Photography tips

Wide aperture

Night view of the Pilatus peak with hotel building under a starry sky

Key tips

  1. Use a wide aperture like f/2 so that as much light as possible reaches the sensor in low light conditions.
  2. Use a wide aperture such as f/2 to capture as much detail of the night sky as possible in low-light conditions.
  3. Use a wide aperture to capture the necessary brightness for the starry sky in low-light conditions.

Photographs on this topic

25 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 Pilatus Lucerne
Night view of the Pilatus peak with hotel building under a starry sky 12 mm · f/2 · 15 s · ISO 3200 View of the Pilatus summit at night with starry sky 12 mm · f/2 · 10 s · ISO 1000 The summit cross on Mount Pilatus against a clear starry night sky 12 mm · f/2 · 10 s · ISO 1600 Night panoramic view from Mount Pilatus over the illuminated city and the starry sky 12 mm · f/2 · 5 s · ISO 1600 Night illumination of the facade of the Jesuit Church in Lucerne on the Reuss river 12 mm · f/2 · 1/25 s · ISO 2000 Chapel Bridge with Water Tower in Lucerne at night with light projections 12 mm · f/2 · 1/8 s · ISO 2000 The illuminated water tower of the Chapel Bridge in Lucerne at night with light projections. 12 mm · f/2 · 1/8 s · ISO 2000 View of the interior of the illuminated Jesuit Church in Lucerne during a light show 12 mm · f/2 · 1/15 s · ISO 4000 Interior view of the Jesuit Church in Lucerne with blue light projection on vault and altar 12 mm · f/2 · 1/30 s · ISO 4000 Interior view of the Jesuit Church in Lucerne with a colorful projection on the ceiling and walls 12 mm · f/2 · 1/15 s · ISO 4000 Illuminated facade of the Hotel Schweizerhof in Lucerne at night viewed from the lake. 45 mm · f/4 · 1/25 s · ISO 4000 Night shot of the Chapel Bridge with water tower in Lucerne by the Reuss river 12 mm · f/2.2 · 1.6 s · ISO 200 View of the illuminated Chapel Bridge in Lucerne at night, with a blurred ornamental railing in the foreground. 12 mm · f/2.8 · 1.6 s · ISO 200 Red carriage of the Pilatus cogwheel railway in an underground station 12 mm · f/2 · 1/80 s · ISO 4000 View through a rock tunnel of the Dragon Cave at Pilatus with misty exit 12 mm · f/3.2 · 1/80 s · ISO 200 Night landscape with starry sky and Milky Way over Mount Pilatus in Central Switzerland. 12 mm · f/2 · 10 s · ISO 4000 The Hotel Bellevue at Mount Pilatus at night with a starry sky 12 mm · f/2 · 8 s · ISO 1600 Night sky with the Milky Way above the silhouette of Mount Pilatus 12 mm · f/2 · 10 s · ISO 1600 View of the Milky Way above the nocturnal ridge of Mount Pilatus 12 mm · f/2 · 10 s · ISO 1600 Two ducks swimming in the Reuss river in front of the Chapel Bridge in Lucerne at dusk. 18 mm · f/3.5 · 1/25 s · ISO 1600 Silhouettes of Mount Pilatus during twilight in a clear sky. 22 mm · f/2 · 1/6 s · ISO 800 Fully blurred nocturnal light sources and shadows 50 mm · f/2.8 · 1/10 s · ISO 1600 Night view of the illuminated Ferris wheel and the city skyline of Lucerne by Lake Lucerne 50 mm · f/2.8 · 1/10 s · ISO 400 Blooming fuchsias in the foreground in front of the illuminated Lucerne Town Hall at dusk 2 mm · f/2.2 · 1/8 s · ISO 800

Related topics

  • Mountains
  • Architecture
  • City
  • Light
  • Camera settings
  • Perspective
  • Composition
  • Pilatus
  • Lucerne
  • Night
  • Fog
  • Evening light
  • Blue hour
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