Twilight is one of my favorite times for photography. I love the gentle and colorful light that falls across the landscape during this time of day. The photo above, of Mount Rainier reflecting into a small lake, shows the kind of light that most nature photographers think of when they think about photographing twilight: darker and very blue. Twilight is much more than just this single type of light, and this article explores some of the other opportunities for photography during this time of day.
What is twilight?
There are three phases of twilight and they all refer to how far the sun is below the horizon:
Astronomical Twilight: The sun is between 12 and 18 degrees below the horizon.
Nautical Twilight: The sun is between 6 and 12 degrees below the horizon.
Civil Twilight: The sun is between 0 and 6 degrees below the horizon.
For nature and landscape photography (not including night photography), the light from around the end of nautical twilight through civil twilight at sunrise and the light through civil twilight until the beginning of nautical twilight at sunset is the period that I consider “twilight” and, during this period, I am interested in photographing the full progression of light as it evolves.
I took the photo above well before sunrise, right as the first light of the day started to illuminate the landscape, and as nautical twilight faded into civil twilight. As I already mentioned, the scene is very blue in terms of the color. This is why nature photographers often refer to twilight as “the blue hour.” (Despite this term, the “blue hour” does not actually last an hour at most lower and middle latitudes. Instead, it is usually the “blue five-to-ten minutes” and then transitions to what I would consider night photography, with much longer exposures and more technical complexity.) The conditions shown in the photo above typify the type of light we can expect during the period of time known as the blue hour.
My orientation to the landscape also mattered. In terms of direction, this scene is front lit, which means the sun was rising behind me as I faced toward the mountain. With this orientation, the light falling upon the scene is low contrast. This lower contrast means that the scene does not have much visual texture, except for the tonal contrast between the bright snowfields on the mountain and darker subjects across the rest of the scene. This orientation, facing my subject with the sun rising (or setting) behind me, is my preference when I am out photographing around twilight because I prefer this softer, flatter light, although I do try to adapt to the conditions and might face the other direction as opportunities arise.
A very different landscape, during a different phase of twilight. This is the processed version of the RAW file shown below.
BEYOND THE BLUE HOUR
The most important lesson when considering twilight as a time for photography is that twilight is not a single moment or a single type of light, like the blue hour light I discussed above. Instead, it is a progression of light and the full progression brings varied opportunities for photography. Switching to an example from Death Valley, I was set up for photography around 40 minutes before the sunrise time for this location, again with the sun rising behind me. The first RAW file in the sequence below is one of the first exposures I created that morning (adjusted only to even out the exposure across the four files). The second RAW file in the sequence shows what the scene looked like 24 minutes later.
In this second RAW file, the light is still on the cool side but comparatively warmer overall. If you compare the light in the first two files, there is a bit more texture in the second photo. As the sun neared the horizon, more light fell upon the landscape, bringing a subtle mix of light and shadow, and thus more contrast, into the scene. This second photo also shows the light that I call “the glow about the land.” This is the period during civil twilight, especially on clear days, when a soft, warm glow washes over the landscape. Although you can see this beautiful, soft glowy phase in many places, it is especially evident in sparse desert landscapes like this one. After the glowy phase, the landscape transitions to more neutral colors, except for the band of very warm light on the mountains in the final RAW file.
RAW files from the sunrise above. You can see the progression from bluer light to a warmer glow to more neutral light on the landscape as the first direct light hits the tallest mountains.
PHOTOGRAPH THE FULL PROGRESSION OF LIGHT
Both the Mount Rainier and Death Valley examples show periods of light that often last for only a few minutes (extreme latitudes are a special situation and are beyond the scope of this article; I cover this topic in the Light Collection video tutorial). Because these phases of light happen quickly and because the light is so strikingly different in terms of the visual qualities, I recommend photographing through the full progression of twilight before sunrise or after sunset, whenever you are outside.
The following list moves through the progression of twilight light at sunrise that you can expect on a typical day of landscape photography at middle latitudes (again, extreme latitudes are different). These effects are strongest on clear days, as any clouds along the horizon or in the sky can affect how light from the sun interacts with the landscape. Also, this progression assumes that the sun is rising (or setting) behind you. Many of these effects only happen in the direction opposite the sun. You can reverse this progression for sunset. The important lesson: there is beautiful light for landscape and nature photography across this full progression.
The Last Stars Fade: This is when I want to be outside and set up for photography.
The Blue Hour: Still pretty dark outside, strong blue light dominates.
Glow About the Land: When a warm, pink glowy light washes over the landscape for just a few moments.
Earth Shadow and Belt of Venus: During this transition, the landscape looks more neutral in terms of color but two bands of color can fill the sky above the horizon: the blue Earth Shadow and the pink Belt of Venus. The topography of your scene will determine whether or not you can see this effect, as it is often more visible in more open landscapes.
Alpenglow: The first light of the day hits the highest points of the landscape with a deep red light.
First Direct Light: At sunrise, twilight ends and the first light of the day starts directly illuminating the landscape.
You can reverse this progression for sunset.
Moments across this full progression can work well for both grander landscapes and smaller scenes, and since the light is so varied as twilight evolves, I can often end a photo session with multiple photos I’d consider processing. Unless you are using film, I do not see any reason to try to photograph just the “best” moment of light. Instead, I think it is best to photograph through this full progression so I can review and compare the evolving light later.
COMPARE THE LIGHT
Above, I share two grids of photos to show how different the light can be at two different phases of twilight. The individual scenes are not as important as the consistent visual themes of the light you will see in each collection, including differences in color, contrast, texture, and depth. The first grid of photos shows the light that we often think of as the “blue hour.” I created all of these photos well before sunrise and well after sunset. The second grid of photos shows the light that I call the “glow about the land” phase. I created all of these photos in between the blue hour and sunrise or sunset. In observing photographers, many often miss the glowy phase because they either arrive too late (sunrise) or leave too early (sunset), or they miss it because they are not paying attention to the subtle light on the landscape as they wait for something else to happen, like moment when the clouds are most colorful or when the blue hour sets in.
If you are not doing so already, I’d encourage you to arrive very early and stay very late, photograph through the full progression of light during each outing, and pay more attention to the nuances of the light falling onto the landscape. For example, if you have never noticed this more glowy phase of light or the Belt of Venus + Earth Shadow bands of color, look for them next time you are photographing on a clear day. If you have never worked with the bluer light of twilight, give it a try by being in position as the first stars fade at sunrise or start to appear at sunset. Doing these things will expand your opportunities for photography, add visual diversity to your portfolio, and offer you the chance to experience one of the best parts of the day when solitude and quiet light come together to offer an especially enjoyable and visually stimulating time to be outside.
If you would like to learn more, I recently created a detailed, hour-long video tutorial on photographing at twilight as part of Learn Nature Photography’s Light Collection. This course is available only through June 10.
Sarah Marino is a full-time photographer, nature enthusiast, and writer based in southwestern Colorado. In addition to photographing grand landscapes, Sarah is best known for her photographs of smaller subjects including intimate landscapes, abstract renditions of natural subjects, and creative portraits of plants and trees. Sarah is the author or co-author of a diverse range of educational resources for nature photographers on subjects including composition and visual design, photographing nature’s small scenes, black and white photography, Death Valley National Park, and Yellowstone National Park. Sarah, a co-founder of the Nature First Alliance for Responsible Nature Photography, also seeks to promote the responsible stewardship of natural and wild places through her photography and teaching.