8 Insane Parkour Poses for Urban Street Photography (Pro Tips)

Photographing parkour can be tricky. With most moves pulled off at height, and often at high speed, you need the right framing, lenses, and camera settings to nail the shot.

Read my guide on eight killer parkour poses to shoot on city rooftops and streets, and how I approach capturing them to convey the drama and action.

1. The Stick

The Stick is a precision landing on a narrow ledge or surface, and is considered a foundational skill representing mastery over movement and balance.

It relies on total body control, with the runner absorbing all the impact through their limbs and muscles, without needing to roll or step away to regain balance.

The athlete lands on the balls of their feet, which should be roughly shoulder-width apart. As they land, they go into a controlled squat to absorb the impact.

If pulled off correctly, their heels will hang over the edge of the landing spot, which will help to further convey the high stakes in the final image.

In terms of photographing this move, you’ll need to shoot from a low angle, looking up.

You should focus on the isometric tension and muscle definition in the quads and calves; the aim is to capture that precise moment where the muscles are fully engaged and under maximum load.

When positioning myself and setting up the camera, I opt to crouch or lie flat on the roof, approximately three meters away from the landing spot. I’ll be positioned so that the runner is jumping in my general direction, landing just in front of me.

I set the camera with a fast shutter speed of at least 1/1000s, so that the action is frozen, eliminating any motion blur caused by the vibrations in the body as it transitions from full momentum to an abrupt stop.

Likewise, I’m opting for a continuous shooting mode with continuous autofocus, since I’ll need to capture the entire action sequence and choose the perfect frame in post-production.

2. The Cat Leap

Another classic move, the Cat Leap, also known as the Arm Jump, is a move used to transfer from a surface to a wall across a gap.

Jumping towards the wall, the athlete grabs the ledge with their hands, absorbing the forward momentum by hitting the wall with the balls of the feet, knees bent to 90 degrees.

They then pull themselves up and climb over the top of the wall onto the adjoining flat surface.

Here, I’m looking for a side profile shot highlighting the “cliff-hanger” aesthetic. The trick is to focus on the vertical tension, so I’ll try to capture the detail in the fingertips and the texture in the surface the hands are grabbing.

I want the final shot to express the grit of the wall or surface to the viewer, portraying the strength and agility of the jumper.

I like to use a wider-angle lens for this kind of shot, including the street and backdrop below, if possible. I also opt for a narrow aperture of f/5.6 or f/8, since I want enough depth of field to ensure the textures and background stay reasonably sharp.

Position-wise, I’ll stand at the edge of the ledge, at around five meters distance from the landing point.

If safe to do so, I’ll lean slightly out over the ledge and point the camera back towards the wall, to better capture the gap between the subject’s back and the space behind and below.

Safety Tip:

It’s vitally important that any shots involving leaning out from the top of ledges are only attempted with the use of secure ropes and straps, and that the shot has been thoroughly scoped and assessed for safety beforehand.

3. The Kong Vault

The Kong Vault is a technically challenging move across an obstacle, such as a guard rail or wall, and relies on extreme upper body strength alongside agility.

The athlete will dive forward like a swimmer, placing both hands on the obstacle, tucking their knees into their chest, transferring their legs through their arms and over the rail to clear it.

The aim here is to capture a strong silhouette against the sky or background. Ideally, I’ll look for a final shot at the apex of the move, where the body is as close to horizontal as possible. The precise moment I’m looking for is the millisecond after the hands leave the rail, but just before the feet pass through.

If the spine is perfectly horizontal to the sky or backdrop, the move will look powerful, but if the hips are too high, it can look ungainly and clumsy.

To capture this pose effectively, I’ll set my camera to high-speed burst shooting mode, capturing at least 10 frames per second to ensure I get the whole sequence. I can then select the perfect frame later in post-production.

In terms of shutter speed, this move happens in the blink of an eye, so to freeze the action, I go for 1/1600s.

You’ll want to position yourself at 90 degrees to the obstacle or rail, and be standing at a distance to capture the full movement, from take-off, through the vault, and to the landing spot.

The trick is to be far enough away for the whole move, but as close as possible to capture a nicely framed composition with enough detail.

4. Crane Precision

Next is the Crane Precision move. It’s a high-level, balanced landing on one foot, onto a narrow ledge or spot. The other leg is held out to the side for balance, alongside both arms being extended, to consistently make micro-adjustments to the center of gravity and overall balance of the athlete.

Here I’m focusing on the composition of the frame, and particularly the symmetry of the subject. I’ll frame them centrally against a clean and clear patch of sky or distant building, making them the clear focal point of the photograph.

The key principle of this pose and the resulting shot is that of stillness. It isn’t about the action; it’s about the calm, “quietness” of the move.

The focus is on a single, perfectly composed photograph that uses the subject’s body to create a grid effect, matching and contrasting other lines within the surrounding architecture.

I’ll use a standard prime lens for this shot; either 50mm or 85mm will work well.

I like to set a wide aperture (something like f/2.8) to create some soft blurring of the background, which has the effect of making the subject really pop as a sharp, vertical focal point, almost as though they are architecture themselves.

This is a straight-on shot, and you should stand between five and seven meters away from the subject.

A good tip is to align the horizontal guide in your viewfinder to the waist of the athlete, ensuring all horizontal and vertical lines are as straight as possible.

5. The L-Sit

The L-Sit is a show of static strength that’s just as much at home with the gymnast as it is with the parkour free runner.

Supporting weight on their hands, the athlete deploys extreme core strength to lift their legs until they are perfectly parallel to the ground, creating a 90-degree “L” shape between the arms and legs.

If I possibly can, I like to position the camera so that the subject’s legs mirror the horizontal lines of the skyline, horizon, or buildings behind them. The way I achieve this is by using a telephoto lens of 85mm+ and taking the shot from a distance.

By utilizing the natural lens compression, I can bring the distant buildings forward, right up behind the subject.

This is a great way to emphasize the composure and control of the athlete against the vast urban landscape, with the arms and legs mimicking the lines of buildings and other landmarks.

I like to set the camera to a low ISO setting of around 100 here to prioritize image quality and clarity. If you’re unsure about hand-holding the camera at such a low speed, you can opt to use a tripod or place the camera on a low wall or bench.

I’ll go with an aperture setting of f/4 to keep the subject’s entire body in focus, sharp from head to toe.

In terms of my position, I’ll stand side-on, parallel to the “L” shape made by the subject’s body, and I’ll be at least 10 meters back, to allow the telephoto lens to effectively compress the background.

6. The Gap Jump

Next, we have the Jump Gap between two points, e.g., from one rooftop to another. This is perhaps the most dangerous and psychologically charged move, requiring complete commitment from the athlete.

The runner will take off from one foot, fully extending their body through the air, stretching their lead foot out towards the landing point, while also stretching both arms out forward to create extra forward momentum.

It is distinct from a precision jump, since it often involves a drop between the void and doesn’t rely on a precision landing in the same way. It often ends in a forward roll.

The aim is for maximum horizontal travel, but a successful gap jump often requires an arc in trajectory to compensate for differences in height between the take-off and landing points.

To successfully capture this shot, it’s important to include both the take-off and landing spots within the frame.

A mid-air shot that only shows the subject and the sky won’t convey the sense of scale and the associated commitment and potential danger for the runner.

I’ll use an ultra-wide-angle lens between 12 and 16mm to exaggerate the gap, making the move look like a true leap across an abyss.

I’ll set the camera’s shutter speed to around 1/2000s. This is very fast and is required to capture the full body extension properly, which only happens at peak velocity.

In terms of my positioning, I’ll place myself on the landing roof, facing back toward the take-off point, at a 45-degree angle to the path of the jump.

This allows me to perfectly capture the subject’s face as they reach towards the landing spot.

7. The Backflip

The backflip is often done using a wall or can be executed from a platform or surface a few feet above the landing point.

It involves a vertical jump followed by a 360-degree backwards rotation with knees tucked in. The athlete then opens back up to make the landing as soon as they spot the ground below them.

As the photographer, you’ll want to capture the subject at the peak of their arc, upside down. If you can, place the sun behind them to create a perfect silhouette that pops against the sky.

To ensure the subject isn’t just a dark shadow, it’s a good idea to use a spot meter to take a light reading from their body, setting the camera exposure accordingly, to maximize the detail of the person in the resulting shot.

In terms of positioning, I like to be side-on to the rotation, capturing the full path of travel. I prefer to be four or five meters away.

You’ll need to experiment a little with your framing and distance to ensure you have enough headroom in the shot, and the subject doesn’t flip out of the top of the frame.

8. Dash Vault

Finally, we have the Dash Vault – one of my favorite parkour poses.

Unlike the majority of moves where the hands are placed on the obstacle first, this one has the legs leading, clearing the object or surface first, with the hands placed down after and used to propel away, maintaining momentum.

To photograph this move effectively, you need to capture the feet-first geometry of the action, as this is what sets it apart from other vaults like the Kong. Because this is a fast move and the body is reclined, your timing and camera angles are crucial.

The best angle to get this shot from is a low, side-profile – one that is perpendicular to the obstacle. From this angle, you can capture the “V-shape” that the body makes, and from the side view, you’ll be able to clearly see the feet clearing the obstacle or surface before the hands touch anything.

Because it’s the legs that are leading this move, the feet are your “leading lines,” so you’ll want to capture them when they are closest to the lens. This will create a cool 3D effect that draws the viewer right into the shot.

By positioning yourself low to the ground or the surface being traversed, you will add drama to your shot, making it look even higher than it actually is.

I find the best location is to the far side of the obstacle, approximately two meters beyond it, and I usually squat down so that the subject’s feet pass as level to the lens as possible.

In terms of settings, I like to use an autofocus with “near-subject priority” so that the feet remain totally sharp as they rush towards the camera.