Is there anything as stunning as a skyline? If you’ve been lucky enough to visit an observational deck or a high point in a city, you’ll know exactly how it is to look out on a beautiful skyline lit up in all its glory.
However, the views have evolved over time, with many cityscapes developing and growing greatly over the past few decades. To mark the release of the Samsung S22, we’ve scoured the internet for images which capture the changes to our favourite skylines over time.
London
Unsurprisingly, London is forever evolving and from the images below, it’s clear to see how the skyline has built up over the past sixty years. As you can see, in the historic image, the buildings are smaller, if not the same height, as Tower Bridge. Not only do ships line the Thames but The Tower of London dominates the landscape (as it has done for hundred’s of years!)
Now, if we move to modern day, we can see the lights shining off some of the capital’s most popular landmarks such as The Shard, The Gherkin and The Fenchurch Building (also known as The Walkie Talkie).
Liverpool
Another skyline that has seen a vast development over time has been Liverpool. In this image from 1923 you can clearly see The Three Graces, with the Royal Liver Building, The Cunard Building and The Port of Liverpool Building characterising the cities skyline.
Compared to the modern-day image of the Waterfront skyline at night, we can see just how much the city has grown in just under one hundred years. In the image on the right, you can see some of the tallest buildings in Liverpool including The West Tower and The Radio City Tower, which now light up the Liverpudlian skyline for miles around.
Paris
Paris is one of Europe’s most renowned city skylines and is home to one of the world’s most recognisable landmarks, the Eiffel Tower. Although the tower is visible in the illustration of the left, Paris has since then grown beyond the bounds of the City of Love to become a busy metropole with a backdrop to match.
While the Eiffel Tower lights up the path and trees that surround it for a peaceful view, the hustle and bustle of the financial district lights up behind. One thing’s for sure – it’s certainly a view to remember.
New York
Moving across the pond, New York has one of the most famous skylines in the world, and with the city’s lights shining in the modern-day image, we can see why. Set amongst the backdrop of the Brooklyn Bridge, lights shine bright across Manhattan and the city that never sleeps.
While we can see more skyscrapers have been added since the original from over seventy years ago, buildings such as 40 Wall Street, Twenty Exchange and The Woolworth Building are still clear to see. Up until 1930, the latter was the tallest building in the world until it was overtaken by 40 Wall Street. Both have since lost this title but still remain two of the tallest buildings in New York.
Tokyo
Built in the post-war era of 1958, the Tokyo Tower is one of the top sight-seeing spots in the Japanese capital. In the images below you can see the dramatic change the city has seen since then and how everything has been built up around the iconic tower.
Now the city is also home to The Tokyo Skytree, which is nearly twice the height of the original Tokyo Tower. While many debate over which is the city’s main icon, there is no debate over how beautiful the city looks lit up at night.
Sydney
One of the most famous places to go in the land down under is Sydney Harbour. Renowned for its glorious firework displays on New Year’s Eve, the bridge and the Sydney Opera House is the perfect backdrop for welcoming in the new year.
However, the image below shows a time in Australia before these key landmarks were even built. Comparing the historic to the modern-day image, the iconic Sydney Opera house, Sydney Harbour Bridge has appeared whilst the Sydney Central Business Direct also shines bright in this cityscape.
Taking Pictures at Night
One of the key features that stands out among the Samsung Galaxy S22 is its capabilities for taking photos in low light. The adaptive pixel technology uses the wide lens to create the brightest and clearest photos ever on a Galaxy and you can take super resolution shots with four times more detail using the Detail Enhancer Mode.
While the images above of our favourite city skylines at night were not captured from the Samsung S22 itself, we want to give you the best tips so you can try and take a stunning skyline picture using your own phone! We’ve spoken to an expert from Samsung, to give their top tips for taking pictures at night:
Stay Still
One of the trickiest elements to taking photos at night is to reduce any potential blurring. Even the slightest movement can cause the image to blur, so keep your phone camera still as much as possible. Prop your phone on a stable ledge to reduce movement or attach a mobile tripod for more stability.
Natural Light
A great element of taking photographs at night is to use the natural light you have available in your image. Whether that’s using the lights available from buildings like in the images above, or making the most of a street light or shop sign, natural light is a great resource for night time photography.
Prepare
Like anywhere you may go in the world, the darker it will get, the colder it will get. Make sure you’re prepared for the night with extra layering and any additional light sources you may need. Remember with a battery that can last over 24 hours, you’ll have no need to worry about your Samsung S22 dying half-way through taking your midnight snaps.
Get Snapping with your Samsung!
If it’s video you’re after, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is introducing its revolutionary Nightography. With sophisticated AI and a faster 4nm processor, your night-time videos will no longer be grainy or shaky. The Auto Framerate automatically adjusts each frame by lighting conditions and the Super Clear Glass on the rear lens controls flare to reduce reflections.
There are several other cool features to the Samsung S22 too. For example, the Samsung Galaxy S22 is 5G ready and water-resistant, the Samsung S22+ has facial recognition and fast charge capabilities, and the Samsung S22 Ultra includes the S pen to convert your drawings and doodles into text. Whichever model you decide, we’ve got lots of Samsung S22 deals for you to take a look at.
Methodology
To highlight how city skylines have changed over time, we’ve created image sliders of historic and modern images to show the difference over fifty to one hundred years. Each image has the appropriate credit attached. None of these images were photographed with the Samsung S22.
Additional image sources include:
Liverpool Historical Photo: https://www.biennial.com/journal/issue-4/zigzag-dazzle-ships
Sydney Historical Photo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Harbour_Bridge#/media/File:Aerial_view_of_Sydney_Harbour_-_the_bridge_is_under_construction.jpg