Best Camera Settings for Twilight Photography
Whether you’re a beginner real estate photographer looking to improve your skills or a veteran seeking to refine your twilight techniques, understanding camera settings is the key to great twilight photography.
In this article, I’ll discuss twilight photography and explore the best camera settings that will help you capture quality twilight photos.
Table of Contents
What Is Twilight Photography?
Twilight photography happens during the transitional period surrounding dusk when the sun is just below the horizon.
Twilight images showcase properties in a unique and captivating light, where the soft, diffused glow of the sky contrasts beautifully with the artificial lighting coming out of the homes windows and from any landscape lighting.
These photos often feature an illuminated property against the backdrop of vibrant colors in the sky, creating a visually stunning image that captures the attention of potential buyers and piques their interest.
Chances are you’ve seen twilight photography before. They’re easily recognizable and very good at drawing the viewers interest.
Are Settings The Most Important Factor In Twilight Photography?
Camera settings are extremely important factors when capturing twilight photos. However, timing is probably the most important factor.
The ideal time for twilight photography will be the few minutes surrounding sunset. Depending on how you want your images to look, it can be anytime from about 15 minutes before sunset to about 15 minutes after sunset.
As long as you’re on location and have everything set properly during that time period, then settings certainly become the most important factor by a long shot.
If you’re wondering if you have a camera that’s capable of capturing twilight photos, then check out our article on featuring The Best Cameras for Real Estate Photography.
All of the cameras on that list will be excellent for twilight photography. Additionally, you can give our article Camera Gear Needed for Twilight Photography a read to see if you have all the necessary equipment.
The Best Settings For Twilight Photography
The most important camera setting that you’ll need to have an understanding of is Manual mode. You’re going to need to shoot manual if you plan to capture beautiful twilight photos.
Since you’ll be shooting manual, you’ll be in control of shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. Knowing these 3 settings is essential to twilight photography, and honestly, photography in general.
ISO
For your ISO, you’re going to want to keep it very low. Since twilight photos are a very low light situation, it’s easy for the photo to be quite noisy. Shooting at a low ISO will help that issue.
ISO 100, or even lower, is perfectly acceptable.
Aperture
What you set your aperture to is a bit of a personal choice since it will change the feel of the photos. I start off shooting at F8 and vary that setting depending on the lighting situation and my desired outcome.
F8 is a great aperture to start with for any beginner.
Shutter Speed
Now, shutter speed is going to change constantly. It will be completely different from job-to-job. The angle of the sun, weather, type of architecture, and so much more play into the amount of available light.
The amount of available light will determine what your shutter speed should be. Use your LCD monitor and change the shutter speed until you get it to a place where you think it’s a nice balance between ambient light and the light coming from the house.
As it gets darker, you’ll need to keep the shutter open a bit longer to let in enough light. Finding the right balance is key.
In my opinion, the ideal balance between ambient light and artificial light coming from the house is displayed in the photo below.
Additional Resources
If you’re just getting started in real estate photography, check out our Beginners Guide. It’s full of helpful articles and tips that will guide you in the right direction as you begin your real estate photography journey.
You can check out our Gear section as well to see reviews and recommendations on the latest real estate photography gear.
If you’re more interested in other resources that can help your real estate photography business, check out our Business Resources page.
