TUTORIAL: Taking pictures of Christmas Lights

[Asylum Support]

Photo tutorial: Taking pictures of Christmas Lights
This time of year you see Christmas lights almost everywhere you go. Whether their inside on the tree or outside adorning the side of your
favorite store or building, Christmas lights can be an attractive
target for photographers, but also pretty difficult to capture if you
don’t know what you’re doing. Here are some tips on capturing those
sparkling lights this holiday season:

GO MANUAL
No matter how much you want it to, shooting pictures of Christmas lights using the automatic controls on your camera just isn’t going to
work out.

PULL OUT THE TRIPOD
To capture lights the best you’re going to have to slow down the shutter speed on your camera, which means any kind of movement on your
part (and no matter how steady you think your hands are there will be
movement) is going to make your photos look blurry and out of focus.
Putting your camera on a tripod (or any other solid surface if you
don’t have one on hand) will prevent camera shake and give you a better
chance of getting that perfect shot.

SET YOUR WHITE BALANCE
A white balance for tungsten lighting typically works the best for taking pictures of lights in the twilight or dark.

SET YOUR APERTURE
A wide aperture is typically a good fit for Christmas light photos. Try something in the range of f/4 and f/6.7.

SLOW DOWN YOUR SHUTTER SPEED
This is where you’re definitely going to need that tripod. You’ll want to slow down the shutter speed on your camera in order to catch the
twinkling of the lights. Try something between ¼ a second and 2 seconds
per shot to get the look you’re going for.

GIVE THE FLASH A TRY
While your first instinct is probably to turn your flash off, try taking a few shots (particularly of buildings) with your flash on as
well. The flash will allow you to see a bit of the actual structure,
and can sometimes add a pretty neat effect to your pictures.

Taken From: http://photo.blorge.com

www.google.com/search%3Fq%3DHow+to+shoot+good+christmas+photos+tuto..." alt="StatCounter - Free Web Tracker and Counter"/>

[Luna Moon]

ooooooo great tips

[Luna Moon]

how do you slow down your shutter speed....I have a kodak schneider-kreuznach.its also an esay share, its maga pixels 7.1. optical zoom is 10x. If anyone knows how let me know how....I have not had it for a long time so i am learning and I lost the book.

[Dazaria]

Sometimes when you use the flash to take pictures of christmas lights you lose the warmth and the glow of the lights, try using a diffuser on the flash...if you dont have one use a piece of toilet paper and a rubber band to secure it. It sounds silly, but its a really inexpensive way to get a softer flash.

[Mistress Rae]

I LOVE cool tips like that. I'll definitely remember that one. (^_^)

[+Stitch Asylum+]

Awesome addition here. I know that there are too many blurry and underexposed christmas light photos. Taking photos directly of a light is tricky. I hope that this tutorial helps and inspires others!

[Kayla Osiecki]

Thanks for the tips.

[Mistress Rae]

Sounds like fun! I think I'll give this a shot. (^_^)

[HiTsuGi]

Great```

[Zac Hary]

*pulls out pen & paper*

Great tips! Thanks.

[Candee Bell]

I will also add, that if the image is really dark you might want to bring a flashlight so you can shine the light on your subject, focus your camera, then have at it. If you are doing a long exposure you can also buy a remote for your camera so you don't even have to touch it while it is on the tripod.
Happy shooting!
-Candee