Blue hour — the twenty minutes after sunset — is the easy win: the sky still holds colour and the lights are on. Full night is harder. Either way: DR100, widest aperture, -1 EV so it still looks like night, and expose for the lit areas, not the shadows.
A wide open 1/60 s min ISO to 6400 -1 EV DR100
The setup
| Control | Handheld | On a tripod |
|---|---|---|
| Mode | A, wide open | M |
| Shutter | 1/60 s floor, 15-23 mm for stability | 1 s to 30 s as needed |
| ISO | Auto to 6400, accept 12800 if the frame matters | 160 |
| Aperture | Widest available | f/8 |
| Compensation | -1 to -1.5 EV | Judge on the histogram |
| Dynamic range | 100% | 100% |
| Stabilisation | IS MODE on | IS MODE off |
| Extras | Brace against something | 2 s self-timer, LONG EXPOSURE NR on, mechanical shutter |
Why minus, not plus
The meter wants to render the average of a dark scene as middle grey, which turns night into a murky grey afternoon. Dialling -1 to -1.5 EV keeps the blacks black, protects the streetlights and neon from clipping, and — as a bonus — buys you shutter speed. Shoot for the lit parts of the frame and let the rest fall away.
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Blurred people, sharp buildings | Shutter too slow for walkers | 1/125 s floor, higher ISO; or wait for a still moment |
| Orange mush everywhere | Sodium street lighting | Lock about 3200 K, or convert to black and white in ACROS |
| Blown-out signs and windows | Exposing for the shadows | -1.5 EV and check the highlight alert |
| Noisy, smeared shadows | DR200 or DR400, or heavy noise reduction | DR100 and HIGH ISO NR at -1 |
| Camera will not focus | No contrast for AF | Aim at a lit edge, or use manual focus with peaking |
Shoot blue hour first
Arrive fifteen minutes before sunset, find your frame in daylight, and shoot it as the light drops. In that window the sky is a deep blue that no editing recreates, the lights are on, and you can still hold 1/60 s. Everything you learn there transfers to full night, where the light is only harder.