Keep calm and feel the blue hour

With winter just around the corner, we lose a bit of daylight time each day. In true Cruijffiaans: every disadvantage has advantages too. This change in daylight hours makes it easier to go out and shoot in the blue hour. 

The blue hour is the period just before sunrise and just after sunset. It's that time when the sky moves from dark to blue in the morning and from blue to dark in the evening.

• Nighttime (below -18°)
• Morning twilights (from -18° to 0°)
  • Astronomical Twilight (from -18° to -12°)
  • Nautical Twilight (from -12° to -6°)
  • Civil twilight (from -6° to 0°)
• Morning magic hours
  • Blue hour (from -6° to -4°)
  • Golden hour (from -4° to 6°)
• Daytime (above 6°)
• Evening magic hours
  • Golden hour (from 6° to -4°)
  • Blue hour (from -4° to -6°)
• Evening twilights (from 0° to -18°)
  • Civil twilight (from 0° to -6°)
  • Nautical Twilight  (from -6° to -12°)
  • Astronomical Twilight  (from -12° to -18°)
• Nighttime (below -18°)

Sunrise:
If you want to shoot the blue hour in the morning you gotta be on your desired location 45 minutes before sunrise. That'll leave you with sufficient time to set up your gear, because the blue hour starts approximately 30 minutes before sunset.

Sunset:
Stay put, even when the sun has just disappeared under the horizon. Blue hour during the sunset starts roughly 10 - 15 minutes after sunset.

This is an app I frequently use for checking the blue hour on my location. 

The blue hour is actually not really an hour. It's the period of approximately 30 - 40 minutes before sunrise and after sunset, depending on your geographical location and the season.

Here's some tips for shooting in the blue hour. Cityscapes, landscapes and beaches are great to shoot during the blue hour. Because these look really awesome if you use long exposure and you're not too close to a light source. Granted, that's just my 2 cents, but give it a go and see how you like it. 

To shoot the blue light, it's imperative you have a sturdy tripod preferably in combination with a remote control. Alternatively you can set your camera on the 2 seconds timer to avoid camera shake. Bear in mind that it'll probably be a bit dark when setting up your gear and setting your settings. I always make sure to bring a torch or a headlight, just for setting up. 

Here's some starting points for your settings: 

1. ISO: 100 - 200
2. Aperture: f8 - f22. Shooting with a small aperture (f16)  gives the starburst effects on the street lights
3. The exposure depends on the available light on your location
4. Last but certainly not least: shoot RAW. It gives you so much more control over the end result.

Here's a picture from the Hurtigbåtterminal in Trondheim. Just 10 minutes after the sunset.

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