Photography tips

Focal length

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

Key tips

  1. Use a fast shutter speed or a stable base when shooting at a long focal length of 400 mm to prevent motion blur.
  2. Select a medium aperture at high focal lengths to capture the subject clearly.
  3. Use a fast shutter speed with long focal lengths to prevent motion blur caused by the magnification.

Photographs on this topic

89 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 Architecture City Landscape Pilatus Lucerne Lake Lucerne Central Switzerland
Cobblestone alley in the old town of Lucerne with a view of the Chapel Bridge and the Wasserturm 29 mm · f/14 · 1 s · ISO 200 Blue and white flags celebrating the 125th anniversary of FC Luzern at the lake 33 mm · f/6.3 · 1/800 s · ISO 200 Blue and white FC Luzern flags blowing in the wind in front of the Lucerne cityscape 45 mm · f/6.3 · 1/800 s · ISO 200 Flags celebrating the 125th anniversary of FC Luzern with Hotel Schweizerhof in the background 24 mm · f/16 · 1/160 s · ISO 200 Aerial view of the city of Lucerne with Lake Lucerne at sunset 400 mm · f/10 · 1/500 s · ISO 2000 Wasserturm of the Chapel Bridge in Lucerne with Mount Pilatus in sunny weather 29 mm · f/22 · 1.3 s · ISO 125 Detailed view of the dying lion sculpture at the Lion Monument in Lucerne 150 mm · f/10 · 1/320 s · ISO 200 Silhouette of the Water Tower in Lucerne with sun reflection on the Reuss river 24 mm · f/22 · 1/60 s · ISO 250 Water tower of the Chapel Bridge on the Reuss river with Mount Pilatus in the background 25 mm · f/22 · 1 s · ISO 320 Colorful water fountain with red and purple light in front of the night scenery of Lucerne with Jesuit Church 108 mm · f/5.1 · 1/20 s · ISO 4000 The illuminated Wasserturm in Lucerne at night with a light projection and a fountain in the foreground. 108 mm · f/5.1 · 1/6 s · ISO 4000 Illuminated water fountains at night in the harbor of Lucerne. 108 mm · f/5.1 · 1/13 s · ISO 4000 Illuminated water fountains in the Lucerne lake basin at night 12 mm · f/3.5 · 1/2 s · ISO 500 Colorful light projections on building facades and street in an alley in the old town of Lucerne 24 mm · f/16 · 2.5 s · ISO 640 An artificial, glowing sunflower sculpture against a black background at the Lilu Light Festival in Lucerne. 400 mm · f/8 · 1/250 s · ISO 800 An illuminated stylized sunflower sculpture made of fabric against a black background at the Lilu Light Festival in Lucerne. 325 mm · f/8 · 1/320 s · ISO 800 Illuminated Wasserturm in Lucerne during the Lilu Light Festival with Mount Pilatus in the background 27 mm · f/4 · 1/2 s · ISO 500 The Lion Monument in Lucerne framed by blue light trails during the Lilu Light Festival 24 mm · f/4 · 1/40 s · ISO 5000 Close-up of snow-covered church towers and roofs in Lucerne during winter 300 mm · f/11 · 1/250 s · ISO 800 Snow-covered Water Tower in Lucerne in front of a wintry backdrop 400 mm · f/11 · 1/250 s · ISO 800 Lake Lucerne with a modern passenger boat in front of the snow-covered Hofkirche in Lucerne 100 mm · f/11 · 1/250 s · ISO 800 People in front of an illuminated merry-go-round at the Lucerne Christmas market 12 mm · f/8 · 1 s · ISO 640 Illuminated Christmas tree in front of Lucerne train station at night with a bus passing by 23 mm · f/14 · 1.3 s · ISO 1600 Long exposure of Christmas lighting at the Seebrücke in Lucerne with the water tower in the background 22 mm · f/11 · 2.5 s · ISO 1600

Related topics

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