Christmas Light Photography Top Tips
It’s Christmas, that special time of year full of precious family moments, pretty decorations, gifts, and capturing the season with plenty of photos. Because most of your Christmas light photos will be in dimly lit settings, it will help to know the right camera settings to preserve those special festive memories.
Here are some top Christmas photography tips for both indoor and outdoor scenes.
How to shoot outdoor Christmas lights
If possible, take your outdoor photos around twilight or dusk, for just a few minutes the atmospheric light will perfectly complement artificial lights, and picking up the ambient colours of the sky and surroundings adds much more depth than the flat blackness of night. But remember to expose for the lights, not the sky. Each passing minute will bring slightly different lighting conditions so you will need to act quite quickly.
During this time, you’ll be able to see the shapes of the house they’re on and more of the surrounding environment.
Camera settings: A good starting point with your DSLR camera is manual mode, starting with an ISO of 400 you can increase this if your images are too dark, but be aware increasing ISO will degrade image quality and can make it look “grainy”
As a rule, adjust your ISO but keep it as low as you can
Set your aperture to f/8 or lower, to let in more light and create a shallower depth of field creating blurry backgrounds keep your aperture low, and get a nice buttery bokeh effect. Also, try using the lights in the foreground to get them blurred and frame the image. For great bokeh, you need two things: lights in the background, and a lens ideally with a wide maximum aperture of around f/1.4, f/2, f/4.
Once your aperture and ISO are adjusted it is important to adjust your shutter speed Using a slow shutter speed to allow in more light means that the camera will be very sensitive to movement, so a tripod is advisable to ensure that your image stays crisp and clear, or rest your camera on a stable surface to obtain clearer shots. If using handheld, I would recommend a shutter speed setting of no lower than 1/50.
Keep the flash off!
It will only interfere with the Christmas light's colour profile and will “flatten” your image. The flash will barely contribute to your images exposure anyway! Forget Flash!
White balance
You can set your white balance to incandescent/tungsten but this is very easily tweaked in your editing process, this is one setting I leave on auto.
Christmas Markets and Christmassy street scenes
As with any street photography, to truly capture festive shots of people shopping or chatting without influencing the scene you want to capture, your choice of lens is crucial. Using a long zoom such as a 70 - 200 is ideal because you can take pictures from further back, without sticking the camera in people's faces, as you'd have to do with a shallower prime lens such as a 50mm.
How to shoot indoor Christmas lights
Again, using manual mode is preferable because otherwise your camera can incorrectly interpret the lighting you require.
Use a shallow depth of field for a dreamy holiday look
To effectively use this technique you need to be fairly close to your subject and use a wide aperture (lower numbers) such as f/4 or lower if your lens can!
Christmas trees can be surprisingly tricky to capture, trying to squeeze the whole tree into the frame can lead to a confusing image without any main point of focus. Instead, either use it as a backdrop or focus on just one or two tree decorations. Remember to watch out for your reflection in shiny baubles – you may need to move them or yourself slightly.
Family and friends:
Select your shooting mode: aperture priority mode (A) you will have more control over your depth of field as you can control the aperture yourself. Using a wide aperture (a small f-number) creates a shallow depth of field. This strengthens the bokeh and adds to the atmosphere of your images.
For group shots, keep everyone in sharp focus with an aperture of around f/7.1 or f/8; if they are in a line, you'll need around f/4 or f/5.6.
Turn on your lens's VR to allow far longer shutter speeds handheld in lower light than would otherwise be achievable. For an individual portrait, try positioning your subject by the tree, a roaring fire, or the window (in daylight) so you can use the ambient light.
Enhance the composition by using strings of Christmas lights as leading lines.
For Christmas portraits of adults, children or pets, use a window to light your person (this works well when photographing holiday food too) Christmas lights are a good source of warm light. A simple tree with lights in the background, adds a festive feel without being overwhelming.
Our streets are filled with beautiful lights and storefronts throughout December. These are a perfect Christmas portrait location. When using a storefront for a background, remember to frame the person neatly. Once your subject is framed, go for a natural smile!
Pets!
All you need is a festive backdrop, a few props, good lighting, and a happy pet!
Candids
Capture classic moments such as the kids eagerly opening their presents. To ensure you don't miss any magic moments, shoot in burst mode – particularly with children! Aim to keep sharp focus on the eyes or face for the best results, and for really effective shots with kids, get down to their level to capture what they see.
You'll get the most natural results when you photograph people simply doing what they're doing: dinner preparations, chatting, table setting, eating, drinking, playing.
Conclusion: Tips For Getting The Perfect Shot
Getting the perfect shot involves patience and timing. With these additional tips and tricks, plus a little intentionality, you'll be set up for success: Use Manual Mode (M on the dial) if your camera supports it. Use a tripod to get a sharp image; it will let you shoot at a lower ISO and allow you to make a longer exposure. If you want more of your image to be in focus, set your aperture to around f8. Keep your ISO to 400 for the best image quality.
It doesn't really matter which mode you're in – go with what you feel most comfortable, if you'd rather not use manual, try aperture priority.
Now that you know the best camera settings and photo tips to make your Christmas light photography pop, start taking your photos and follow the tips above.
Share your beautiful images on IG using the hashtag #susanphelps or tag me @susanphelps - I would love to see what you create!
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