Nighttime landscape photography Donnington Castle
In January 2016 I photographed Donnington Castle at night, along with the Kennet and Avon Canal, for this nighttime landscape photography set. I used a Sigma Art 24mm f1.4 on a Nikon D810.
Donnington Castle sits near Newbury in Berkshire. Wash Common lights appear in the distance. JawPhotography is now based in St Austell, Cornwall. These frames record an earlier Berkshire chapter.
Fast glass at night
Many of my night landscapes use long exposures at low ISO. That can blur tree tops, foliage and clouds. Sometimes that motion looks lovely. However, a fast f1.4 lens stopped to about f2 stays sharp. Faster shutters also freeze more of the scene.
Wide apertures also add soft bokeh. Even on a 24mm, distant lights can melt. The castle frame below was shot at f1.4 from roughly forty feet away. Cloud detail remained. Distant street lights softened into circles.
Getting there before dark
I cycled to the castle on my mountain bike and only just arrived before nightfall. An earlier angle could not fit the whole ruin on 24mm. So I stepped further back. That wider view showed the castle against the Berkshire night sky.
Canal test and flash fill
The Kennet and Avon frame was my first test of the 24mm f1.4. I wanted to see how it behaved wide open. The results pleased me. A flash into the grass lifted shadow detail that would otherwise have vanished.
Wider apertures gather more light. Therefore I could keep flash power around one-quarter and still shape the foreground at ISO 64.
People in the landscape
I have also brought models into landscape frames. That adds meaning, and it adds technical care. A 20mm f1.4 Sigma Art opened further creative options after this shoot.
For current Cornwall property and twilight work, visit our property photography page.
