Shooting in twilight

[Ron (Netherlands)]

Just got the M8.2 from Eoin and had a first try with the Biogon 25mm and the Summicron 50. I wasn't able to avoid all the reflections from the small window I was standing behind (and still have to straighten the pics vertically). The pics were shot in The Hague near central station.

Pic 1 below left is the National Library;
Pic 2 the building at the left is called "het Strijkijzer", and won the Emporis Skyscraperaward of 2007 http://awards.emporis.com/;
Pic 3 is central station;
In pic 4 between the cranes, you may see the international peace palace - the building at the left is the Dutch ministry of foreign affairs.

 

[Lars]

I think the sky is really important in twilight images - it sets the mood, like in your third image. For that reason it's important not to blow the highlight like you have done in the other images. On images like these it's really important to expose for the highlights, keep an eye on that histogram and bring up shadow detail in post-processing.

Did you use daylight WB? I find that to work best for twilight, and it looks like that is what you used.

It's tempting to shoot into the sunset to get the pretty colors in the sky. However the magic light appears when you have the subject side-lit. Also, with a clear sky keep shooting even when it seems too dark, the light keeps getting better until it is gone.

For the best light, try mornings instead. Different light, different clouds, less traffic. Be on location when it's still pitch dark, and bring a chair, a sweater, and lots of patience.

 

[Ron (Netherlands)]

Thank you Lars for the comments. I always shoot in RAW (for Leica i.e. in DNG), but these pictures were ultimately set in daylight WB. Problem was that the really beautiful twilight was there only for a few minutes, before that it was too light (like in the other images) and after that it became to dark. Further I tried to get pictures in which the buildings didn't get too dark, but indeed it is quite difficult to get the right balance.
I'll keep practising, and for sure will take your advice to take the camera out on an early morning!