How to shoot gorgeous lights at Christmas
It doesn’t matter if you live in the city center to enjoy beautiful lights for Christmas. Every town seems to have at least one family which puts forth the effort every year to put on some lights for the outside.
Photographic subjects are fantastic If you play the cards correctly, you could capture a few shots which can then be used to create Christmas cards to be used the coming year. Let’s look at how you can get it done. Let’s first consider the equipment will be required…
What equipment will you require?
Cameras that allow users to shoot by hand
Tripod
Cable for shutter release
As you’ll taking pictures with longer durations, it’s best to choose a camera that allows you to manually control the process of exposure. However, this doesn’t mean it’s necessary to use inter-changeable lenses. Many compact cameras and smartphones have full manual controls.
It may seem as if something that should be obvious But how often have you attempted to capture a photo front of the tree with no having one. Place your camera up on an upright tripod to ensure maximum stability. If you are able utilize shutter release cables to keep the camera from touching and shaking it during exposure.
A guide for beginners on how to take pictures of Christmas lighting
Mount your camera on a tripod
It is recommended to attach an extension cable for shutter release. If you do not have one, you can set the self-timer by selecting drive mode.
Make sure that your camera’s metering setting is set to center-weighted. This will result in the highest quality results when you shoot high-intensity lights against an dark background
Make sure to keep your ISO at a minimum. Ideally, ISO 200, but try not to exceed 400, or you’ll be prone to the risk of noise-making in this low lighting.
No matter if you’re outside or indoors shooting with artificial lighting at night in dim light conditions will cause issues when it comes to color balance. The camera’s Auto White Balance option will usually do the job however, if that it’s inaccurate, bring a sheet of white paper and adjust your white balance according to the lighting conditions that you intend to be shooting within.
Make sure your camera is set to the Aperture Priority mode using the menu of exposure modes.
How much are you looking to focus? Most likely, you’ll require enough depth for all houses and lights sharp However, it is possible to have the background to be less focused in order to make them be more prominent. If so, begin by using an aperture of f/5.6 and observe the results. Cameras calculate shutter speed in accordance with the above.
Make a sample shot, then examine the photo. Adjust the either the focus or exposure if needed.
It’s a great option in dim lighting conditions such as this – especially when outside and the lights are dimming setting the camera’s exposure bracketing function to capture three images using different exposure settings.
If you’re indoors take a look at what diy lighting options you could put up in your space to soften shadows and give more dramatic results.
How do you photograph Christmas lights?
The ideal time to capture Christmas lights is in the short moment after the sun goes down and the sky turns a deep blue, not the dark, black. Photographing this period of time can lift the photo a bit and can make the sky look more appealing and permitting some more details to be observed.
In essence, you need enough light to remain in the sky that it can illuminate the background as well as provide background. Also, this small piece of illumination can aid in adjusting to improve your exposure. When the background is slightly lifted the background will be able to have an exposure that is more in line with the lights of Christmas as opposed to a pitch darkness.
How do you photograph Christmas lights in the dark
For best results, it is recommended to mount your camera on a tripod. You should also use the lowest sensitivity setting however, with the contemporary digital camera you could generally bump up the level of sensitivity (ISO) in order to select a shutter sufficient to permit users to hold the camera with their hands. You can try ISO 1600 as a starting base and then adjust it as needed.
An aperture that is wide can allow users to keep the sensitive (ISO) lower, however be aware that it can limit the depth of field, which is why you must focus on the subject with care.
How do you take pictures of Christmas lights using the use of bokeh
Christmas lights look beautiful in the background of photographs taken with a large aperture, because bokeh implies that they appear as light-colored soft orbs. It is especially effective in photography.
The ability to throw light far enough off-focus is a matter of a wide aperture, close-focusing as well as a telephoto lens, or an amalgamation of all three. Choose a subject that is appealing then get close to it, concentrate with care. Use the wide aperture, and glance over the background to make sure whether you have a pleasing lighting arrangement.
Use flash for photography of Christmas lights
Though you don’t need to make use of flash for capturing Christmas lights for the primary focus, it’s helpful when taking an image using Christmas lights as the background.
The flash’s intensity decreases rapidly the farther away your subject is from it The light can just illuminate the subject to the left of your subject.
What is the best white balance to photograph Christmas light fixtures?
The white balance settings for daylight will reveal the colors of Christmas lights. However, it’s worth trying the automated white balance option if you have strong colorcast. If you decide to use the automatic white balance setting take raw images to provide you with more information for the time of processing.
