Cityscape Photography: Capture Your City's Story

Please respect all rules of social distancing when completing your class project.

Show the world how you see your city. Scout meaningful locations, shoot in your own experimental style, and curate a final photo set of your one-of-a-kind story.

Tell the story of your city with this one-hour class from rising cityscape photographer trashhand ( trashhand). Travel with him to iconic Chicago landmarks and underground hideaways, scouring heights and corners, learning as he shows and shares his unique approach to scouting, shooting, and editing. This class is for all levels and all equipment: whether you iPhone or DSLR, his daring, ambition, and artistry will inspire you to develop and capture your city's story.

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What You'll Learn

• Introduction. Street photography has always had an element of hustle to it, and skilled photographer trashhand knows a couple of tricks to help you find unique shots that tell the story of your city through pictures. Follow trashhand through Chicago as he gives you his philosophy and tips on how to take the best cityscape photographs by shifting your perspective. No matter where you live, these lessons will help you create a photo essay of your own city that represents your unique point of view.
• Scouting: Tools and Tips. Cityscape photographs require the artist to find new and unusual spots from which to take their photo. Sometimes this might require you to act like you’re staying in a hotel just to get access to the roof, but be careful not to get locked out up there! trashhand gives you his techniques for avoiding trouble when all you want to do is take a cool picture. He’ll show you how to stay safe and use your common sense, as well as a few sleight of hand tricks you might need.
• Scouting: Favorite Shots. A great photo can be found almost anywhere, from a staircase by Frank Lloyd Wright to a backyard fire pit. This isn’t a class just about how to take pictures, it’s about finding the right picture that gives your unique perspective on the subject.
• Shooting: Hustling, Lighting, and Composition. It’s all about the hustle. Follow trashhand as he hits the streets early in the morning to avoid crowds of tourists to get the exact shot that he wants. Mornings offer a specific kind of light that can turn an ordinary photograph into something magical.
• Shooting: Lines, Texture, and Long Exposures. In many of his photos, trashhand looks for the “universal symbols,” or what he calls cheat codes. Things like bridges and red balloons evoke certain feelings in the viewer. Learning to find these symbols can change a picture of a simple yellow taxi from ordinary automotive photography into a work of art. Look for textures in the environment or a long exposure to further examine your subject and add those small details that make for a great photo.
• Shooting: Night Photography. Longer exposures can alter the photo in unexpected ways. They can also change a busy street into an empty one, depending on the shutter speed. When shooting at night, certain considerations must be made in order to capture the image correctly. Even the small vibration of pressing a button can ruin your shot. trashhand gives a few examples of the gear he uses to capture stunning images, even at night using low key photography.
• Editing: Using Adobe Lightroom Pt. 1. Once you’ve gathered your photos, it’s time to find the best ones and create your photo essay. You’ll start by quickly narrowing your shots from hundreds down to a few dozen. trashhand shares his thoughts on what to look for in a photo and how to decide which ones stay and which get discarded. He’ll go over what makes a photographer’s style unique and how to develop your own.
• Editing: Using Adobe Lightroom Pt. 2. In the final lesson, you’ll learn about the “rule of thirds” to help you crop and compose your images, edit for tones, and accentuate certain colors. From the before and after, you’ll see how these small changes can affect the photo in big ways. Once you’ve finished, you will have a series of photos that takes viewers on a tour of your town through your unique perspective.