12 Unique Urban Photoshoot Ideas

Looking for expressive and unique urban photoshoot ideas? At Peerspace, we get it. Whether you’re a resident of a city or just planning to visit a city in the near future, an urban landscape is an ideal backdrop for a photoshoot.

Here are 12 unique urban photoshoot ideas to help you get started as you plan.

1. Rent a space with views of the city

Peerspace is the most effective website out there to help you locate hourly venue rentals. Whatever city you’re planning on holding your photoshoot in, it’s very likely that there are tons of Peerspace listings available there. In fact, many of them will have huge windows and fantastic views of their home city.

For instance, if you’re located in Atlanta, Georgia, check out this spacious midtown apartment (pictured above). It boasts an incredible city view that makes it perfect for whatever urban photoshoot ideas you may be cooking up.

Or, if you’re in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the Canvas creative space is another location with awesome views of the surrounding urban landscape. Check out what spaces with a city view Peerspace has to offer in your city. You just might find a location with a distinctive urban flair that ends up being the backdrop for your next photoshoot!

2. Shoot buildings & subject(s) from below

To magnify the drama of sky-high skyscrapers, take some shots of them from below, along with the subject or subjects of your photos (if you’re not just shooting the scenery).

Shooting from below is a great way to make your photos feel cool and exciting, and the results of this urban photoshoot idea will definitely be unique.

3. Use the city skyline in your photos

In their article on “cool urban photoshoot ideas for hobbyists” (definitely worth a look), Adobe recommends an emphasis on the city skyline. They also offer a compelling reminder of their importance: “Cities around the world are renowned for their distinctive skylines. Shoot your photos at a high vantage point to easily use this unique urban feature as your backdrop.

Looking to explore the heart of your city through your lens? Then also check out our downtown photoshoot ideas!

4. Take advantage of city art and architecture

One of the numerous benefits of being in a city is the access to the arts and culture that it provides. There’s also an abundance of beautiful architecture, both historic and modern.

With an eye toward exploiting this resource, Adobe also suggests that urban photographers “showcase urban art”: “Graffiti and street art, as well as classic and avant-garde monuments and statues, make for unique backdrops and settings. Arrange your photo so that your subjects become a part of the artwork.”

They also have specific tips on how best to take advantage of world-class architecture: utilize the buildings’ “striking lines and structural elements” “to frame the photo and draw the viewer’s eye to your subject.”

5. Utilize the city’s varied textures

Another one of the artistic benefits of doing a photoshoot in the city: lots of textures, both natural and industrial. Adobe writes, “From rough brick to smooth glass, urban settings offer a whole range of photographic textures. You can capture wholly different moods by simply varying the textures.”

Consider the wide array of textures that the city has to offer another one of its countless artistic resources!

6. Celebrate what makes your chosen city unique

A truly and genuinely unique urban photoshoot idea is to celebrate the features that makes your city unique. This is so much better than chasing a generic aesthetic in a thousand identical photos all over Instagram and Pinterest.

Every city has specific elements that can’t be found anywhere else in the world. If you want your photos to be special and, in particular, authentic, you’ll want to incorporate these elements into your photos whenever possible.

7. Go to the park

Just because you’re taking photos in a city doesn’t mean that there isn’t an abundance of natural beauty to discover nearby. Most cities have plenty of parks where you can explore and find trees, lush greenery, birds and other animals, and tons of other backgrounds and photographic subjects to explore as part of your creative and unexpected urban photoshoot.

8. How to photograph a model in a city

Some of you reading this post might specifically be planning a fashion photoshoot with a model. If so, Photo Workout suggests centering your subject in the street. “A great way to photograph your model in a city is to aim for a center, in the street’s perspective. This allows you to compose a shot where your model is the focus and the city delicately fills in the surrounding frame”. Check out that article for more helpful suggestions.

9. Take photos on public transport

For instance, if you’re taking photos in New York City, why not take some photos in a subway station or even in a subway car? The instantly recognizable aesthetic of the subway is sure to bring to mind a whole host of associations for anyone seeing your photos, which you can use to your advantage as an artist trying to draw a reaction.

Just a word of warning, however: make sure that you go at a less busy time of day (that means avoiding rush hours in the morning/evening) and make sure that any strangers in your photos consent to have their photo taken and that their privacy is fully respected.

Staying in instead? No worries, keep your creative juices flowing by utilizing our at-home photoshoot ideas!

10. You don’t need a human subject for urban photography

The scenery of the city itself is enough of a subject – even a personality – in and of itself. Consider simply snapping photos of the city and its diverse landscapes for your urban photoshoot.

11. Don’t be afraid to take nighttime photos

With the right choices of lighting and exposure, among other specific strategies, it’s totally possible to take photos at night in the city and have them come out absolutely stunning.

If you don’t feel confident in this endeavor, this MasterClass article on nighttime photography might help you begin to get a sense of how it works.

12. Take photos in a loft

One of the most iconic urban structures/residences is the classic artists’ loft. It’s former industrial buildings (think: a 19th-century button factory or textile mill) that have been revamped first as artist housing and then as luxury housing with all the mod cons. They can be found in cities across the U.S., from New York to Los Angeles.

More often than not, they embody an incredible industrial aesthetic that makes them an unbeatable location for executing all your most creative urban photoshoot ideas. Peerspace has hundreds of lofts that you can rent by the hour in hundreds of different cities.

For instance, this charismatic loft in a historic mill building can be found in downtown Concord, North Carolina, and renting it is amazingly affordable at only $35 per hour!

Find unique photoshoot locations on Peerspace