Photography tips

Exposure time

Night photography showing a starry sky above the silhouette of Mount Pilatus

Key tips

  1. Select an exposure time long enough to capture the stars without excessive blur caused by the Earth's rotation.
  2. Use a long exposure time to capture the faint light of the stars.
  3. Use a long exposure time to capture the faint light sources of the night sky on the sensor.

Photographs on this topic

50 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
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 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 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 Illuminated Ferris wheel at Lake Lucerne in front of the KKL at night 45 mm · f/20 · 4 s · ISO 200 A motion-blurred chain carousel at night at a funfair in Lucerne. 12 mm · f/9 · 1 s · ISO 500 Night view of the illuminated city of Lucerne from Mount Pilatus 400 mm · f/8 · 20 s · ISO 500 View of the Reuss river with Spreuer bridge and Chateau Gütsch in Lucerne at dusk 28 mm · f/10 · 3.2 s · ISO 200 Chapel Bridge and historic buildings of Lucerne Old Town at dusk 19 mm · f/14 · 10 s · ISO 64 Aerial view of Lucerne city and Lake Lucerne under a cloudy sky 45 mm · f/16 · 8 s · ISO 100 View across the Reuss river showing the Chapel Bridge with Water Tower and the Jesuit Church in Lucerne 15 mm · f/22 · 2.5 s · ISO 100 The night view of Chapel Bridge in Lucerne reflected in a glass sphere on a wall 50 mm · f/20 · 20 s · ISO 800 Glass ball on cobblestones in a narrow alley in the old town of Lucerne at night 15 mm · f/22 · 30 s · ISO 200 View of a nocturnal alley in Lucerne's old town through a glass sphere 30 mm · f/20 · 25 s · ISO 800 Water projection on Lake Lucerne during the 2025 Lilu Light Festival in Lucerne at night. 30 mm · f/6.3 · 2 s · ISO 800 Purple illuminated trees along a promenade during the Lilu Light Festival in Lucerne with reflection in a puddle. 17 mm · f/9 · 5 s · ISO 800 Green illuminated trees at night during Lilu Light Festival in Lucerne reflected in a puddle 30 mm · f/9 · 6 s · ISO 800 Night shot with wet wooden walkway, wrought iron railing and blue illuminated church during the Lilu Light Festival in Lucerne. 30 mm · f/32 · 8 s · ISO 800 Night view of the illuminated Chapel Bridge in Lucerne during New Year fireworks on January 1, 2025 15 mm · f/8 · 4 s · ISO 500 Night view of the Christmas-lit lake basin in Lucerne with reflections in the water. 30 mm · f/8 · 25 s · ISO 100

Related topics

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