{"id":73650,"date":"2021-10-01T10:00:12","date_gmt":"2021-10-01T14:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.adorama.com\/alc\/?p=73650"},"modified":"2024-03-13T14:11:11","modified_gmt":"2024-03-13T18:11:11","slug":"how-to-shoot-blue-hour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.adorama.com\/alc\/how-to-shoot-blue-hour\/","title":{"rendered":"Blue Hour: How to Capture the Best Images Under a Dark Sky"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Most landscape<\/a> and nature<\/a> photographers know that sunset and sunrise are two of the best times to capture amazing light in their photography. However, very few photographers stick around for blue hour<\/strong>, which happens to be an excellent time to capture images as the sky begins to get dark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Blue Hour?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Blue hour occurs just after sunset and just before sunrise when the sun is below the horizon. There is barely enough light to see your surroundings. This is when there are just a few bright stars in the sky, right before the full darkness of the night sets in or before the sun begins to come up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This time of night (or morning) is one of the best times for night sky photography<\/a> because the light is even across the landscape and you don\u2019t have to worry about the harsh light of the sun. In contrast, you are able to get enough light to use a long exposure to make out the details of your foreground without experiencing too much grain that is generally present when shooting at a completely dark night sky<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Photo by Austin James Jackson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Blue Hour Photography In the Field<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So, how do we capture amazing images during blue hour? First off, you need to be out at the right time. I find that about 45 minutes after sunset is the best time. Of course, you can get out and shoot with similar results 45 minutes before sunrise. Although, I find this much more challenging because then you must find your composition in the dark<\/a>. Usually, I show up right around sunset and find my composition, then wait for the sun to go down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For this technique, you will need a tripod since we\u2019ll be using very long exposures to help us expose some of the darker spots. Any camera and lens will do as long as you can adjust your shutter speed for up to 30 seconds. I highly recommend using a camera with full manual mode. This is because you will want to adjust the ISO, aperture, and shutter speed individually. Cameras with automatic modes oftentimes will struggle to adjust after dark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once the time comes, you\u2019ll want to dial in your ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. Each scene requires slightly different settings, but I usually start with these settings:<\/p>\n\n\n\n