Photography tips

Photographing evening light

Mount Pilatus massif in Central Switzerland surrounded by fog in the evening light

Photography during the golden hour is characterized by a low sun angle. This significantly changes the representation of surface textures and influences the overall color effect of the subject.

Light and Contrast

The lighting conditions require precise exposure control to preserve both highlights and details in the shadows. The shallow angle of incidence emphasizes textures and contours on structures or in natural environments.

Technical Parameters

Selecting appropriate ISO values and shutter speeds is essential to ensure high image quality and short exposure times despite decreasing light. It is important to monitor the highlights to capture the atmospheric mood accurately.

What photographing in evening light changes

Chapel Bridge and historic buildings of Lucerne Old Town at dusk
19 mm · f/14 · 10 s · ISO 64

Emphasizing textures

Evening light hits surfaces at a shallow angle, which emphasizes structural details. This makes textures of wood, snow, or historical facades appear particularly three-dimensional.

View from a wooden jetty over Lake Sempach at sunset
50 mm · f/5.6 · 1/500 s · ISO 100

Managing contrasts

The lighting atmosphere creates distinct contrasts between illuminated surfaces and shaded areas. Accurate exposure is necessary to preserve details in both zones.

Layered mountain ranges near Lucerne in soft sunset light
400 mm · f/8 · 1/800 s · ISO 400

Adjusting image quality

As the light fades, control over ISO settings and shutter speed becomes increasingly important. Low ISO values are critical to minimize noise and maintain high quality standards.

Three concrete examples

Water tower of the Chapel Bridge in Lucerne in front of buildings at sunset
45 mm · f/22 · 1/6 s · ISO 125
View of the Reuss river with Spreuer bridge and Chateau Gütsch in Lucerne at dusk
28 mm · f/10 · 3.2 s · ISO 200
Stones in the shallow water at the shore of Lake Lucerne at sunset
22 mm · f/22 · 1.3 s · ISO 400

Key tips

  1. Keep the ISO value low to ensure high image quality without digital noise.
  2. Pay attention to exposure in the bright areas to preserve the atmospheric mood.
  3. Use a wide aperture to capture enough light for the exposure as ambient light decreases.

Photographs on this topic

104 photographs with tips

The exact camera settings for each shot are shown below it - a starting point for recreating the look yourself. Click through to a photograph for detailed photography tips on that specific shot, under "Photography tips for this image".

All subjects Mountains City Architecture Landscape Pilatus Lucerne Lake Lucerne Central Switzerland
Mount Pilatus massif in Central Switzerland surrounded by fog in the evening light 400 mm · f/8 · 1/10 s · ISO 800 Mountain range Pilatus near Lucerne wrapped in clouds during evening light 400 mm · f/9 · 1/15 s · ISO 800 The cloud-covered peaks of Mount Pilatus in purple evening light. 400 mm · f/9 · 1/15 s · ISO 800 Mount Pilatus surrounded by clouds in violet evening light 400 mm · f/9 · 1/15 s · ISO 800 Mount Pilatus above Lake Lucerne during sunset 45 mm · f/4 · 1/320 s · ISO 200 Mount Pilatus above Lake Lucerne at sunset 20 mm · f/4 · 1/1250 s · ISO 200 Dark silhouette of Mount Pilatus against a softly colored evening sky 400 mm · f/20 · 1/400 s · ISO 2500 Dark silhouette of Mount Pilatus against a softly coloured evening sky 400 mm · f/20 · 1/500 s · ISO 2500 Silhouette of the Pilatus massif against a violet evening sky 200 mm · f/40 · 5 s · ISO 100 Silhouette of the Pilatus mountain massif against a pink evening sky 259 mm · f/40 · 5 s · ISO 100 View of Hotel Pilatus-Kulm and the Pilatus summit at sunset 24 mm · f/18 · 1/60 s · ISO 25600 View of the Pilatus-Kulm hotel and the Pilatus summit at sunset 30 mm · f/9 · 1/80 s · ISO 2000 View of the Pilatus summit near Lucerne during a sunset with orange and red clouds. 30 mm · f/22 · 1/60 s · ISO 4000 View of the rugged Pilatus summit at sunset with colored sky 21 mm · f/22 · 1/80 s · ISO 8000 Close-up of alpine flowers backlit against the dark silhouette of Mount Pilatus during sunset. 30 mm · f/22 · 1/60 s · ISO 2000 Alpine flowers in the foreground with the summit of Mount Pilatus at sunset 30 mm · f/22 · 1/80 s · ISO 5000 Aerial view of the hotel buildings at Pilatus Kulm during an orange sunset. 24 mm · f/10 · 1/80 s · ISO 320 Aerial view of the buildings on Pilatus Kulm at sunset 15 mm · f/10 · 1/80 s · ISO 2000 Aerial view of the summit buildings on Mount Pilatus during golden sunset 15 mm · f/10 · 1/80 s · ISO 400 View from Mount Pilatus looking over Lake Lucerne during sunset 20 mm · f/10 · 1/60 s · ISO 1000 View of Hotel Pilatus-Kulm and the summit area at golden sunset 30 mm · f/10 · 1/80 s · ISO 400 Hotel Bellevue and summit path on Mount Pilatus in evening light 25 mm · f/10 · 1/60 s · ISO 100 Aerial view of Mount Pilatus peak with hotel building at sunset 18 mm · f/20 · 1/80 s · ISO 800 Aerial view from Mount Pilatus overlooking Lake Lucerne and the surrounding alpine landscape in evening light. 30 mm · f/22 · 1/80 s · ISO 1250

Related topics

  • Mountains
  • City
  • Architecture
  • Landscape
  • Light
  • Camera settings
  • Composition
  • Perspective
  • Pilatus
  • Lucerne
  • Lake Lucerne
  • Central Switzerland
  • Evening light
  • Fog
  • Sunset
  • Snow
  • Blue hour
  • Night
← All photography tips