Photography tips

Night shots

Illuminated facade of the Hotel Schweizerhof in Lucerne at night with people in front of the building

Key tips

  1. Ensure a low ISO setting for night shots to keep the image as clear of noise as possible.
  2. Experiment with the ISO value to achieve a good balance between brightness and digital noise for night shots.
  3. Choose an open aperture for night shots of illuminated buildings to let as much ambient light as possible reach the sensor.

Photographs on this topic

18 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 Architecture Mountains City Lucerne Pilatus
Illuminated facade of the Hotel Schweizerhof in Lucerne at night with people in front of the building 26 mm · f/7.1 · 1 s · ISO 250 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 The illuminated Wasserturm of the Chapel Bridge in Lucerne at night 150 mm · f/5.6 · 1/6 s · ISO 4000 View through a wrought iron railing of the illuminated Water Tower of the Chapel Bridge Lucerne at night 12 mm · f/2 · 1/6 s · ISO 2000 Chapel Bridge and Water Tower in Lucerne at night with light projections from the Lilu Festival 30 mm · f/8 · 5 s · ISO 200 Aerial view of illuminated sunflower sculptures at the Lilu Light Festival in Lucerne at night 12 mm · f/4 · 1/30 s · ISO 500 Illuminated flower sculptures in front of a historic residential building during the Lilu Light Festival in Lucerne. 16 mm · f/4 · 1/30 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 Hotel Schweizerhof at Lake Lucerne during Christmas time at night 40 mm · f/9 · 1.3 s · ISO 1000 The illuminated Reuss bridge in Lucerne at night with Christmas lights 45 mm · f/13 · 2 s · ISO 1000 Visitors on the ice rink in front of the illuminated KKL Lucerne during the Christmas season 21 mm · f/11 · 2.5 s · ISO 250 Facade of the Hotel Schweizerhof in Lucerne with light projections during the Lilu Festival 30 mm · f/8 · 1/5 s · ISO 800 Chapel Bridge in Lucerne with New Year's fireworks in the night sky 15 mm · f/8 · 4 s · ISO 500 Wasserturm and Chapel Bridge in Lucerne at night with light projections from the Lilu Festival 50 mm · f/6.3 · 2 s · ISO 800 Aerial view of the illuminated old town of Lucerne at night during the Christmas season 70 mm · f/18 · 30 s · ISO 400 Night view of the illuminated old town of Lucerne with the Reuss river and Lake Lucerne at Christmas 30 mm · f/18 · 25 s · ISO 400 Chapel Bridge in Lucerne at night with snow on the roof 50 mm · f/18 · 15 s · ISO 640 Panoramic view of the illuminated waterfront of Lucerne at night 50 mm · f/18 · 13 s · ISO 400

Related topics

  • Architecture
  • Mountains
  • City
  • Light
  • Camera settings
  • Composition
  • Perspective
  • Lucerne
  • Pilatus
  • Night
  • Snow
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