Of all the skylines in the world, Hong Kong is among the best and most photogenic.
Sure, there are no defining features to it like the CN Tower in Toronto or the Brooklyn Bridge in New York. However it’s just a clean, cool skyline to photograph. It had been a while since I photographed that really nice skyline in Singapore, so I was itching to find a really good composition that showed off how beautiful Hong Kong is.
In the end, I found a number of good places to photograph the Hong Kong skyline. These were the best.
Victoria Peak
Victoria Peak was the first place I really wanted to take pictures of the skyline in Hong Kong.
It’s such an interesting perspective to photograph a skyline from above. I really can’t think of any other cities in the world where you’re basically on top of the cityscape you’re trying to photograph.
If you want to photograph the skyline of Hong Kong from Victoria’s Peak you have two or three options.
For me the best bet is to get out of the tram station and look for the path that leads to the right if the skyline is at your back. Walk along that trail and there are 3 or 4 clean spots you can shoot. You might want to get there early as there are always 5 to 10 other photographers up there too.
You can also take pictures from the pagoda which is right next to the tram station to the left if your back is to the skyline. However, it gets crowded.
If you’re not short on money, you can also take photos from the top of the tram building itself. You get clean lines from up there, but have to pay extra.
Around the Hong Kong Convention Center
Just down from the Renaissance Harbourview Hotel and the ferry crossing is the convention center. If you circle along in front of the convention center there are some cool places to shoot that section of the Hong Kong skyline that are really worthy. You won’t get the entire skyline like some of the other options, but you’ll have far more opportunities to be creative with your lines.
Don’t bother trying to photograph on the ferry side of the convention center as a tonne of boat trips come across there and will ruin all of your photos. Moreover, there is a messy construction scene there at the moment anyways.
Victoria Harbour
If you’re looking for a really clean, classic photo of the Hong Kong skyline, this is the safest bet.
You’re over on Kowloon so you’ll have a straight photo angle over at Hong Kong Island. It’s a big open walkway over there, so you’ll likely have little problem finding a place to photograph from.
However, I’d get there quite early as there are countless photographers there every night taking images, not to mention the thousands of smartphone wielding photographers trying to get selfies in front of the skyline.
My favourite spot along the waterfront was at the elevated viewing area right near the Tsim Sha Tsui clock tower. However, you have to be patient as there is a lot of ferry movement and their light trails can easily ruin your photos. You’ll also find some nice lines down along the Avenue of the Stars.
Lion Head Peak
I made the hike out to Lion Head Peak while I was on assignment looking for the best nature photography locations in Hong Kong. What I found at the top of the hike was some of the best angle of the Hong Kong skyline that I had seen.
In fact, I was a little bit confused why there weren’t any other photographers up here. Maybe the hike deterred them. But, it shouldn’t deter you, this is an epic place to photograph the Hong Kong skyline.
Some Alternatives…
Obviously, there are other alternatives. If you have some, I’d love to hear what your favourite places to shoot the skyline in Hong Kong from are.
I hear a lot of people saying they like taking photos from the ferry. And while that’s completely true, it really only works to take simple photos as the boat is obviously moving. If all you want is a smartphone photo, then the ferries are actually a great way to get a cool vantage point of the city.