I'm looking for some tips on photographing christmas decorations (outdoor lights, in the snow) in the late afternoon & early evening. Any & all help is appreciated.
In daylight you would meter as normal -just remember to expose for the snow to be white. I would meter the snow and add one stop to the reading then bracket around that. Early evening can get tricky. Do you want just the lights or the lights and background? Minimal exposure will get you points of light on a dark field, while givign it more will illuminate areas of teh background. There is no way to completely accurately predict what it will take so bracket heavily. -- http://www.chapelhillnoir.com home of The Camera-ist's Manifesto The Improved Links Pages are at http://www.chapelhillnoir.com/links/mlinks00.html A sample chapter from my novel "Haight-Ashbury" is at http://www.chapelhillnoir.com/writ/hait/hatitl.html
"James Bass" <jhb...@twcny.rr.com.spam> wrote in message
> I'm looking for some tips on photographing christmas decorations (outdoor > lights, in the snow) in the late afternoon & early evening. Any & all help > is appreciated.
In article <HNstb.88008$ji3.44...@twister.nyroc.rr.com>, "James Bass" <jhb...@twcny.rr.com.spam> wrote:
> Hello,
> I'm looking for some tips on photographing christmas decorations (outdoor > lights, in the snow) in the late afternoon & early evening. Any & all help > is appreciated.
> -thanks
Assuming you are also trying to get what the lights are hung on, the trick to this is double-exposure. Mount the camera on a tripod and take a picture of the object without light. When it gets dark, take a picture of the lights. The trick is to get the two exposures right, and it has been so long since I did it that I don't really recall. You will need to talk to somebody who has done it recently enough to suggest correct exposures.
-- Robert B. Peirce, Venetia, PA 724-941-6883 rbpei...@adelphia.net [Mac] r...@cooksonpeirce.com [Office]
You are on the right track. Finding just the right time to get the effect of the lights themselves and the object they are on is a little bit of a trick. Since you crossposted to both digital and traditional ngs I can't offer much advice as the tricks are different for the different equipment.
I suggest you also consider rain as well as snow. It does not need to be raining, but the reflections can be a great effect.
-- Joseph E. Meehan
26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math
"James Bass" <jhb...@twcny.rr.com.spam> wrote in message
> I'm looking for some tips on photographing christmas decorations (outdoor > lights, in the snow) in the late afternoon & early evening. Any & all help > is appreciated.
IMHO, the best pictures or outdoor lights are taken at night with snow on the ground. You will need a tripod to shoot long exposures. If you have any interior lights on, keep them low or they will overwhelm the Christmas lights. It is good to have some light on the house exterior in addition to the Christmas lights. A full moon on a clear night is ideal. If the weather and lunar cycles don't cooperate, you can try multiple flashes during the time exposure.
> I'm looking for some tips on photographing christmas decorations (outdoor > lights, in the snow) in the late afternoon & early evening. Any & all help > is appreciated.
> I'm looking for some tips on photographing christmas decorations (outdoor > lights, in the snow) in the late afternoon & early evening. Any & all help > is appreciated.
> -thanks
A cross-hatch filter (or piece of window screen) can be an interesting effect too, just don't overdo it. Gives star effect and slight softening.
Please see my reply in the recent thread "Night photo question" -- Jeremy McCreary Denver, CO www.cliffshade.com/dpfwiw/ -------------------------------------------
"James Bass" <jhb...@twcny.rr.com.spam> wrote in message
news:HNstb.88008$ji3.44457@twister.nyroc.rr.com... | Hello, | | I'm looking for some tips on photographing christmas decorations (outdoor | lights, in the snow) in the late afternoon & early evening. Any & all help | is appreciated. | | -thanks | |
the main trick in photographing xmas lights is to get the lab to print the images down, they tend to average the whole scene, which contains a lot of dark areas to a relatively few bright ones, so they will make the blacks a washed out gray.
if digital you would want to meter or aim the sensor at an area near the lights, so the lights will still blow out bright but leave enough detail in the surrounds, if you can, walk up the some partially lit areas and lock an exposure in.
best time to shoot is when there is still a bit of detail, late twilight when the sky is deep purple, but you can still sorta see. again you will want to print the image down as all meters will want to get into the medium gray tone.
tripod is essential.
don't use flash.
make use of your camera's white balance, read the windows that are lit by tungsten bulbs and the windows, especially if there is cool Norman Rockwell christmas tree visible, will be warm/neutral and the snow will be a burrrr cold blue.
you could try and find some tungsten balanced film but for some reason I've never understood, they don' sell any that fast. Like who ever heard of a really brightly lit scene with tungsten lights, duh.
> I'm looking for some tips on photographing christmas decorations (outdoor > lights, in the snow) in the late afternoon & early evening. Any & all help > is appreciated.
