Urban portraits are different from street photography or simple portraiture. There’s more staging involved, but it’s done in a dynamic urban environment.

Model Ellen De waele

Equipment

The equipment you’ll use for an urban photoshoot will affect your images. These urban portraits are staged. This gives you more flexibility when it comes to choosing equipment

Don’t pack too much, unless you have a team with you to share the load. The following are guidelines on what equipment you should bring with you.

A Prime Lens With a Large Aperture

This is the only essential piece of gear you’ll need, in addition to your camera body. There is still flexibility in your approach.

The Pose

The way your model interacts with the urban environment is the next part of an urban photoshoot.

Much of what we’ll describe here relates to the background you’ll choose. It’s still important for your model to fill and dominate the frame though.

Conclusion

Urban portraiture has lots of potential. With so many people living in cities, you can find many models to work with as well.