Night photography: discover how to capture breathtaking scenes

The fiery clouds of a sunset sky, the pale glow of a winter dawn or the artificial lights of a city are fascinating, highly appealing subjects for any photography enthusiast. The best light, in fact, is found in the early hours of the day or at dusk, when the sun strikes the earth's surface at an angle that creates long, soft shadows.

In this new Pixtury guide, we'll look at the features and the best conditions for taking captivating, alluring night photographs. We'll show you plenty of images from our gallery that you can turn into stunning modern pictures to decorate your walls with taste.

How to take photos at night: technical tips

In night photography, you need to make the most of the little light available, using long exposures and a wide aperture. When setting the exposure, be careful not to be fooled if there's a strong light within the composition: it could throw off the light meter reading.

We recommend always using a tripod to keep the camera from moving when shooting in bulb mode, and using the self-timer for exposures longer than one second.

Below are a few street photos taken in low-light conditions.

Night photography: urban subjects

Cityscapes offer captivating scenes that are always ready for their close-up once the sun goes down. At dusk, the city lights begin to come on, creating atmospheres that fascinate the photographer's eye. A subject that has been photographed a great deal in recent decades is the big-city skyline: an image that takes in a sweeping panorama of the city with its lights, its buildings and its skyscrapers.

Here are a few examples of skylines you can find among the city photos in the Pixtury collection, ideal for creating Rome pictures and posters, Milan pictures and posters, Turin pictures and posters and Naples pictures and posters.

Another very interesting night-photography subject is the light trails left by vehicles crossing the city: with the right exposure, you can capture the headlights of moving cars, creating striking multicoloured beams of light running through the city streets.

In our collection you'll find beautiful photographs of this kind, like the ones we show you below.

Night photography: natural subjects

The natural landscapes we see every day take on a different, ever-new charm at night. A sunset sky can make an excellent backdrop for a silhouette: by setting the exposure for the sky, everything in the foreground will be backlit and, unless you use a flash, you'll capture only its silhouette without any of the detail.

"Star trails" are another experiment to try: with a very long exposure you can photograph the trails of the stars. Point your lens at the sky somewhere far from built-up areas, ideally on a moonless night, and you'll be able to photograph the stars' path across the sky. The exposure can last from 15 minutes for a partial trail to many hours for a complete rotation.

Here are a few examples of natural night-time subjects you'll find in our gallery.

In our collection of modern canvases, you'll find a great many night photographs like the ones we've shown you.