click the picture. Check that picture, and if lightning looks dark, increase the ISO to 200 or set the aperture to f/4 (wide open to enter more light). If it’s overexposed, set ISO or aperture accordingly. Keep the aperture between the f/4 to f/11 range.

Now take another shot of lightning, and if it’s perfect, it’s time to set the exposure for buildings. Look in the viewfinder or back screen and half-press the shutter button. The camera will major the exposure for buildings and tell you if it’s underexposed or overexposed. If it’s under, lower the shutter speed to 1/60 or 1/30 and if it’s over, increase the shutter speed.

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Now take a shoot and see if the buildings are exposed correctly. If exposure is proper, you are all set. Now sit back, relax and enjoy the fantastic weather with hot coffee. Whenever the lightning strikes, MIOPS Smart will take the picture automatically. You may change the frame after 5-6 good shots.

Capture multiple lightning in one shot:

Okay, let’s talk about taking some incredible pictures. You can take multiple lightning strikes in a single shot. You need to lower the ISO to 100 or 50 (if your camera allows), set the aperture to very narrow, like f/16 or f/18, and shutter speed to 1 second or more. Our primary goal here is to open the shutter as long as possible.

You may use an ND filter for this. ND filter or neutral-density filter is made of dark glass that reduces the light entering the camera without changing the colors. With an ND filter, you can open the shutter for a longer time. Let’s say, with camera settings and the help of an ND filter, your shutter speed comes to five seconds. All the lightning bolts will be captured in a single shot during this period.

If you don’t have an ND filter, you have another option too. You can take multiple shots of lightning and merge them in post-processing too. Just remember that camera should not move during these multiple shots.

Be Safe:

Safety is a significant concern in lightning photography because lightning can be very dangerous or even deadly. Before you go shooting, google safety tips for lightning and follow them strictly. We can’t risk our life for some pictures, so always shoot from inside your car or a building. Your expensive equipment will also be safe from water when you shoot from inside.

Most of the tips and tricks we are talking about in this article will also work for cityscape photography, so you can take beautiful cityscape photographs too when the weather is clear. So be prepared, wait for the next storm, and click some beautiful pictures. All the best.

Blog Credits

Ramakant Sharda is an author, iOS App publisher, passionate photographer and a MIOPS Ambassador based in the beautiful “Pink City” of India, known as Jaipur. His work has been published in various magazines, newspapers, and blogs. He has published three Coffee Table Books, he writes about photography and also teaches photography in his workshops. Check out his website http://ClickManic.com to see the masterpieces created by him or download his free app for iPhone and iPad “30 Days to an Ace Photographer“.

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Landscape photography is a genre  that never runs out of unique opportunities to show a different view of the world. Whether you’re in on the edges of land shooting seascapes, on top of the highest mountains, in the heart of the Earth’s forests, or atop the skyscrapers of the city, each landscape photograph tells a unique story about the environment, a place, its beauty, and how it interacts with life.

However, a common dilemma in photographing landscapes is that a single frame can often be a limitation in the photographer’s hope to convey a much bigger story about the place. This is where time-lapse photography comes in. 

Timelapse photography allows the landscape photographer to go beyond the bounds of a single frame. By capturing the movement and the passing of time from within one frame for hours or even days long, the resulting images and clips brought about by this workflow shows a very dynamic side of the place that would otherwise be invisible to human observation in real-time. 

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However, such a tedious workflow also means a lot of challenges to face in terms of successful and flawless execution. For one, the process itself is long and the longer it gets, the more prone it becomes to errors. One missed exposure in a time-lapse sequence doesn’t render the output entirely useless, however if it happens in between smooth and constant movement, a missed exposure will definitely be noticed.

This is why, even though time-lapse photography can be done and shot with minimal gear and done manually, the use of reliable and automated equipment minimizes the margin of error and the probability of making mistakes. 

Cameras

Timelapse photography is getting more and more common. Of course even the simplest of cameras found on our smartphones can do time-lapse photography with the press of a few buttons. There are also many specialized compact cameras made to shoot automated time-lapse videos out in the market. However, if you aim to have significantly high resolution output and full control of the parameters of your exposures, the intervals, and the length of your sequences, then high resolution DSLR or mirrorless cameras are still the equipment of choice.

For landscape and cityscape time-lapse photography, a camera with better low-light capabilities would be more beneficial to assure clean and crisp output even at night. It is important for the camera to have manual functions when it comes to exposure, color settings, and even focusing  to be able to make the shooting process more versatile and precise. 

Lenses

The choice of lenses and focal length for landscape photography and time-lapse depends highly on the location and the environment you wish to capture. A distant vista is of course best shot with a lens with significant zoom, and alternatively, when shooting immersed into the environment, a wide angle lens is more effective. When shooting time-lapse and star trails at night, it is also more favorable to shoot with a large aperture lens, at least f/2.8 or bigger, to be able to capture the night sky without having to use extremely high ISO and lose image quality in the process. 

Support Gear 

A sturdy tripod becomes more and more crucial as the shooting process lengthens. This is even more true when shooting from a very windy environment, or when submerged in flowing water. The camera can afford to miss one exposure and shoot the next one properly with a minimal (yet noticeable) effect on the output. On the other hand, the tripod failing would either mean that the camera loses the positioning and framing necessary to make it a time-lapse sequence, or worse the gear gets physically damaged altogether.

A lightweight tripod can be convenient in terms of logistically bringing your equipment to the vantage point, however there has to be a certain balance between being lightweight and being sturdy. The tripod should also be heavy enough to not be blown by the wind and at the same time capable to hold however much the camera gear weighs. 

A ball head can be a quick and convenient option in shooting landscape photography and time-lapse. However, for instances when you want to make minute and precise adjustments to your composition and framing, using a geared precision head is more beneficial. Geared-precision heads have individual knobs of panning, tilt, and yaw. These small adjustments can infuse motion into the time-sequence when done consistently over the span of shooting. 

When shooting from an urban location, a good alternative is a strong and reliable clamp such as the Manfrotto 035 Superclamp. This eliminates the need for a tripod when the location has usable grills and railings facing the view. This can also be paired with a variable-angle friction arm that makes it more versatile in terms of angles and height. 

Filters

Since time-lapse photography deals with the same exposure and dynamic range challenges of the outdoors, filters are great to have handy for when you need them. You can consider each frame of the time-lapse sequence as one individual landscape photograph which is why you can also consider using exposure effects on the image to come up with more appealing visual elements and smoothen the motion in the individual images.

For general use, a graduated neutral density filter will come in handy during the bright hours of the day because there will be a need to balance out the luminosity between the sky and the land. When working with a composition that makes use of reflections or one with the blue sky in frame, a circular polarizing filter or CPL will be very useful in managing reflections and improving the contrast in the sky.

At the same time, using long exposures even when there is sufficient ambient light can create smooth appealing textures on what would otherwise be rough surfaces in the scene. This applies to clouds and flowing water. With the use of neutral density filters, you can slow down your exposures just enough to smoothen the textures that would create satisfying movement in the time-lapse clips. 

Motion tools

Time-lapse videos are almost always very dynamic. Especially when a lot of moving elements are in frame and at the same time, when the change in the environment is drastic from the start to the end of the time-lapse sequence. Another very effective way to enhance this is to make use of tools that would infuse movement of the camera and of the frame during the duration of the shooting sequence. For the movement to be smooth and appealing, the adjustments in camera position has to be done is very small but consistent amounts. To make this process easier and more precise, there are a variety of automated tools that can be utilized. 

One useful motion tool for time-lapse is the MIOPS Capsule 360. This round device which you mount between your tripod and camera not only controls the panning movement of your time-lapse sequences but also serves as the camera remote trigger. The Capsule 360 connects to your smartphone through the MIOPS mobile app on which you can set the parameters of your shots as well as the movement that will transpire throughout your time-lapse sequence.

Another option is a camera slider. The MIOPS Slider+ is a device that allows your camera to move side-to-side or back-and-forth for the duration of the time-lapse sequence. Through the motion created by the slider, your time-lapse videos can have creative reveal transitions as well as immersive movement to complement the motion in the scene. The Slider+ can also be used in combination with the Capsule 360 to complete the range of motion of your camera for an even more dynamic output.

Camera Remote Trigger

For the most precise and foolproof time-lapse photography workflow, a good camera remote is the best tool to have. A device for camera control should be able to trigger your camera to start exposures and count down to the next depending on the interval you set. This interval depends on the rate of movement that happens across your frame and also how fast you want your resulting clips to move. The reliability of the camera remote dictates how worry-free your shooting workflow can be. 

On the other hand, there are devices that offer more than just simple camera control. A much smarter camera remote device offers not just an automated way of shooting but also many other features that would make your shooting workflow easier, precise, and ultimately successful. The MIOPS Flex is a smart camera control trigger that offers the most convenient user experience, as well as a variety of functions that give you a more intuitive creative process. The MIOPS Flex offers standard time-lapse intervalometer functions for a secure and effective shooting workflow.

More than that, it is equipped with various sensors that can help you capture even the most elusive environmental phenomena. This camera control device has a light sensor that triggers an exposure when it senses a strong flash of light coming from a lightning strike and this can even be implemented in your time-lapse workflow to shoot Storm-lapse in extreme weather conditions. This trigger can also simultaneously produce HDR frames for your time-lapse clips. The time-lapse shooting modes offer the utmost versatility that allows you to set your camera to shoot exactly how you want it and be able to execute your ideas with barely any limitations. 

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In addition, the MIOPS Flex has the ability to complete the production process for you. The MIOPS Flex can assemble your time-lapse video clips on board to give you an instant preview of what you have created. It also saves the individual images as well as the output onto its own micro SD card not just allowing you to properly manage and segregate your files but also to give you a convenient way of assembling your time-lapse output on-the-fly. 

Time-lapse photography takes the wonders of photography to a whole new level. It allows us to show and witness how the world changes at a rate that is different from what our eyes witness. The process can be challenging and tedious but with the help of innovative equipment, a more convenient and efficient workflow brings forth extremely satisfying output.

Blog Credit: Nicco Valenzuela

Nicco started his photographic journey in 2007 practicing the craft as a hobby. Currently, he shoots for various local and international architectural firms and construction companies. Out of his love for sharing his knowledge, Nicco began writing about photography and various pieces of gear.

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Composition is probably the most overlooked aspect of photography. Composition and visual design are deeply embedded into how we see and appreciate photographs but are perhaps under appreciated because of how viewers look at the entirety of the image altogether. However, composition plays a much bigger and more encompassing role in what we appreciate in photographs. The simplest and most common understanding of composition is how we place a subject within a frame.

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However, it is evident that in landscape and cityscape photography, we are not limited to just a singular subject. Some would say that the subject in landscape photography is the location, some would say that it is the light and environmental condition, however it is safe to say that landscape photography deals with all of those factors which is why a deeper and more analytical way of understanding composition and visual design is the key for better photographs. 

To execute better composition and visual design in landscape photography, the most important aspect is strict attention to even the smallest details. Composition in this sense concerns every single visible element in the entire photograph and being able to identify how a single visual element interacts with other parts of the photograph will be a great step towards masterful artistic intent. The way we use empty spaces, rough and smooth textures, shadows and light, all make up the general visual design and play a huge role in how viewers perceive our images.

Symmetry and Geometry

One way to achieve striking visual design in your landscape photographs is to create a satisfying visual experience. It is said that the human eyes perceive random patterns and try to make sense and order out of it. By achieving near-perfect patterns in your images, you give your viewers a satisfying experience when looking at your photos and this is done through various ways. 

Symmetry is one of the most commonly used compositional techniques that give a satisfying viewing experience. The meticulous execution of framing that achieves proper balance of visual weight on two halves of the frame provides resolution to the visual experience. Doing this requires a lot of attention to detail. However, the presence of symmetry in landscape photography is almost impossible to perfect especially in natural locations.

The easiest way to achieve symmetry in landscape photography is to make use of reflective surfaces in the foreground. The most common of which would be a still body of water. By using low camera angle to emphasize the foreground, you can achieve a satisfyingly symmetrical composition given the right lighting conditions. This is commonly easy in well-lit environments.

However, sometimes the conditions have to be managed with exposure techniques to fine-tune the surface and give more emphasis to the reflection. This can be done by using a circular polarizing filter. A CPL filter (when not pointed towards the sun) can help enhance contrast in the sky by intensifying the blue hue.

At the same time, this contrast also enhances the intensity of the reflection of the surface of water. When shooting bodies of water with significant current, it is best to make use of a heavy ND filter and shoot longer durations of exposure to achieve a smooth surface where the reflection is pronounced. Using a camera remote trigger such as the versatile MIOPS Smart trigger allows you to set and control the exposure length to execute such a specialized process. The mobile app that connects your camera to your phone also aids you in estimating the right exposure given the current lighting condition and your ND filter of choice through the ND filter exposure calculator. 

Another possible option for achieving satisfying compositions is emphasizing patterns in the landscape that may or may not be readily visible. These patterns can be obvious solid structures that create lines or shapes to fill the frame, or alternatively they can be patterns created by repetition of many small visual elements such as rocks, trees, street lamps, traffic lights, or other foreground elements that come in multiple numbers naturally in an outdoor setting.

By emphasizing and showing these patterns from a particularly unique point of view, the image can be impactful because it shows the viewers something that they may not have realized to be there and at the same time allows their subconscious to find resolution in making sense of a seemingly random scene. 

Negative Space and Direction 

Every genre of photography deals with isolating a certain fraction of a perspective of the world and finding the best angle to capture it in. This means that the game of composition relies so much on eliminating other details as well as empty spaces. Framing is defined by this aspect of photography. By selecting that perspective out of all possible angles, one is able to find the one that translates into an effective visual design. 

Proper use of space is crucial to any kind of photography and this is even more emphasized in photographing landscapes and cityscapes. Empty spaces can be used both to emphasize subjects as well as to direct the flow of the visual experience towards a certain direction. By being able to use space with artistic intent, your landscape and cityscape images can successfully tell stories and convey emotions. The direction, progression, and resolution of visual patterns, much like in a story or a song, gives the viewer something to experience and interpret into their own version of a story. 

Negative space can either be readily present in a certain scene or it can be created using exposure techniques. Landscape photography deals with the most unpredictability in terms of location, weather, and other environmental factors. Because of that, it is also difficult to manipulate. Commonly, negative space is found in the sky and on bodies of water in the foreground. However, slightly rough textures found in small patches of clouds and in the surface of the water can have such a big effect on cancelling out negative space.

To refine this and achieve a more perfect composition, long exposure effects can be used. If dealing with very minimal water current or small chunks of clouds, exposures of around 10 seconds can be enough to smoothen them out. However, when dealing with strong waves or significantly cloudy skies, heavier ND filters will have to be used to execute longer exposures. With the use of a 10 or 15-stop ND filter, one can do exposures of around 2 to 5 minutes to achieve perfectly smooth surfaces. This can be made more precise by using a smart remote trigger that will help you determine the necessary exposure settings to achieve the effect. 

Negative space can also dictate movements within a frame. This is best done with singular  foreground elements against a much larger surface. By placing the foreground element on one side, especially if the structure points toward a certain direction, the presence of negative space implies that the flow of the image goes from the foreground towards the larger empty space. This use of scale also gives an impression that the location is much bigger because of the wide space in frame. 

Visual Paths

As with any kind of photography, substantial visual designs give satisfying viewer experience when the viewer is lead to different parts of the image without confusion and distraction.

Since landscape photography often deals with complex environments with a lot of detailed layers, a piece is satisfying to look at when viewers are guided on how the artist wants them to experience the image and when the image requires no need for instructions or explanation. With the unpredictability of visual elements both in nature and in an urban scenario, the use of both motion and still visual elements to create visual paths to follow, is a highly effective way of doing so. 

This is another matter in which long exposure can significantly enhance a landscape or cityscape image’s impact and overall visual design. Through long exposure, a photographer can successfully render motion elements into patterns and textures that are not just pleasing to the eyes but also contribute into creating a visual path in the frame.

On a significantly windy day, moving clouds can be used to create movement in the sky. With the use of ND filters and a remote trigger to control exposure time, clouds moving from side-to-side within the frame can create an additional layer and dimension to the photo. Even more so, clouds moving from front-to-back within the frame create diagonal lines that create virtually infinite depth. 

When shooting bodies of water, this can be done depending on the rate at which the current flows. When photographing a flowing river, an exposure of a couple of seconds will leave rough and turbulent textures in the foreground. When shot for 30 seconds or more, the water will be rendered in a smooth and silky surface.

Either way, the effect creates a notion of movement especially when there are still elements such as rocks or vegetation immersed in the flowing water. When shooting from a beach, the crashing and back-flow of water on the solid foreground creates a similar effect. 

In the urban setting, there are many visual elements that can be used to create visual paths or leading lines. Aside from the possibility of also using clouds and water when present from a certain urban vantage point, structures such as lamp posts, roads, tunnels, and details from architecture can be used.

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However, perhaps the most popular way of rendering patterns in the city is using traffic trails. With the use of long exposure, the light from moving cars can be used to create flowing patterns around and into the cityscape. Doing this depends on your distance from the moving vehicles and how fast they are moving. When shooting very close to the foreground, a few seconds of exposure will leave thick enough trails because of the illuminated surfaces of the vehicles.

When shooting from far away, longer exposures have to be done especially when movement is slow because of heavy traffic, or if there are not enough cars moving to fill the spaces with light trails. 

There are many ways that long exposure techniques can enhance and improve both landscape and cityscape images. By looking at the potential of what motion can infuse into your composition, any shooting scenario can be improved with a tripod, some filters, and a good camera remote trigger. 

Blog Credit: Nicco Valenzuela

Nicco started his photographic journey in 2007 practicing the craft as a hobby. Currently, he shoots for various local and international architectural firms and construction companies. Out of his love for sharing his knowledge, Nicco began writing about photography and various pieces of gear.

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