Photography tips

Exposure time

Illuminated Ferris wheel at the Lucerne Autumn Fair at night reflected in the water.

Key tips

  1. Choose an exposure time of 1 second or longer to capture movement and smooth out the reflection in the water.
  2. Use the longer exposure time intentionally to capture the movement of visitors in the foreground as a slight blur.
  3. Use a long exposure time to effectively capture the lights during the sunset.

Photographs on this topic

92 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 City Landscape Mountains Architecture Lucerne Pilatus Lake Lucerne Central Switzerland
Illuminated Ferris wheel at the Lucerne Autumn Fair at night reflected in the water. 12 mm · f/11 · 1 s · ISO 200 Welcome arch of the Lucerne Autumn Fair with illuminated carousel in the background 33 mm · f/9 · 1/2 s · ISO 200 Ferris wheel of the autumn fair in front of Mount Pilatus at dusk 30 mm · f/5 · 2 s · ISO 200 Night photography showing a starry sky above the silhouette of Mount Pilatus 50 mm · f/2 · 13 s · ISO 3200 View of Mount Pilatus summit with hotel and starry sky 30 mm · f/6.3 · 15 s · ISO 6400 Night view of the Hotel Pilatus Kulm against a starry sky with the Milky Way 22 mm · f/5.6 · 15 s · ISO 6400 Pilatus-Kulm hotel at night under a clear starry sky 12 mm · f/2 · 15 s · ISO 3200 Mount Pilatus mountain range in Central Switzerland during a golden sunset 400 mm · f/40 · 30 s · ISO 400 The historic water tower in Lucerne with reflection in the water and Mount Pilatus in the background. 29 mm · f/22 · 1.3 s · ISO 100 Night shot of Pilatus Kulm with starry sky and illuminated buildings 12 mm · f/2 · 10 s · ISO 1600 Front view of Hotel Schweizerhof Lucerne with colourful balcony accents 12 mm · f/16 · 1 s · ISO 200 The Wasserturm tower of the Chapel Bridge in Lucerne at night in thick fog 32 mm · f/16 · 13 s · ISO 400 Light projection onto the Water Tower of the Chapel Bridge in Lucerne during night and fog 30 mm · f/10 · 10 s · ISO 200 View through a metal grate into the interior of the Jesuit Church in Lucerne during the Lilu Light Festival with a person in the foreground. 12 mm · f/4 · 1/2 s · ISO 3200 Light projection on the Lion Monument in Lucerne during the Lilu Light Festival. 14 mm · f/11 · 5 s · ISO 400 View through a circular window showing the illuminated Christmas star by the Reuss river in Lucerne. 22 mm · f/8 · 1.3 s · ISO 640 View along the Reuss river in Lucerne with Christmas lights on the bridge and the water tower at twilight 12 mm · f/8 · 1.6 s · ISO 1000 Illuminated towers of the Hofkirche in Lucerne with a glowing star between the spires at night. 62 mm · f/9 · 2 s · ISO 1000 The festively illuminated Hotel Schweizerhof Lucerne at night 66 mm · f/14 · 2.5 s · ISO 1000 Nighttime riverside promenade in Lucerne with Christmas lights on a pedestrian bridge 12 mm · f/16 · 8 s · ISO 640 Festive Christmas lights in the nocturnal Old Town of Lucerne with pedestrians on the pavement 45 mm · f/20 · 1 s · ISO 1000 String lights and market stalls at the festively illuminated lakeside in Lucerne 29 mm · f/11 · 2.5 s · ISO 640 Christmas ice skating rink against the nocturnal backdrop of Lake Lucerne 17 mm · f/11 · 2.5 s · ISO 640 Night view of the ice rink at the Lucerne lake basin with Christmas lights 12 mm · f/11 · 3.2 s · ISO 640

Related topics

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