Late for blue hour, a photo from Hamburg, West

Photographer's Note

I have shared with you my secret on many occasions. If you want good light conditions for your blue hour photo, check the official sunset time and be there 30 minutes later. This is the moment in which, most of the time, the artificial light is in perfect balance with the lights of nature, which results in an extraordinary effect, which we call here the blue hour. There are many "buts" on top of that. If the weather is cloudy, the sky would be darker sooner and the blue hour will happen slightly earlier, and the sky may turn more purple than blue, which you can however adjust with the white balance setting. If the day is very bright with no clouds in the west at all, the blue hour may happen slightly later, and then also it will differ very much in which direction you shoot. Towards the sun the blue hour happens slightly later while in the east part of the sky the blue hour happens earlier. Also much depends on the intensity of the artificial light. If the illumination is very bright it is better to be there earlier, if there is low or no illumination the effect is better almost at the end of the blue hour time. The length of the blue hour time depends a lot on where you are. If you are south enough there is no blue hour, the higher north you get the longer it lasts but usually it lasts maximum about half an hour.
I discuss it on the occasion of this photo because unfortunately I was really late for this point of view here. Few moments before I took this photo from a slightly different POV:
https://www.trekearth.com/viewphotos.php?l=7&p=1402752
but when I moved to this famous POV on the bridge (Lombardsbruecke) I realized that the lamppost is extremely bright and everything else was too dark in comparison with it already. If I could be just 10 minutes earlier the effect would be stunning and most likely I would not have the strange effects in the sky.

53.556965, 9.997399

Fis2, jhm, jean113, ikeharel, PaulVDV, Royaldevon, COSTANTINO, ChrisJ has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Silvio1953 (220759) 2021-03-09 8:07

Ciao Mariusz, fascinating nocturne shoot, great exposure, excellent clarity, splendid light and wonderful colors, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

Fis2 (169877) 2021-03-09 9:01

Czesc Mariusz!
Super pocztowka z Hamburga!
Znakomity kadr i kompozycja.
Podobaja mi sie kolory i swiatlo.
Dobra robota.
Milego wieczoru.
Krzysztof

jhm (211734) 2021-03-09 9:25

Hello Mariusz,

Pleasant picture with nuance of colours
Nice sharp and clear photographed.
Composition and presentation are pleasant to look at.
Very well done, TFS.

Regards,
John.

ikeharel (112549) 2021-03-09 11:18

Outstanding night scenery, Mariusz, I must congratualte you for this one.
You are master of blue-hour and night shots (at least for me, astill I have lot's to learn about this technique which you have the know-how).
Wonderful view with the dark railing in front and the beautiful light across the waterway.
Cheers and good evening,
Ike

Tue (91692) 2021-03-09 11:29

Hello Mariusz,
A beautiful view of Hamburg, the two spires look beautiful, one illuminated, the other dark. Nicely placed next to each other in front of the dark sky. The lamppost is also perfectly exposed and I like the trails of the passing cars in the foreground also.
Lars

lousat (138695) 2021-03-09 12:58

Hi Mariusz,the brightness and the quality of your night pics is another time very very impressive! Lovely view in this long exposure,with the lines of cars passing by,very well done from Hamburg night! Have a nice evening and thanks,Luciano

PaulVDV (62810) 2021-03-09 14:22

Hello Mariusz,
With great interest I read your note on the 'blue hour'.
Do you know why in some parts of the world it is very rare to see a blue hour? I remember when I was in Kerala, South India, I hardly ever saw the blue hour. In that part of the world the sun was setting quite early, that is at a time everyone was still outside and I certainly couldn't have missed it.
In my experience, this had nothing to do with artificial lighting but I never found the exact reason.
Wonderful photo of a part of Hamburg's skyline with the well illuminated tower next to the dark tower.
I like the inclusion of the lamppost on this bank of the river. Also the alternation of the dark contours of the balustrade with the light from the opposite side in between.
Best regards, Paul

Royaldevon (85678) 2021-03-09 15:06

Hello Mariusz,

This is a splendid, night shot!
The exposure is excellent, for me, though you seem dissatisfied!
The lamppost, in the f/g is bright but acts like a wonderful beacon and makes a very good diagonal link with the towers across the river.
Considering you had no tripod, this is superb!

My warm regards,
Bev 😊

ifege (47103) 2021-03-09 21:51

Hi Mariusz
Another good blue hour photo from Hamburg to make me continuing to be jealous after last years cancelled travels.
cheers
Ian

COSTANTINO (115645) 2021-03-09 22:07

Hello dear friend and have a nice day
and a happy evening
lovely reflections and lamps
shining perfectly into the darkness...
I like these buildings with interesting
architectural details
regards
cOSTANTINO

jemaflor (146412) 2021-03-09 23:13

Hi Mariusz,
Almost a black hour shot ... nice effect with illuminations and the red lines in the bottom, interesting architecture, well made, tfs.

ChrisJ (171366) 2021-03-10 0:19

Czesc Mariusz!

Punchy light contrasts with good graphism and fg silhouettes of the balustrade and railing of the bridge. The twin towers on the horizon add symmetry. Tfs!

pajaran (115047) 2021-03-10 4:56

Pozdrav.
lep pogled u noci, dobar tekst ...
lepa ograda, lampe i arhitektura u pozadini, dobro pokazano sa lepim bojama i kontrastom.
Lepa deo grada u noci i fotografija.
Lepo secanje.
Zelim vam lepo popodne, sve najbolje.
Paja.

jean113 (27661) 2021-03-10 8:45

Hello Mariusz, late for blue hour? I don't think so!
A lovely composition, well balanced with the towers and the lamp-post, using the rule of thirds.
I like the pattern created by the small pillars of the bridge silhouetted against the bright lights of night-time.
Interesting notes.
Kind regards, Jean.

jmdias (114384) 2021-03-18 9:24

mariusz

you are for sure one of the best photographers in the site. amazing the beauty of this image showing so well the architectonic elements and using the lights and the blue sky. congratulations!!
I will present my blue hour images some weeks ahead, but here it is faster than the ones you showed.
take care

jorge