How to photograph a highly illuminated image of varying intensity

[ethan]

....without blowing the highlights. I found myself struggling to photograph Eilean Dunan castle late at night due to the fact the main body of the castle was highly illuminated and the accompanying walkway was hardly lit at all and remained undetected by the camera under an exposure set at 30 seconds. I found it if went above 30 seconds it would blow the detail on the main body of the castle. Should I have used a ND filter? I found that whilst I was able to do the castle, I wasnt able to include the walkway because it wasnt as brightly lit.

 

[ethan]

Thanks for the suggestions. Some interesting ideas for future reference.

 

[ethan]

Many thanks. It was the small, arched walkway juxtaposed to the large lit castle that gave me the most difficulty. Beautifully captured.