Each year, for as long as I can remember, my mom has loaded us boys into the car to drive around looking at Christmas lights.  It starts out with wrestling, punching, and at least one "if I have to pull this car over" threat, but turns into very unmasculine "oooh" and "aaah" as we hit the good neighborhoods.  The houses are spectacular with the black sky in contrast to the bright lights. 

 

The first Christmas after I started taking pictures, I took my camera along on the trip and begged mom to let me out of the car to take pictures.  I was so certain I had captured them all perfectly.  A week later, I headed to the drugstore to pick them up (back in the film years) only to find that they were a mess.  Grey backgrounds, blurry shapes--just nothing like the pictures in my memory.

 

The good news is that with the digital camera (or better quality high speed film if you are old school) pictures of the lights are far easier to capture.  Ready for a few tips?

 

1.  Turn off your flash.  Really.  I know that it is dark out so your mind thinks add light, but that only blurs the lights and gives you a grainy grey background.  Turn it off.  If you are using an auto setting on your camera, make sure you know how to do this.  Check your manual if you are unsure.

 

2.  Hold steady.  In fact, set the camera on a tripod or a solid surface if at all possible.  Hand shake will blur those lights in a second.  Outside by the car on a trip around the neighborhood?  set the camera on the hood and carefully press your button.

 

3.  Go a bit earlier than you think.  Waiting for full darkness actually works against you.  Head out at sunset and use that twilight.  You can always increase the contrast in your photo software if you want a darker sky, but you will grab more detail in the "almost" dark.

 

4.  Know your camera and play with it.  Try a couple of different settings.  Both the night setting and the indoor setting with no flash will play up the white balance of your shot.  I have also gotten some great ones using the portrait setting which slightly blurs the background for you.  You can also manually set a lower ISO--100 or slower for really crisp shots.

 

5.  Bracket.  What is that?  It means take the same picture several times with several different settings.  Set the camera still--take the shot, change the setting, take the next shot repeat.  This gives you the best chance to have a fabulous shot.  And for the computer savvy, it gives you the same shot different ways to layer together and perfect with the magic of Photoshop.

 

There it is.  The top 5 hints to make your holiday lights all merry and all bright.  And here is an example from Michelle Boeckermann:

 

 

2007 Christmas Tree by Michelle Boeckermann.  Supplies:  "Keepsakes" by Outside the Box, "Fall Harvest" by Raspberry Road, "Cinnamon Drop" by Michelle Boeckermann, Embellishments: Outside the Box.

 

Happy Holidays!  May all your photos be good ones.