Urban Photography For Sale

Explore the contemporary urban photography for sale in our online gallery. Our extensive collection of urban photography has everything from architectural photography to landscape photography to documentary photography. Shop urban photography today to find the perfect artwork for your home or office.

Whether you’re interested in more abstract forms of urban photography or prefer the geometric patterns explored in photographs which focus upon architecture, we are certain that you will find something for you.

Nick Miners is an urban photographer with a penchant for the latter. He takes what many critics deem ‘ugly’ architecture and uses it to produce beautiful imagery. The extreme levels of contrast within his images render them almost hypnotic in their representation of geometric patterns.

Meanwhile, Tomas Cambas produces urban images that hint to traditional documentary photography. His abstract photographs depict fresh and unexpected perspectives on urban photography. The unique work of this Buenos Aires-based artist is certainly not to be missed.

History of Urban Photography

Urban photography is as old as the practice of photography itself which began in the mid-1800s and regularly used the street as its subject. Often used interchangeably with the term ‘street photography’, the neologism ‘urban photography’, which was coined only within the last decade, stands for a practice which focuses significantly on capturing the way in which city-dwellers work, live and move within the urban setting and its surrounding architecture.

Urban photography takes its roots in the practice of traditional street photography which began to split into a distinct dichotomy during the golden era of photography. While some photographers focused primarily upon capturing images of people, others moved towards landscapes in which human subjects were practically absent. There grew a distinct line between new and traditional street photography.

The new form moved towards capturing human subjects in various situations and neglected previously significant aspects such as architectural details and the overall atmosphere. Meanwhile, traditional street photography evolved into what is known as urban photography today and seeks to encapsulate not only people but their surroundings, and importantly the relationship between the two. It offers a commentary upon contemporary urban life, as well as telling stories and examining people and the ways in which they are both connected to and disconnected from their environments. Life and culture may be constantly evolving, as is the practice of photography, but one thing which remains the same is the powerful interaction between humans and the environments we inhabit – this is what urban photography seeks to encapsulate.

Styles and Techniques of Urban Photography

One technique which remains hugely popular in the genre, despite photographers no longer being constrained to its use due to technological limitations, is the deliberate use of black and white colouring in urban photography. The use of black and white in photography makes for a significant visual and emotional effect and many photographers describe monochromatic imagery as offering a greater connection to the soul, while the use of colour is thought of as merely visually pleasing to the eye. In urban photography, the use of black and white lends more impact, mood and atmosphere to the image. While some photographers shoot in black and white film, many opt to shoot in colour and convert the image digitally to grayscale post-production using editing software such as Photoshop.

Much has changed since the invention of black and white photography. Technological advancements mean that images can be hugely modified allowing for significant flexibility in photo editing and the possibility of extremely abstract images.

The modern city offers almost limitless subjects and skylines to photograph. The grey concrete fields, towering skyscrapers and urban decay offer a great deal of photographic potential due to their bold, geometric structures, which is harnessed by many urban photographers. Although cityscapes offer impressive, far-off vantage points which make for striking images, many urban photographers emphasise the importance of focusing upon the smaller scenes and simply waiting for the right moment to strike in which the relationship between subject and surrounding is perfectly depicted.

Notable Urban Photographers

Among the most seminal artists in the genre are its forefathers Eugène Atget and Henri Cartier-Bresson, both of whom played a significant role in the medium’s history. Atget preferred to be classed as an ‘author-producer’, rather than a photographer and he began producing images of a vanishing metropolis as far back as 1898, when his 30-year-long series entitled Vieux Paris depicted architecture and urban views in their final days before the domination of modernity and urbanisation.

Cartier-Bresson is viewed not only as significant in the urban photography movement, but is considered the father of the movement at large. He was one of the first photographers to start using the 35mm film format which is still well loved today by amateur and professional photographers alike and his eye for details and composition remains undeniably relevant and without compromise.

Find out more in our Guide To Photography.

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    MOVE ON XII  by Sven Pfrommer
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    MOVE ON XII  by Sven Pfrommer
    MOVE ON XII
    Photography - 100x100 cm
    Window III by Olive Santaoloria
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    Window III by Olive Santaoloria
    Window III
    Photography - 70x50 cm
    Berlin Rainbow by Valentina Schulte
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    Berlin Rainbow by Valentina Schulte
    Berlin Rainbow
    Photography - 40x40 cm
    MONKS XXVIII  by Sven Pfrommer
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    MONKS XXVIII  by Sven Pfrommer
    MONKS XXVIII
    Photography - 101x71 cm
    Urban Geometry - Brutalist Hotel by Nick Miners
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    Urban Geometry - Brutalist Hotel by Nick Miners
    Urban Geometry - Brutalist Hotel
    Photography - 42x59 cmRent for $50 /mo
    ART MOVE X  by Sven Pfrommer
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    ART MOVE X  by Sven Pfrommer
    ART MOVE X
    Photography - 100x100 cm
    HUMAN CROWD IV by Sven Pfrommer
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    HUMAN CROWD IV by Sven Pfrommer
    HUMAN CROWD IV
    Photography - 120x120 cm
    WATCHTOWER XX by Sven Pfrommer
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    WATCHTOWER XX by Sven Pfrommer
    WATCHTOWER XX
    Photography - 100x100 cm
    BORACAY II  by Sven Pfrommer
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    BORACAY II  by Sven Pfrommer
    BORACAY II
    Photography - 100x100 cm
    HUMAN FOCUS III by Sven Pfrommer
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    HUMAN FOCUS III by Sven Pfrommer
    HUMAN FOCUS III
    Photography - 100x100 cm
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    Greta by Pedro Correa
    Greta
    Photography - 150x130 cm
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    Electric Avenue by Anil Mistry
    Electric Avenue
    Photography - 101x75 cmRent for $225 /mo
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    No New This Year  by Piers Bourke
    No New This Year
    Photography - 110x60 cmRent for $120 /mo
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    URBAN BLUR VI  by Sven Pfrommer
    URBAN BLUR VI
    Photography - 100x100 cm
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    MOVE ON IX  by Sven Pfrommer
    MOVE ON IX
    Photography - 100x100 cm
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    Under The Bridge by Erhan Coral
    Under The Bridge
    Photography - 60x90 cm
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    WATCHTOWER XXI by Sven Pfrommer
    WATCHTOWER XXI
    Photography - 100x100 cm
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    Le rĂªve 7093 by Chris Calvet
    Le rĂªve 7093
    Photography - 120x80 cm
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    STOP by Notseig
    STOP
    Photography - 40x30 cm
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    Mama's Bread by Rita Minichiello
    Mama's Bread
    Photography - 74x51 cm
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    SAIGON BLUR LXXXV by Sven Pfrommer
    SAIGON BLUR LXXXV
    Photography - 100x100 cm
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    Urban Geometry - Oxford Street by Nick Miners
    Urban Geometry - Oxford Street
    Photography - 42x59 cmRent for $50 /mo
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    HUMAN CROWD VII  by Sven Pfrommer
    HUMAN CROWD VII
    Photography - 120x120 cm
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    MONKS LXXIV  by Sven Pfrommer
    MONKS LXXIV
    Photography - 101x101 cm
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    Woman on an armchair I by Olive Santaoloria
    Woman on an armchair I
    Photography - 70x70 cm
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    HUMAN ORDER VI by Sven Pfrommer
    HUMAN ORDER VI
    Photography - 70x140 cm
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    URBAN TYPE II by Sven Pfrommer
    URBAN TYPE II
    Photography - 100x100 cm
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    WATCHTOWER XII  by Sven Pfrommer
    WATCHTOWER XII
    Photography - 100x100 cm
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    MONKS XLIII  by Sven Pfrommer
    MONKS XLIII
    Photography - 71x101 cm
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    Lazy Sunday by Pedro Correa
    Lazy Sunday
    Photography - 180x120 cm
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