Christmas is coming and so is the urge for us who love digital photography to get out there in the burbs and photograph the beautiful Christmas lights. It's a beautiful time of year and when you are as passionate about digital photography as I am, then this is the time you whip that digital camera out.
Taking photos of Christmas lights with your digital camera can be a very disappointing experience for digital photography enthusiasts. Pictures of Christmas lights in digital photography are aimed at being crystal clear with beautifully bold colours and hopefully we can capture the delicate glow that radiates from the lights themselves.
But...Christmas lights don't always provide the ideal digital photography experience does it? J In fact, in digital photography, Christmas lights can turnout to be smudged dots of colour, like water over ink and way too dark. The first time I took a digital photography image of Christmas lights the flash went off accidentally causing a flattening out of my images not to mention the lovely colours disappearing and it ended up just being a digital photo of the neighbour's front lawn. Not to mention how it set the dog off barking!
So just what is the digital photography secret to getting crystal clear shots of our suburban Christmas lights?
Okay now I'm going to share a secret with you. The best way to get suburb results of sharp, colourful Christmas lights is to choose the house you are going to photograph. Depending on where you live and how fast you can run, you may need to tee it up with your neighboughs first and offer them the photo. The same rules apply with your Christmas tree.
Take your tripod with you. Take your digital camera off "auto" and take it off "auto flash".
Now try a method called bracketing. Set the aperture at a wide f stop, such as 2.8 or 3.5 for example. Then proceed to try some different settings. Set the shutter to 1/30 or higher. I'd recommend, if it's really dark in the street something around the one second, two seconds or three seconds shutter speed.
There is a groovy little trick you can also do for helping you learning faster, about what works in digital photography and what doesn't. That's recording and documenting your digital photography experience. I usually take a note pad with me and write down the number photo and the f stop and shutter speed so when I look at the photos I know which digital photo has worked and what has not.
But in the dark it's very hard to write down anything so you can do what I sued to do, and that is record on Mp3 what your settings you had on what photo. For example you can record yourself saying "picture one, f stop 2.8, shutter speed 2 seconds." Then again as you have tried another setting "picture seven, f stop 22, shutter speed 1 minute."
These are just examples but they really work. Don't forget the basics with your night time photography such as wide aperture and slow shutter speed and the necessity of a tripod.
If you are in a moving vehicle for example and you are taking shots of Christmas lights from a bus or car, then you can always use the maximum aperture and a smaller shutter speed. For example f stop 1.4 and a shutter of 1/350 or higher.
And don't forget if you do have the time to set up a tripod and try the bracketing technique (ideal) also remember if you have the shutter open for a while the light can bounce off other objects such as windows and roofs. If you get too much reflective light, simply reduce the time the shutter is open.
Good luck and may you have a beautiful Christmas!
Happy Shooting,
Amy Renfrey
P.s Take a look at the photo used to describe the article; http://www.nomorebadphotos.blogspot.com
Digital Photography Tip - How To Photograph Christmas LightsTo get a great photograph of a sunrise you need to set the alarm and rise before dawn. Stunning shots will involve a lot of preparation beforehand to make sure you're in the right place, at the right time, with the right equipment.
Scout out suitable locations
You're going to want to spend the least amount of time possible finding the right spot - get a compass, a map, walking boots and go out before the day you intend to take your pictures to find yourself the best spot to catch the sunrise. That way you can have longer in bed before you need to get up.
Get up early
If sunrise is at 5am, you're going to want to be at the spot at least half an hour before to catch the early light and make sure you don't miss anything.
Silhouettes
You can make great silhouette effects using the sun as backlighting. Think about where the sun is going to rise and try to frame an object as a point of foreground interest for extra impact.
Essential camera gear for sunrises
Tripod or support
Early mornings mean low light and long shutter speeds, so a steady camera is essential. Take a tripod or find something to support your camera on and use your self-timer or cable release to avoid camera shake whilst pressing the shutter.
Filters
A simple ND grad filter to help balance the exposure, or a sunset filter to enhance colour
Thermals
If it was cold when you went to bed it's going to be even colder when you wake up
Alarm clock
You're going to have to get up early to catch the sun.
How to Photograph Sunrises - Top Tips For Sunrise PhotographyBelow are some good tips that every wedding photographers need, use them to help them the shots.
Find out your customers Needs
Their first task was hired on to find out exactly what the couple want. Not everyone can be the same of your portfolio, it is crucial that you discover what the couple wants from you and her photographs. Some of you want to be very discreet on the day, while others tell you to do something and goeverywhere, at the best possible shots. Do they mainly snapshots, or simply traditional portraits? The only way to find out this is is to talk the couple and find out what they want.
Get Help
Shooting a wedding can be and usually is a messy business. It can be very hard to make the shots you never need to organize your thoughts always all subjects together in a certain place at a particular time. You have two main sources that can help you to call: aAssistant and the ushers. Both of you can help organize you and your issues, so you have more time to worry and focus on the best shots possible leave someone else to help with logistical matters.
Do you have a plan and stick to it
Every professional wedding photographer is good for the little, has a detailed plan for the big day. Key things to be included are things like where you need at certain times and a complete checklistall shots to offer your clients. Be sure to follow the plan exactly and do not skip any of the shots, as you probably do not have time later to catch up. Photographing a wedding can be a hectic job with a good plan is the key to keep you focused on the job is the key to success.
Learn more about photographing weddings
There are so many tips and tricks to successfully learn the professional, like a wedding to shoot thata frightening prospect for an amateur to shoot his first wedding. great way to start the head and get to learn how the pros do it A to take the course wedding photography.
Introduction
There are actually three types of high speed photography, water drop, insects and birds in flight. The insects and birds require special skills but the water photography does not require any special kits. You just simply need the body of camera, a lens which would allow you to take close up, tripod, a colored background, and flashgun: which would be very effective to use.
Get started
So first you have to think what would be the lay out. The camera must be placed where the drop of the water would be dropped. Then lay the background. Flash needs to be placed at the right side of the place the drop would drop and facing on a background. The flash will rebound of a background and it would give a good color which would depend on the color of the background also it would give attractive reflection.
Click the photos
Then, you should create a little hole by a pin in the base of a bag. It would help you to build a stable flow of water and if you want the flow to be faster than you can actually make a bigger whole. But do remember that you have to fill your plastic bag with the water before making a hole. After this you can switch on your camera at manual focus. Set the manual mode of the camera at 1/60s, f/22. Also ensure that you are working in the dark also, as this would help you to improve the colors and your flash would also work in a better manner. Remember there should be a continuous flow. Just grip down a shutter for 7 shots, you can than have a look and can repeat the process as many times.
How would you achieve the drops in colliding?
Well this would come with the hole in your plastic bag, if you create the hole of the right size while experimenting; you will finally get the rapid flow of the drops. It is kind of miss and hit; you have to be patient enough, so if you are clicking 500 shots, then just expect the only 5 would come good.
