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.
Related Posts:
