Digital Photography 101: How to photograph the different phases of twilight

An introduction to low-light photography, part 6

 

Photographs of sunsets and sunrises can certainly be beautiful, yet they can also be somewhat repetitive. Many people think that if you've seen one sunset picture, you've seen them all. But if you stick around for a while after the sun has set and the sky starts to deepen into twilight, you'll find even more gorgeous light and fabulous photographic opportunities.

Digital Photography 101: Photographing the edges of the day

How to take gorgeous pictures of sunrises and sunsets

 

Sunrises and sunsets are a staple in anyone's photography catalog, and with good reason. They're one of the world's natural wonders that never get old and never produce the same picture twice. Anyone can point a camera toward the setting sun and snap a picture. To get a truly stunning, beautiful photograph of a sunrise or sunset, however, takes a bit more than being in the right place at the right time. Here are a few tips to help you get pictures you'll be eager to show off!

Plan ahead

Sunrises and sunsets are somewhat unpredictable, despite the fact that a quick glance at an almanac will tell you exactly when the actual sunset will occur on any given day. Unfortunately, knowing the moment when the sun will sink below the horizon doesn't mean you can predict when (or even if) you'll have the sort of gorgeous skies that make for great sunset pictures. The "magic hour" of each day actually consists of the half an hour surrounding sunrise and sunset, which is when those scenes tend to occur.

Plan ahead, and try to arrive at least 45 minutes before the almanac says the event will occur. This will give you time to get set up, scope out the lay of the land, and figure out where you'll need to be to get the best angle, background, etc. Don't forget to bring a tripod, too!

Watch the weather
In addition to knowing when the sun will be on the horizon, pay attention to the weather forecast. Overcast skies, of course, will derail any sunset photography, but perfectly clear skies can also make for somewhat boring photographs. The ideal conditions usually consist of interesting clouds and a bit of dust or smoke in the air — it's the particulates in the air that actually make some of the most beautiful colors.

Think about composition
In most sunset photographs, the horizon line is a prominent feature. This is a great time to practice using the rule of thirds in your composition. While there are situations in which you might want to break the rule, generally you should compose your shot so that the horizon is either at the top or bottom third of the scene, not right in the middle. Which you choose depends on whether you want to highlight the expanse of the sky (in which case, put the horizon near the bottom) or any reflections or shapes in the foreground (in which case, try putting the horizon near the top).

Punch up your photo composition with the rule of thirds

Dividing your photo for better effect

 

One of the most basic rules of photographic composition is the rule of thirds. Take a look at some of your favorite photographs — chances are, the subject of the photo is slightly off-center, and the composition probably follows the rule of thirds. Following these guidelines gives your photograph more visual tension and interest and keeps it from looking stodgy.

What is the rule of thirds and how do you apply it? As you're looking through your camera's viewfinder or at the LCD screen, imagine that the scene is divided equally into thirds by both horizontal and vertical lines. You should frame your shot so that the important element or elements of your photo are located either at the intersections of those lines or along the lines themselves.

In the set of photographs below, there are two main elements (the fireworks and the man with the hose) and one secondary element (the big tree in the upper right). As you can see, all three of those elements sit right at the intersections of the lines.



If your scene has a distinct horizon line or any strong vertical lines, you should place them along one of these lines as well. A photograph in which the horizon is placed in the exact middle of the scene tends to look very static and boring. It is also a good idea to provide the eye visual paths to follow in the scene, to lead the viewer from one part of the image to another. In the example below, the horizon line is at the upper horizontal third, and the place where the river meets the bay is at the point where the upper and left thirds meet. The curve of the river serves to lead the viewer's eye around to the lower third of the image.



One thing you should also be aware of is to always give your subject somewhere to go. If you're capturing a subject in motion, this means you should position the shot so that there is more space in front of the subject than behind. If the subject is standing still but looking in a certain direction, give her somewhere to look. In the example to the right, the subject's head is positioned in the upper right third, looking down and to the left, so that we, the viewers, have the entire lower two-thirds of the frame in which to follow her gaze.

Of course, we all know that the first rule of anything is that rules were made to be broken. Sometimes, to accomplish your composition goals, it makes sense to break the rule of thirds. But you have to learn the rules in order to break them!

Also try putting the sun at one side of the frame or the other, not directly in the center.

Pay attention to the objects that are between you and the sky, as these can also create interesting aspects to your photographs. Trees, buildings, boats, and even people can add visual interest when silhouetted against the sunset. Keep in mind that with a silhouette, you won't have any detail to help your viewer identify the subject, so make sure its something readily identifiable. A fisherman casting a line, a sailboat on a calm bay, or a church steeple will all be obvious even if you can't see the details. If you're lucky enough to have a view that includes still water, the reflection of the sunset can create a very dramatic image.

Take your camera off automatic
Sunsets are one of the times when your camera's automatic setting might not give you the picture that you want, so this is a great time to take it off auto. Your camera might have a sunset or low-light setting — give that a try and see how it does. Different settings will produce different effects, so experiment.

If your camera allows you to set the shutter speed and aperture, you can use a technique called bracketing to find the best exposure. Take one picture on auto, and pay attention to the settings it wants you to use. Then, using the aperture priority setting, take one photo with the aperture set one stop above your camera's suggestion and one photo with it set one stop below. Some cameras have an automatic bracketing setting, so read your manual!

Be patient

Capturing that one spectacular sunset moment takes patience. Bring a jacket and a mug of something warm to drink if it's chilly out, and make sure you have a flashlight if you're going to be walking back home or to your car in the dark. Then get comfy! Don't forget that beautiful sunset (and sunrise) views can happen both before the sun actually crosses the horizon and after, so don't give up!

And the best part of sunset photography? If you miss the one today, there will always be another opportunity tomorrow.


Did you know that there are actually 3 distinct phases to twilight, and they all have names and explicit definitions? Read on as we explain the differences and show you how to take beautiful pictures during this magical time of day. Hopefully, there will be no sparkly vampires in sight…

The term twilight refers to the period of time between darkness and the sun cresting the horizon in the morning and vice versa in the evening. Its 3 phases are called civil twilight, nautical twilight, and astronomical twilight; they are sometimes referred to as dawn or dusk (e.g., civil dawn, nautical dusk, etc.) to differentiate the two times of day. The technical definitions have to do with the range of actual geometric degrees by which the sun is below the horizon, but generally speaking, they can be thought of as brightest twilight, middle twilight, and darkest twilight.

In all cases, twilight is the time of day characterized by a gorgeous deep cobalt, indigo, or lavender sky, lovely clouds, and interesting silhouettes.

Twilight

 

Twilight is the time between dawn and sunrise or between sunset and dusk, during which sunlight scattering in the upper atmosphere illuminates the lower atmosphere, and the surface of the earth is neither completely lit nor completely dark. The sun itself is not directly visible because it is below the horizon. Owing to the distinctive quality of the ambient light at this time, twilight has long been popular with photographers and painters, who refer to it as the "blue hour", after the French expression l'heure bleue. Twilight is technically defined as the periods between sunset and sunrise during which there is natural light provided by the upper atmosphere, which receives direct sunlight and scatters part of it towards the earth's surface.

The collateral adjective for twilight is crepuscular; it is most frequently encountered when applied to certain insects, fishes and mammals that are most active during that time.

Definitions

Twilight is defined according to the solar elevation angle , which is the position of the geometric center of the sun relative to the horizon. There are three established and widely accepted subcategories of twilight: civil twilight (brightest), nautical twilight, and astronomical twilight (darkest).

Definition	Sun's centre relative to mathematical horizon[3]
Day	0° ≤
Sun's lower limb at horizon	= 0° 15'
Center of Sun's disk at horizon	= 0°
Sun's upper limb at horizon	= −0° 15'
Solar twilight	0° ≤ < 6°
Civil twilight	−6° ≤ < 0°
Nautical twilight	−12° ≤ < −6°
Astronomical twilight	−18° ≤ < −12°
Night	< −18°

(For these definitions, an ideal horizon 90° from the zenith is used.)

Civil twilight

 

Morning civil twilight begins when the geometric center of the sun is 6° below the horizon (civil dawn) and ends at sunrise. Evening civil twilight begins at sunset and ends when the geometric center of the sun reaches 6° below the horizon (civil dusk).

 

The brightest stars appear during the civil twilight, as well as planets, such as Venus, which is known as the "morning star" or "evening star". During this period there is enough light from the sun that artificial sources of light may not be needed to carry on outdoor activities. This concept is sometimes enshrined in laws, for example, when drivers of automobiles must turn on their headlights (called lighting-up time in the UK); when pilots may exercise the rights to fly aircraft; or if the crime of burglary is to be treated as nighttime burglary, which carries stiffer penalties in some jurisdictions. A fixed period (most commonly 30 minutes after sunset or before sunrise) is typically used in such statutes, rather than how many degrees the sun is below the horizon. Civil twilight can also be described as the limit at which twilight illumination is sufficient, under clear weather conditions, for terrestrial objects to be clearly distinguished; at the beginning of morning civil twilight, or end of evening civil twilight, the horizon is clearly defined and the brightest stars are visible under clear atmospheric conditions.

Nautical twilight

Nautical twilight is the time when the center of the sun is between 6° and 12° below the horizon. In general, nautical twilight ends when navigation via the horizon at sea is no longer possible.

During nautical twilight, sailors can take reliable star sightings of well-known stars, using a visible horizon for reference. The end of this period in the evening, or its beginning in the morning, is also the time at which traces of illumination near the sunset or sunrise point of the horizon are very difficult, if not impossible, to discern (this often being referred to as "first light" before civil dawn and "nightfall" after civil dusk). At the beginning of nautical twilight in the morning (nautical dawn), or at the end of nautical twilight in the evening (nautical dusk)—under good atmospheric conditions and in the absence of other illumination—general outlines of ground objects may be distinguishable, but detailed outdoor operations are not possible, and the horizon is indistinct.

Nautical twilight has military considerations as well. The initialisms BMNT (begin morning nautical twilight, i.e. nautical dawn) and EENT (end evening nautical twilight, i.e. nautical dusk) are used and considered when planning military operations. A military unit may treat BMNT and EENT with heightened security, e.g. by "standing to", in which everyone assumes a defensive position. This is partially due to tactics dating back to the French and Indian War (part of the Seven Years' War of 1756–1763), when combatants on both sides would launch attacks at nautical dawn or dusk.

Astronomical twilight

Astronomical twilight is the time when the center of the sun is between 12° and 18° below the horizon. From the end of astronomical twilight in the evening to the beginning of astronomical twilight in the morning, the sky (away from urban light pollution) is dark enough for all astronomical observations.

Most casual observers would consider the entire sky fully dark even when astronomical twilight is just beginning in the evening or just ending in the morning, and astronomers can easily make observations of point sources such as stars, but faint diffuse items such as nebulae and galaxies can be properly observed only beyond the limit of astronomical twilight. In some places, especially those with sky glow, astronomical twilight may be almost indistinguishable from night. Theoretically, the dimmest stars ever visible to the naked eye—those of the sixth magnitude—will become visible in the evening once the sun falls more than 18° below the horizon (i.e., at astronomical dusk) and become invisible when the sun moves to within 18° of the horizon in the morning (at astronomical dawn). However, because of light pollution, some localities—generally those in large cities—may never have the opportunity to view even fourth-magnitude stars, irrespective of the presence of any twilight at all.

Length

  

The length of twilight after sunset and before sunrise is heavily influenced by the latitude of the observer. In the Arctic and Antarctic regions, twilight (if there is any) can last for several hours. There is no civil twilight at the poles within a month on either side of the winter solstice. At the poles, civil twilight can be as long as two weeks, while at the equator, conditions can go from day to night in as little as twenty minutes. This is true because at low latitudes the sun's apparent movement is perpendicular to the observer's horizon. As one gets closer to the Arctic and Antarctic circles, the sun's disk moves toward the observer's horizon at a lower angle. The observer's earthly location will pass through the various twilight zones less directly, taking more time.

Within the polar circles, twenty-four hour daylight is encountered in summer, and in regions very close to the poles, twilight can last for weeks on the winter side of the equinoxes. Outside the polar circles, where the angular distance from the polar circle is less than the angle which defines twilight (see above), twilight can continue through local midnight near the summer solstice (June in the Northern Hemisphere, December in the Southern Hemisphere). The precise position of the polar circles—and thus of the regions where twilight can continue through local midnight—varies slightly from year to year with Earth's axial tilt. The lowest latitudes at which the various twilights can continue through local midnight are approximately 60.561° ( 60° 33’ 43” ) for civil twilight, 54.561° ( 54° 33’ 43” ) for nautical twilight and 48.561° ( 48° 33’ 43” ) for astronomical twilight.

These are the largest cities, of their respective countries, where the various twilights can continue through local solar midnight:

• Civil twilight from sunset to sunrise: Arkhangelsk, Tampere, Umeå, Trondheim, Mid Yell, Tórshavn, Reykjavik, Nuuk, Whitehorse, Anchorage and Baltasound.
• Nautical twilight from civil dusk to civil dawn: Petropavl, Moscow, Vicebsk, Vilnius, Riga, Tallinn, Wejherowo, Flensburg, Helsinki, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Oslo, Newcastle upon Tyne, Glasgow, Belfast, Letterkenny, Edmonton, Grande Prairie, Juneau, Ushuaia and Puerto Williams.
• Astronomical twilight from nautical dusk to nautical dawn: Hulun Buir, Erdenet, Astana, Samara, Kiev, Minsk, Warsaw, Košice, Northernmost points of Hungary, Zwettl, Prague, Berlin, Paris, Luxembourg City, Brussels, Amsterdam, London, Cardiff, Dublin, Winnipeg, Calgary, Vancouver, International Falls, Bellingham, Rio Gallegos and Punta Arenas.

Although Helsinki, Oslo, Stockholm, Tallinn and Saint Petersburg do not actually receive civil twilight from sunset to sunrise, they do have noticeably lighter skies at night (known as white nights) around the summer solstice.

On other planets

Twilight on Mars is longer than on Earth, lasting for up to two hours before sunrise or after sunset. Dust high in the atmosphere scatters light to the night side of the planet. Similar twilights are seen on Earth following major volcanic eruptions.

In Hinduism

Twilight is sacred in Hinduism. It is called गोधूळिवेळ in Marathi or गोधूलिवेला godhūlivelā in Hindi—literally "cow dust time". Many rituals including Sandhyavandanam and Puja are performed at twilight. Hindus believe that this time is ideal for study and education.

Tips for shooting at twilight

The 3 different phases of twilight each require their own set of techniques, but basic low-light photography tips apply to them all.

Use a tripod to steady your camera, so you can select a shutter speed without worrying about blur from camera shake. The more ambient light there is, the less important using a tripod will be, but it's always a good idea!
 
Use a low ISO to reduce digital noise, but be aware that it requires an even slower shutter speed. This is especially important with twilight photography because you will likely be shooting large swaths of deeply colored sky, where digital noise can be obvious.
 
Let your composition choose your aperture. A large, open aperture makes it easier to use a shorter shutter speed and low ISO, but it also gives you a much smaller depth of field. If you're photographing a cityscape or landscape where you want a larger depth of field, use a smaller aperture.
 
Turn autofocus off. Your camera will have a lot of trouble focusing in the dim light, so you're best off doing it manually.

Civil twilight

Civil twilight is the brightest phase of twilight, occurring between sunset and the moment the geometric center of the sun is exactly 6° below the horizon. During civil twilight, there is still plenty of light to see by, the horizon is clearly visible, and only the brightest stars and planets are visible. You can probably even get away with taking pictures without a tripod, if your ISO is high enough.

 
During civil twilight, the colors of the sky are changing most rapidly. At sunset, any clouds in the western sky are illuminated by a range of sunset colors, and the eastern sky is quickly deepening into blues and indigos. This is the time when there is the most contrast between sky, clouds, and ground. Generally speaking, civil twilight lasts for about 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the season and latitude.

 
Nautical twilight

Nautical twilight occurs when the center of the sun is between 6° and 12° below the horizon. It represents the last part of the day when navigation via the horizon and star sightings at sea is possible, before darkness falls to such an extent that the horizon is no longer visible. At this point, much of the sunset glow has faded, and the colors are a cool blue spectrum. With little light available, you will definitely need to use a tripod for shooting.

Artificial light becomes more important in your pictures during nautical twilight. Photographs of city skylines are particularly stunning at this time of day, as are shots of harbors, bays, and lakes, with the faraway lights of civilization reflected on the calm water. Don't hesitate, though — while nautical twilight generally lasts about 30 minutes, the lighting conditions change very quickly. You'll probably have the best luck taking multiple shots of the same scene, to see which light and color looks best.


 

Astronomical twilight

Astronomical twilight occurs when the sun is between 12° and 18° below the horizon. After astronomical twilight ends (or before it begins in the morning), it is considered full night — it's as dark as it's going to get! During astronomical twilight, there is still a small amount of indirect, ambient light from the sunset still discernable on the western horizon, but in most locations where there is sky glow from cities or other light pollution, this time may well be indistinguishable from full night.

It's difficult to get good photographs of scenes without artificial light during this phase, though cityscapes can be particularly beautiful. It's a great time to try photographing light trails or doing some light painting. Astronomical twilight's also a perfect opportunity to photograph campfires or the moon hovering low on the horizon.

Getting beautiful photographs of twilight takes commitment. You have to be willing to stick around after most people have already packed up and headed home. You must take the time to plan your shots, set up the tripod, and wait for that perfect moment when the colors are truly gorgeous. But with perseverance and a bit of luck, you will be well rewarded. 

thanks to

by Katherine Gray