On January 16, 2024, on my way back home, I spotted these trees in a local park.

I decided to set up a night shot with my Leica DG lens, which generates beautiful star effects when using small apertures. Here is another example.

So after supper, I attached my lens, headed back to the local park, and installed my tripod, camera, cable release and flash.

I prepared for a long exposure on my micro 4/3 camera, I use the Live Time feature. I set the ISO to 1600 and the aperture to F/22. When I pressed the shutter, the flash lit the foreground, and the sensor continued recording the image. During the exposure, the camera live screen shows the developing image and the histogram progress. When the histogram reached the right (ETTR), I clicked again to stop exposing the image. In this case, it took 9 seconds. This mirrorless feature is a real gem for these types of images.

Once home, I loved the results. I was impressed to see the moon, the lights and the falling snowflakes caught by the flash.

Using high ISO in a small sensor is not a limitation, as Lightroom AI has excellent noise reduction.

During winter, city landscapes offer great opportunities to seize magical and fairytale moments.

This park is only a 6-minute drive from home, so I must go back.