Photography tips

Photographing Lucerne

View of the Chapel Bridge and Water Tower in Lucerne with Mount Pilatus in the background under a cloudy evening sky.

Lucerne offers a complex backdrop for photography due to its topographical position between the lake and the mountains. Handling the contrasts between urban architecture and expansive landscape requires a precise choice of technical means to capture the spatial dimension of the Lucerne lake basin.

Composition and Architecture

The urban structure of Lucerne with its distinctive buildings allows for clear lines in the image. Through the targeted placement of architectural elements in the viewfinder, you create a structure that guides the viewer's gaze and reduces the clutter of a busy environment.

Panorama and Wide Angle

When capturing the expansive landscape around Lake Lucerne, the choice of focal length is decisive. A wide-angle lens allows you to capture the entire width of the scenery in a single image, which is necessary when documenting the city roofs or the shoreline.

How photographing Lucerne changes things

View from a narrow alley in Lucerne looking towards the snow-covered Pilatus mountain.
40 mm · f/18 · 1/125 s · ISO 200

Spatial Depth

By using focal lengths between 2 mm and 400 mm, you significantly influence the depth effect of your shots. A short focal length stretches the foreground and integrates the wide landscape into the overall image.

Low sun casts rays under the historic arcades at the Weinmarkt in Lucerne
16 mm · f/22 · 1/60 s · ISO 800

Light Management

The choice of aperture from f/1.8 to f/40 is decisive for exposure under various lighting conditions. At twilight or with night lighting, an open aperture ensures that sufficient light reaches the sensor.

View through a shaded passage towards the Lucerne Water Tower
28 mm · f/14 · 1/2 s · ISO 200

Image Composition

By deliberately placing distinctive buildings within the composition, you organize the complex geometry of Lucerne's architecture. This helps to focus on central urban features and achieve a calm visual effect.

Three concrete examples

Historisches Bahnhofsportal in Luzern
12 mm · f/10 · 1/10 s · ISO 200
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
Historic buildings and church tower top in the old town of Lucerne in clear daylight.
45 mm · f/22 · 1/80 s · ISO 160

Key tips

  1. Use a short focal length to capture the panorama of Lucerne comprehensively.
  2. Utilize a wide-angle lens to capture the full width of the illuminated scenery in the lake basin.
  3. Select an open aperture to ensure sufficient light when photographing the city's rooftops.

Photographs on this topic

590 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 Architecture Landscape Mountains
View of the Chapel Bridge and Water Tower in Lucerne with Mount Pilatus in the background under a cloudy evening sky. 12 mm · f/14 · 1/15 s · ISO 200 Chapel Bridge in Lucerne with Water Tower and Mount Pilatus in the background, bustling with people walking by 45 mm · f/5 · 1/2 s · ISO 200 View of the Water Tower and Chapel Bridge in Lucerne through a decorative iron railing 32 mm · f/18 · 1/60 s · ISO 1000 View through an ornate iron railing at the Chapel Bridge and Water Tower in Lucerne during evening light 24 mm · f/18 · 1/60 s · ISO 800 Chapel Bridge and Water Tower in Lucerne at sunset 30 mm · f/18 · 1/30 s · ISO 200 View through a round railing at the sunset-lit Reuss river in Lucerne 13 mm · f/18 · 1/100 s · ISO 200 View through an ornate metal railing towards the old town of Lucerne and the Reuss river at sunset. 12 mm · f/16 · 1/200 s · ISO 200 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 An anniversary flag of FC Luzern waving against the backdrop of the city of Lucerne at Lake Lucerne. 29 mm · f/16 · 1/160 s · ISO 200 Waving anniversary flag of FC Luzern in front of historic buildings in Lucerne 45 mm · f/16 · 1/125 s · ISO 200 Blue and white flag of FC Luzern with anniversary inscription against a blue sky in Lucerne 36 mm · f/16 · 1/125 s · ISO 200 Blue FCL anniversary flag in front of the scenery of Lucerne 27 mm · f/16 · 1/125 s · ISO 200 The 125th anniversary flag of FC Luzern flying on the roof of Hotel Schweizerhof in Lucerne. 45 mm · f/16 · 1/100 s · ISO 200 View from the lake of the illuminated Hotel Schweizerhof in Lucerne at night with flags in the foreground 32 mm · f/4 · 1/30 s · ISO 6400 View across Lake Lucerne of the illuminated Hotel Schweizerhof in Lucerne with flags in the foreground. 33 mm · f/4 · 1/30 s · ISO 6400 Illuminated facade of the Hotel Schweizerhof Lucerne on the shore of Lake Lucerne at night 45 mm · f/11 · 8 s · ISO 160 View across the Seebrücke bridge in Lucerne with pink flowers in the foreground at sunrise 12 mm · f/16 · 1/800 s · ISO 500 Chapel Bridge with water tower in Lucerne in front of Mount Pilatus at dawn 24 mm · f/4 · 1/2000 s · ISO 500 The Swiss flag waving above the Hotel Schweizerhof in Lucerne, framed by blooming horse chestnut trees. 45 mm · f/16 · 1/80 s · ISO 200 The Swiss flag waving on the roof of the Hotel Schweizerhof in Lucerne, framed by blooming horse chestnut trees. 45 mm · f/16 · 1/80 s · ISO 200 Waving Swiss flag in front of the roof of Hotel Schweizerhof Lucerne framed by flowering chestnut trees 45 mm · f/16 · 1/80 s · ISO 200

Related topics

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