Brisbane Night Cityscapes: Blue Hour and Light Trails

Brisbane's skyline comes alive at blue hour and after dark, and this two-hour class shows you how to capture it. You'll learn to set up on a tripod, nail focus in the dark and shoot clean, sharp long exposures and light trails across the river. Any level is welcome, as long as your camera has manual settings.

What you'll experience

• Tripod technique for the dark. Timer or remote release, and the settings to switch off when you're locked down.
• Focus and exposure at blue hour. Manual focus on city lights, and settings that hold detail in the sky and the buildings.
• Long exposures and light trails. Shutter speeds for traffic, ferries and the river, and timing the shot.
• Colour and bright lights. White balance for city light, starbursts, and bracketing for high-contrast scenes.

No tripod? One can be supplied free for the session. Sony Alpha bodies and lenses can also be borrowed, subject to availability, with at least 7 days' notice.

Run sheet

1. 0:00 to 0:20: Set up for the dark: tripod technique and remote release
2. 0:20 to 0:45: Focus and exposure at blue hour
3. 0:45 to 1:15: Long exposures and light trails across the river
4. 1:15 to 1:45: White balance, starbursts and bracketing
5. 1:45 to 2:00: Review your frames together and plan your next night shoot

The run sheet is a general guide. Timings shift a little with the group, the light and the location.

Your host

Craig Turnbull is a Brisbane commercial, event and travel photographer who has been teaching workshops since 2017 and became a Sony Digital Imaging Advocate in 2018. His classes are practical: you spend the time out with your camera, not looking at slides. See his work.

"Craig is a very calm and relaxed tutor. Always willing to assist and took an interest in our doing well. Highly recommended." (Daniel H., past participant)

If rain or storms make the session unsafe, we'll reschedule and let all registered attendees know by email.

• Camera and lens selection
• Planning
• Night photography camera settings and techniques
• Composition

• Your camera (any brand with manual settings) 
• A tripod, which is essential 
• A charged battery and a spare 
• A remote release, if you have one 
•  A warm layer