Twilight

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This article was written as original content for my blog.

This is not an article about vampires, werewolves, or young thespians who are challenged to breaking out into a smile. Its about taking photographs specifically at dawn and dusk.

Contrary to popular belief, there are two periods of twilight in every 24 hour period - one at sunrise, and the other at sunset. There are a couple of key differences between the two.

The morning twilight



The morning twilight starts about 30 minutes before sunrise, and last till about 30 minutes after. This period brings out the pinks, the aquas and the cyans into your subjects. It is a period when light is going to increase, and hence, is a good time to mix a portrait shoot along with a landscape/cityscape shoot. The key aspect about a dawn shoot it that the wind is typically at its quietest, after a period where the land has had time to cool and release the heat that it has absorbed during the course of the day while basking in the sunlight.

Typically, in the early morning, because of generally calm wind conditions, the atmosphere is at its clearest (with very little dust thrown up in the air). This is especially true if there has been an overnight shower to wash away any suspended dust or smog.

The evening twilight



The evening twilight starts about 30 minutes before sunset, and last till about 30 minutes after. This period brings out the oranges, the magentas and the reds into the environment. Light will gradually decrease – this makes for really good conditions to shoot long-exposure shots involving water, illuminated objects, traffic, and cityscapes. Especially around the coastal areas, the wind is likely to begin picking up. which adds an element of a challenge for keeping your camera still for long exposure shots (even with a good tripod).

Read the full article with tips on what to shoot, and recommended settings for your camera.