Photography tips

Night photography

Ferris wheel and fairground stalls at the Lucerne autumn fair at night with reflection in water

Key tips

  1. Keep the ISO setting low for night photography to achieve clean image quality without distracting noise.
  2. Choose a closed aperture like f/11 to achieve a sharp rendering of architectural details during night photography.
  3. Use a longer shutter speed for night photography to capture the light reflections on the water surface in detail.

Photographs on this topic

44 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 Mountains Architecture Lucerne Pilatus
Ferris wheel and fairground stalls at the Lucerne autumn fair at night with reflection in water 30 mm · f/13 · 1 s · ISO 200 Illuminated facade of the Hotel Schweizerhof Lucerne on the shore of Lake Lucerne at night 45 mm · f/11 · 8 s · ISO 160 The illuminated Hotel Pilatus-Kulm set against a starry night sky in Central Switzerland. 15 mm · f/4.5 · 13 s · ISO 10000 Night view of the summit area of Mount Pilatus with illuminated buildings under a starry sky with the Milky Way 20 mm · f/5 · 13 s · ISO 6400 Night view of the Pilatus summit with hotel building and starry sky 7 mm · f/1.8 · 1 s · ISO 6400 Night illumination of the facade of the Jesuit Church in Lucerne on the Reuss river 12 mm · f/2 · 1/25 s · ISO 2000 The illuminated Wasserturm of the Chapel Bridge in Lucerne at night, reflected in the Reuss river. 12 mm · f/2 · 1/8 s · ISO 2000 Reflection of the Lilu Light Festival light projections in the windows of a historic building in Lucerne 45 mm · f/9 · 1/2 s · ISO 500 Visitors looking at a light installation of glowing sunflowers in front of a blue illuminated church in Lucerne. 12 mm · f/4 · 1/20 s · ISO 500 Historic building at night, illuminated in blue during the Lilu Light Festival in Lucerne 18 mm · f/4 · 1/13 s · ISO 500 Illuminated Wasserturm and Chapel Bridge in Lucerne at night 26 mm · f/4 · 1/1 s · ISO 1000 Lion Monument in Lucerne with light installation at night 24 mm · f/4 · 1/20 s · ISO 5000 Illuminated comet as Christmas decoration in front of the night cityscape of Lucerne 22 mm · f/8 · 1/1 s · ISO 640 Hotel Schweizerhof in Lucerne with festive lights at night 42 mm · f/4 · 1.3 s · ISO 200 The illuminated Hofkirche in Lucerne with a glowing Christmas star between the towers and candles on the forecourt 12 mm · f/9 · 1.6 s · ISO 1000 Facade of the Christmas-lit Hotel Schweizerhof on the lakeside promenade in Lucerne at night 12 mm · f/9 · 1.3 s · ISO 1000 The night skyline of Lucerne with festive lights on Lake Lucerne 13 mm · f/9 · 1.6 s · ISO 1000 The illuminated Hotel Schweizerhof in Lucerne at night with Christmas star decorations. 66 mm · f/14 · 2.5 s · ISO 1000 Night view of the snow-covered Chapel Bridge with Christmas lighting in Lucerne 32 mm · f/8 · 3.2 s · ISO 1000 The illuminated Chapel Bridge and Water Tower in Lucerne at night. 12 mm · f/2 · 1 s · ISO 400 Overhead view of the illuminated old town of Lucerne with Chapel Bridge at night 45 mm · f/9 · 1/2 s · ISO 6400 Illuminated Ferris wheel on the shore of Lake Lucerne at night with reflection in the water 27 mm · f/13 · 4 s · ISO 200 A single leaf in the foreground on the wet Rathaussteg in Lucerne at night with people in the background 12 mm · f/8 · 2 s · ISO 640 Night aerial view of the city of Lucerne with the lake, train station, and Hofkirche, taken from Mount Pilatus. 400 mm · f/8 · 10 s · ISO 500

Related topics

  • City
  • Mountains
  • Architecture
  • Light
  • Camera settings
  • Perspective
  • Composition
  • Lucerne
  • Pilatus
  • Night
  • Rain
← All photography tips