Equipped with a camera and plenty of time, talented photographers have set out to document modern cities in all their (sometimes terrible) beauty. The resulting videos are often hypnotic. 

Here are some of the best…

Rio de Janeiro:

With its combination of mountain and sea, rich & poor, Rio is one of the world’s most dynamic, unusual cities. It’s a city of both natural beauty and extraordinary human interference, and this video captures both:

RIO from SCIENTIFANTASTIC on Vimeo.

Tokyo:

Even quieter parts of Tokyo can be a sensory assault, and so it’s no surprise that it’s one of the most photogenic cities in the world. Mark Bramley took his camera around Japan’s capital, even into the subway tunnels, and the final edit is mesmerising.

Lost in Tokyo from Mark Bramley on Vimeo.

Not limiting himself to Tokyo, Brad Kremer went several steps further and photographed much more of the country, from the hilltops to the gorgeous coastlines:

Hayaku: A Time Lapse Journey Through Japan from Brad Kremer on Vimeo.

Shanghai

You think Tokyo glows with a neon-hue? Try Shanghai. Some shots in Rob Whitworth’s video look like a rainbow just exploded in the middle of the city, and it’s as stunning as that sounds.

This is Shanghai from Rob Whitworth on Vimeo.

New York

Taking a slightly different approach, Sam O’Hare has managed millions of views with his epic portrayal of one day in New York. Aesthetically, this is particularly notable, using a variety of cinematic tricks to lend the film the look of a moving scale model. Remarkable stuff.

The Sandpit from Sam O'Hare on Vimeo.

San Francisco

There’s only so many skyscrapers and manmade structures one can take. Simon Christen’s poetic effort is a little different, serving as a visual celebration of San Francisco’s majestic rolling fog. Nature beats all:

Adrift from Simon Christen on Vimeo.

Dublin

You didn’t think we’d leave good old Dublin out, did you? Richard Twomey is responsible for this grand adventure through Ireland’s capital. Journeying from Sandymount to Dublin Airport, it proves that, even without the hills of Rio or the colour of Shanghai, Dublin is a looker in its own right.

Dublin Timelapse from Richard Twomey on Vimeo.

(Main image: Wikimedia Commons)