by Joseph T. Sinclair
You can have some Christmas fun by getting out and photographing Christmas lights. Most people will find plenty of nice stuff to shoot in their own neighborhoods. Sparkling colors against a dark background provide a photo op we won’t see again until the Fourth of July, and Christmas lights are easier to shoot than fireworks.
As for me, I’m going after the bizarre and the beautiful, and I’ve found examples of each. Here’s a bizarre lighting arrangement from my neighborhood in California.
These holiday lights are a little busy for my taste, but they’re interesting. And many people will find them delightful. I prefer something a little more traditional, and we’ll get to that later.
For now, let’s review how to shoot lights in the dark with your phone camera. It’s simple. Let your camera do the work. You just point and shoot while keeping two things in mind.
First, you can check the photo you took afterwards on the screen of your phone. You’ll know instantly whether you took a good photo or not. If it’s not satisfactory, take another. Keep taking photographs until you get one you like. This is one of the most convenient features of digital cameras.
Second, keep the camera steady. Remember, you’re shooting in the dark. There are several things to keep in mind. Lean against something such as a telephone pole. Or hold the camera with your elbows propped up on the hood of your car. Or rest your elbows on whatever solid object you can find in your immediate vicinity.
You can always use a tripod, but most phone owners don’t own a full-size tripod. Some people have a tiny tripod, good for setting down on something solid and shooting a photo.
Otherwise, stand up straight with your feet planted squarely on the ground. Hold the phone camera with both hands and with your elbows tucked into your sides. This provides about as stable a foundation as you’re going to get without something to lean against. When you’re about to take a picture, hold your breath for a second or two while you take the shot.
What’s the penalty for not paying attention to steadiness? Blurred photos. Let’s not let that happen.
That’s about it. But there’s one more thing. Many phone cameras have image stabilization, which you can turn on and off. When you’re taking shots in the dark, make sure that image stabilization is turned on. In fact, I leave it on all the time. Image stabilization goes by many other names such as Anti-Shake and Steady-Shot. It’s the greatest innovation in the new photography of the digital age. I can’t over state how important it is for low-light photography.
All these techniques will help you to get crisp shots of Christmas lights. The camera will take well focused shots so long as you hold the camera steadily. There is some risk, however, of getting a photo with over exposure.
If your photo looks like this photo, look for an exposure compensation control in your phone camera. Adjust the exposure to –1 or –2. This will cut out the glare.
While you’re out and about shooting Christmas lights, don’t overlook the opportunity to photograph multiples of lights. If you have three blocks of retail stores along Main Street and they all have Christmas lights, a shot at an interesting angle down Main Street may make a terrific photo.
And now on to my beautiful shots—at least, I like them. Here’s a scene I shot with my phone camera on the Chesapeake Energy campus in Oklahoma City.
Let’s look at this photograph from a different angle that includes more buildings.
Because this photo includes buildings, it enhances the setting and is of greater interest perhaps. Either of these photos might make a nice holiday card.
Christmas lights are not only fun to shoot, but it’s easy to get good photos. Shooting Christmas lights is an event you won’t want to miss each year if you love photography. Your friends and family will enjoy seeing what’s lighting up your neighborhood. And it’s also an opportunity to look for the bizarre and the beautiful.
Happy Holidays