by Patty Hankins & Bill Lawrence
Copyright Date: 2003
URL: www.hankinslawrenceimages.com
Outdoor holiday lights can be one of the toughest
scenes to photograph well. All too often, photos come out too dark,
too light, blurry, fuzzy or just plain don't work. The combination
of bright lights and dark backgrounds make exposure a challenge.
Here's a few tips that will help you take better photos this holiday
season.
- Increase your ASA or film speed. A higher ASA will let you
have shorter exposure times. If you are using a film camera, try
using ASA 400 film. For a digital camera, reset the ASA setting
to at least 200 or 400 (on some digital cameras, setting at ASA
400 or above results in very grainy pictures).
- Brace Your Camera. Even with a higher ASA, you're likely to
be shooting exposures longer than a person can easily hold a camera
perfectly still. And any camera movement shows up in the pictures
as blurry lights. The best thing to use is a tripod. If you don't
have a tripod, place your camera on a stable object, like a wall
or a table, and use the self-timer to take the picture. If there's
nothing available to put your camera on, try leaning against a
tree or a pole to help keep yourself steady.
- Turn Off the Flash. Most on-camera flashes are designed to
light up the area 4-6 feet directly in front of the flash, and
then darken down what is beyond that range. Most holiday light
displays are more than 4-6 feet away. So what happens when you
don't turn off the flash is that you light up whatever is directly
in front of you (a wall, a tree, the lawn, or people) and put
the holiday lights into darkness. Your camera may complain (with
a bunch of beeps) about not using the flash in the dark, but this
is one time when it's best to override the automatic functions
and turn off the flash.
If you follow these three tips, you are much more
likely to have photos of holiday light displays that will make you
remember the holiday season with joy rather than frustration over
bad photos. For more information about night photography, please
see our article "Tips for Taking Great Photos at Night"
from our July issue.
We've put pictures of what happens when you use
these tips in the online version accessible from www.hankinslawrenceimges.com
Credit:
Patty Hankins & Bill Lawrence are the co-owners of Hankins-
Lawrence Images, LLC, a digital photography company based in Maryland.
HLI Photonotes, their monthly ezine, provides information and tips
for photographers. To subscribe email hl_images@earthlink.net
with subscribe in the subject or visit www.hankinslawrenceimages.com.
Related
Information:
NBA
Benefit Provider - Sears
Portrait Studio
NBA
Resource Article - Make
It a Family Holiday
NBA
Resource Article - 5
Ways to Enjoy the Holidays More!
Reprint of this article does not constitute an
endorsement by the National Business Association; the article is
for informational purposes for our members and viewers of our Web
site.
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