Taken during the twilight hours , a British photographer has gone to extraordinary lengths to get the perfect shot including climbing rooftops , hanging from helicopters and even entering restricted military areas . And Paul Reiffer 's dedication to his work has enabled him to put together a portfolio showcasing the beauty of some of the world 's most famous cities by night . Each of the series of spectacular shots captures the pulsing energy of its location through vivid light trails . Scroll down for video . City snapper , Paul Reiffer , 34 , spent over three years amassing the collection of nightscapes , including this of Tower Bridge in London . The winding bridges of Yanan East Interchange in Shanghai are portrayed beautifully in the collection . Reiffer , 34 , from Weymouth , Dorset , spent over three years amassing the collection of nightscapes and has visited some of the world 's most iconic landmarks in the process . Whether it is the bright lights of the New York City skyline , the winding bridges of Shanghai , or the wispy reflections of Singapore 's harbour , each of Paul 's photographs reveal a beautiful side to the urban sprawl . By using a specially adapted camera that shoots at a whopping 80 mega pixels per image , the British photographer is able to capture huge city landscapes in extraordinary detail . Constantly on the move , Paul is continuously travelling in an effort to add new locations to his already impressive portfolio . Then New York city skyline is perhaps one of the more noticeable landscapes from Reiffer 's work . Behind the scenes of Pauls shoot in Shanghai ; the photographer has spent three years collating his work . Each of the series of spectacular shots captures the pulsing energy of its location through vivid light trails ; here the lights of Sydney Harbour reflect in the waters . Paul said : 'Some of my images require a lot of planning , unfortunately , one of the ways I decided to get a different view was to get onto rooftops . 'Some with full permissions and authorised access , others less so . 'Ironically , while legitimate access takes a lot of bureaucracy , it 's the more 'unofficial ' shoots which take the most planning . 'Generally if you search online , or see a city in a magazine , the same old shots will appear time and time again , so while I use other images for reference , I tend to then start researching using tools like Google satellite view and 3D maps along with sunrise/sunset apps to plan my own take on the view of a city . The serene and still waters reflect the bright lights of Singapore , a hive of activity . A gorgeous sunset of the golden gate bridge , San Francisco reveals a beautiful side to the urban sprawl . The roads may be devoid of traffic here in Kuala Lumpur , but it simply gives the light trails more prominence . 'The shot of the Nanpu Bridge in Shanghai was the most difficult shot to take of the collection , while hanging from helicopters and lying in the middle of roads sounds challenging , photographically this was a real pain . 'Let 's just say you need to trust the front half of your feet to get to the place , as that 's the only part which will be touching the ledge of a building as you walk along it 30-odd storeys up in the air . The shimmering Auckland skyline in New Zealand looks majestic against the backdrop of the dark waters . The buildings of Kuala Lumpur look palatial , and show off in terrific lighting by Reiffer 's camera skills . Reiffer captures the jam-packed nature of New York City from high above most of the buildings . ' I 've had to run from some locations with a memory card in my underwear before now ! Not because of anything illegal , more an argument with an overzealous security guard on a building I was photographing from . 'Because of the resolution of these images , they can be printed big and when you see a cityscape at two or three meters wide and are able to see every detail of every parked car , building window or landmark in the distance , it 's quite impressive . ' The Shanghai interchanges are mesmerising , and only at night would you ever see them this quiet . Hong Kong , China ; the British photographer is able to capture huge city landscapes in extraordinary detail .
Paul Reiffer has put together a portfolio showcasing the beauty of some of the world 's most famous cities by night . The British photographer has spent over three years amassing the collection of nightscapes . Included in his spectacular collection are Singapore skyline , the winding bridges of Shanghai , and the wispy reflections of New York City 's harbour .