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Christmas Lights


Guest Debbie F.

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Guest Debbie F.

I have a Canon Sureshot, and have been messing around taking pictures of my lit Christmas tree. I use to Auto mode since I have no idea how to use the other. I could use some quick tips on how to end up with good pictures. I've tried with and without the flash. I am trying to get a picture of how I see it in low light. If I have the flash off, it looks dark, at least on the camera. If I use the flash, then it looks like I have all the lights on. Maybe once I download to the computer, they will look better, but I sure could use some tips on taking better Christmas light pictures.

 

Thanks,

 

Debbie F.

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Debbie, first you will want to pull out your tripod if you have one and use it. That is important because you don't want camera shake to make your photo blurry.

 

So set that up and set up your shot how you want it. If your digital camera has a shutter priority mode, you will want to use that, and set it to a long exposure, something like 1/2 or even 1 second. Then turn off the lights and just have the tree lit. Click your shutter release and stand back. The long exposure will help to get as much light from those tree lights as possible. You may even want to have a small lamp turned on, but not right next to the tree, a little farther back.

 

That's what I would try. :) You won't be able to use this type of long exposure if you want people in the shot, as they're not going to be able to hold still long enough. But it should work for just the tree photo.

 

Hope that helps! :)

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I took some tonight on our tree. From what I can tell (still on my camera) they turned out best with the no flash setting. I have a Sony DSC H2. Not using the flash seemed to capture the "glow" of the lights from the tree and give the best overall effect. I'm interested to hear what others have to say though too and what some other tips and tricks might be.

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Honestly, a tripod (or something stable like a table) is the only way I know to get a decent photo of Christmas lights. If all else fails, adjust them a bit in your photo-editing program. There is no such thing as a bad photo anymore. ;)

 

 

~Zaz

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You probably don't want my advice since this is how mine turned out last year. :D

 

~Zaz

 

Wow, that's pretty cool Zaz! :D

 

Jo, don't be too impressed. It's just the liquify filter in PSCS2. You should see my Easter eggs! ;)

 

~Zaz

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Definitely no flash, and use a tripod, or set the camera on a table or bookshelf and use the self-timer mode.

 

A soft light from another room may help.

 

Late afternoon light and moving right up ontop of the tree, totally filling the viewfinder with tree branches, may be a nice look.

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Guest sfcgijill

Laurel is right on about the tripod and long shutter... you will probably have to experiment to get the best exposure time. It won't be as long as you might think. If you take pics outdoors, and there is snow on the ground- it will be even shorter.

 

If you want people in your picture too (and they are very cooperative subjects!): set up the tripod (this will be a very long exposure) and set your camera to a higher f-stop (you want to let in only a little light, for a much longer exposure). Do a few experimental shots to find the perfect exposure time for the tree- aim for 15-20 secs to give you plenty of time to work. Now, get the family ready in their pose. Trip the shutter again, and in the last seconds, "paint" their faces with a flashlight (aim the light at each face for a split second, keeping the light a distance to pretty much cover the whole face without having to wiggle it around). Works best if the light is from the same angle as it hits each face, and you will probably do a few shots to get it just right. You can get some downright amazing effects this way.

 

If that doesn't give you exactly the effect you're looking for, you could always add a little Photoshop Magic- layers with blur, glow, and levels or curves adjustments will help.

 

Good luck!

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Guest Debbie F.
You probably don't want my advice since this is how mine turned out last year. :D

 

~Zaz

 

 

That was too funny. I haven't stopped laughing and I have tears running down my cheek. Your picture looked as good as, and possibly better, than mine.

 

Deb.

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Guest Debbie F.

Sounds like I am going to have to try different lighting, and/or night photos and a tripod. Since I only do the point and shoot and don't understand all the other things, I will just have to be happy with what I get. Sure glad it is digital because I would have gone through a couple rolls of film trying to get the right one. Thanks everyone for your input.

 

Happy Holidays!

 

Deb. Fiedler

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  • 1 year later...
If you want people in your picture too (and they are very cooperative subjects!): set up the tripod (this will be a very long exposure) and set your camera to a higher f-stop (you want to let in only a little light, for a much longer exposure). Do a few experimental shots to find the perfect exposure time for the tree- aim for 15-20 secs to give you plenty of time to work. Now, get the family ready in their pose. Trip the shutter again, and in the last seconds, "paint" their faces with a flashlight (aim the light at each face for a split second, keeping the light a distance to pretty much cover the whole face without having to wiggle it around). Works best if the light is from the same angle as it hits each face, and you will probably do a few shots to get it just right. You can get some downright amazing effects this way.

 

What a cool idea! :)

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Without having read Brandie's link...here is what I learned with my night time setting on my Canon Powershot. You cannot hold the button at half mast and then click like you do in auto mode...it comes out BLURRY! First, turn off flash, second take as many photos as you can of your object in quick succession. Some will turn out blurry but then you also have a few GOOD takes as well. The ones I took at night and outside worked well (my snow pictures in the Saturday Color Challenge). For Indoors when I wanted to do a friend's tree and also her light village...I had to use the same night shoot setting and no flash and they came out well as well...provided the room's lights were OFF!

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thanks so much for that link.... i was just about to post here asking for tips for the chanukah candles and also for taking photos of people in front of the tree ( will be at dd dh family on christmas day and want to do some photos) so this link was perfect.... now we will see if i can remember the tips...LOL....

 

and thank you so much angela for noticing the need to update the link.... so kind of you...and impressed with the noticing of all the little details.

i have a tripod and a canon slr camera...i saw a few tips from david pogue the other day and he said that the screw bottom in the point and shoot camera usually fits in the screw part of the top of the lamp shade so it can be a quick easy way to have a tripod of sorts....anyone ever hear of that one???!!! let me know if it works...

 

and if anyone has any more tips on shooting photos of chanukah candles with and without people in them and the same for christmas tree i would be much appreciated....

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here specifically is what david pogue wrote on thursday dec.19 ny times

 

5. Use a lampshade socket as a tripod.

 

Another chronic problem with pocket cams is getting blur when you don't want it--which is just about any time you're indoors without the flash. Yeah, yeah, we know: "Use a tripod." But come on: for the average person on vacation or at school events, buying, hauling around, and setting up a tripod is a preposterous burden.

 

Often, there's a wall, parked car, bureau, tree, pillar, door frame, or some other big, stationary object you can use instead, to prop up either the camera or your arms.

 

But here's my favorite trick: It turns out that the threads at the top of just about any lamp--the place where the lampshade screws on--are precisely the same diameter as a tripod mount! In a pinch, you can whip off the lampshade, screw on the camera, and presto: You've got a rock-steady indoor tripod.

 

People might think you're a genius, a nutcase, or a genius nutcase, but never mind. It works.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I think your camera may be a point and shoot? What you may want to do is:

 

a) defintaley use a tripod of beanbag to set your camera on so it is stable

 

B) set your camera shutter to time delay so that you compose your picture, move away and the shutter will go off automatically

 

c) try using the no flash or museum setting..this will force flash off and slow down the shutter speed

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I have a point & shoot camera (Kodak EasyShare from a couple years ago)...and up until recently, I didn't know how to use it!! When I saw this thread, I did a little research on my camera, played around with the settings, and managed to take a few good pictures of our Christmas Tree!! Thanks guys!!

 

I took this picture with the flash off, and increased the long time exposure from none to 0.7 sec. The Christmas tree lights were on (obviously) as were the twinkle lights hanging on the sliding doors...I also turned on a floor lamp off to the side, for a little extra lighting. I was laying down in the floor, so I could brace my arms and camera on the floor. I like how this turned out :)

 

Here's the picture.... I haven't gotten around to scrapbooking with it yet:

 

My Christmas Tree

1003914sr3.jpg

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