Holiday Snapshots: Lights, Camera, Christmas

The holidays are here, which means there are gorgeous Christmas lights throughout Metro Atlanta.

Your tree looks great and your house is tastefully lighted, but when you go to take a picture it just doesn't look right.

Why?

If you have been frustrated in the past with your photographs, here are some things to remember when trying to photograph lights to preserve your holiday memories:

1.   The type of camera you have will determine the proper setting to use. But whether you are using a point-and-shoot or an SLR (single lens reflex with interchangeable lenses) you should always leave your flash off.

Why? The flash puts out a lot of light and will wash out the photograph. You are trying to catch the ambiance and mood of the tree and the mood of the spirit of Christmas, so leave the flash off and let the lights from the tree light your photo for a softer focus.

The difference is the flash will light the entire photograph and you will be able to see the crisp light bulbs but no glow of the individual bulbs – it eliminates the luminosity.

If you leave the flash off it's able to capture the slow blurry glow of the Christmas lights, creating that gentle homey feel that you are trying to obtain.

2.  The difference in cameras makes the difference in photographs. If you're using a point-and-shoot use the "Night Shot" mode to shoot lights, but if your camera is an SLR or has a manual setting you will want to use a long exposure time.

Anything under a 1/30th of a second will give you a nice glow from the lights. Make sure you use a tripod while shooting long exposures to prevent blurry images due to shaky hands.

If you don't have a tripod try taking a deep breath, shooting three consecutive shots while slowly exhaling.

3. Experimenting is key. Try several different methods to see what works best for you. Don't get frustrated; just have fun. The beauty of the digital age is being able to take as many shots as needed and see how it looks immediately.