How do I photograph smooth water and a city skyline with lights and a bright twilight sky?
Asked 7/12/2016
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I want to capture a waterfront city scene where the water looks very smooth, the skyline stays sharp, and the city lights show star-like rays while the sky is still bright. What shooting technique and DSLR settings should I use?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
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This looks to be a fairly standard long exposure. The shutter speed needs to be slower than the 'period' of the waves (or 1 over the frequency) - this will cause the water to look flat. The colour suggests that the scene is largely moonlit which is why it's quite bright. With most 'sea' waves, you're looking for a shutter speed of about 10 seconds (or more) for smooth water.
The sharp focus on both the bits sticking out of the water, and the city, suggest a larger depth of field - which suggests you'll also want a small aperture (larger number). Although I expect the aperture was mainly made small to give a longer shutter speed.
To get this type of shot you'll be needing a tripod, and you'll want a low ISO and possibly a neutral density filter infront of the lens to lengthen the shutter speed even more. You'll also need some patience and practice along with some very good light. Shots like this come from spending many days stalking the perfect light conditions, in the cold and dark not just from knowing how to use your camera when you get there.
Originally by user46386. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user46386
10y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Use a tripod and shoot at twilight—just after sunset or just before sunrise—when there is still brightness in the sky but city lights are visible. The smooth water comes from a long exposure: roughly 10–20 seconds or longer, depending on how rough the water is.
Use a low ISO to keep noise down and help lengthen the shutter speed. Choose a fairly small aperture to increase depth of field so both the foreground and skyline stay sharp; around f/8 to f/11 is often a good starting point, going narrower only if needed. Very small apertures can also create starburst rays on lights, but stopping down too far may introduce diffraction.
Focus carefully, ideally using hyperfocal distance or otherwise ensuring the nearest important foreground object and the skyline are within depth of field. If the scene is still too bright for a long exposure, add a neutral density filter to reduce the light.
In short: tripod, low ISO, small aperture, and a long exposure at twilight are the key ingredients.
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