Digital Photography Tip - How To Photograph Christmas Lights

Christmas is coming and so is the urge for us who love digital photography to get out there in the burbs and photograph the beautiful Christmas lights. It's a beautiful time of year and when you are as passionate about digital photography as I am, then this is the time you whip that digital camera out.

Taking photos of Christmas lights with your digital camera can be a very disappointing experience for digital photography enthusiasts. Pictures of Christmas lights in digital photography are aimed at being crystal clear with beautifully bold colours and hopefully we can capture the delicate glow that radiates from the lights themselves.

But...Christmas lights don't always provide the ideal digital photography experience does it? J In fact, in digital photography, Christmas lights can turnout to be smudged dots of colour, like water over ink and way too dark. The first time I took a digital photography image of Christmas lights the flash went off accidentally causing a flattening out of my images not to mention the lovely colours disappearing and it ended up just being a digital photo of the neighbour's front lawn. Not to mention how it set the dog off barking!

So just what is the digital photography secret to getting crystal clear shots of our suburban Christmas lights?

Okay now I'm going to share a secret with you. The best way to get suburb results of sharp, colourful Christmas lights is to choose the house you are going to photograph. Depending on where you live and how fast you can run, you may need to tee it up with your neighboughs first and offer them the photo. The same rules apply with your Christmas tree.

Take your tripod with you. Take your digital camera off "auto" and take it off "auto flash".

Now try a method called bracketing. Set the aperture at a wide f stop, such as 2.8 or 3.5 for example. Then proceed to try some different settings. Set the shutter to 1/30 or higher. I'd recommend, if it's really dark in the street something around the one second, two seconds or three seconds shutter speed.

There is a groovy little trick you can also do for helping you learning faster, about what works in digital photography and what doesn't. That's recording and documenting your digital photography experience. I usually take a note pad with me and write down the number photo and the f stop and shutter speed so when I look at the photos I know which digital photo has worked and what has not.

But in the dark it's very hard to write down anything so you can do what I sued to do, and that is record on Mp3 what your settings you had on what photo. For example you can record yourself saying "picture one, f stop 2.8, shutter speed 2 seconds." Then again as you have tried another setting "picture seven, f stop 22, shutter speed 1 minute."

These are just examples but they really work. Don't forget the basics with your night time photography such as wide aperture and slow shutter speed and the necessity of a tripod.

If you are in a moving vehicle for example and you are taking shots of Christmas lights from a bus or car, then you can always use the maximum aperture and a smaller shutter speed. For example f stop 1.4 and a shutter of 1/350 or higher.

And don't forget if you do have the time to set up a tripod and try the bracketing technique (ideal) also remember if you have the shutter open for a while the light can bounce off other objects such as windows and roofs. If you get too much reflective light, simply reduce the time the shutter is open.

Good luck and may you have a beautiful Christmas!

Happy Shooting,

Amy Renfrey

P.s Take a look at the photo used to describe the article; http://www.nomorebadphotos.blogspot.com

Digital Photography Tip - How To Photograph Christmas Lights

Night Photography Techniques

Digital Photography Tip - How To Photograph Christmas Lights

Digital Photography Tip - How To Photograph Christmas Lights
Digital Photography Tip - How To Photograph Christmas Lights

Night Photography Techniques

Haulover Canal - A Fertile Fish Cut Where You Can Catch Almost Anything

Haulover Canal, located in north Brevard County, is a manmade cut between the Indian River and the Mosquito Lagoon. In 1884, when the canal was blasted out of coquina rock to provide a link between the two water bodies and throughout the late 1800s; the canal was an important waterway for steamboats and paddle wheelers. Today Haulover Canal, located just northeast of Titusville, has become known as one of the best protected fishing hotspots in all of East Central Florida.

The canal countours quickly from the bank to 10 foot or more depths and provides a home to "bull redfish", black drum, grouper, "gator" seatrout, snook, sheepshead, and mangrove snapper. It is also home for dozens of sea manatees that feed on the lush grass beds in the area. A slow speed, no wake zone, is in effect throughout the waterway which makes it pleasant for bank fishermen as well as the manatees.

Many people fish Haulover Canal year round because of the protection it affords anglers from the wind, and all the fish it holds in the coquina rock ledges. The submerged trees and stumps along the edge of the canal provide cover for small "puppy drum", sheepshead, trout and snook.

There is almost always a current flowing through the canal, that is generated by the wind moving water from either the Indian River, or the Mosquito Lagoon. A negligible current from Ponce Inlet, far to the north, can occasionally be detected when no wind is present; but there is no measurable current in either of the lagoon systems to speak of.

Some of the largest "bull" redfish and black drum in the area are caught in the canal on cut baits, blue crab, or live pinfish drifted along the bottom. Bank fishermen use the same baits with surf rods and enough weight to hold bottom with excellent results. You never know what you are going to catch in Haulover Canal. Haulover Canal is also a shrimping hotspot during the summer nights when the current is moving.

The shrimp are swept through the cut, and boaters anchored near shore, equipped with underwater lights and dip nets, can load up 5 gal. bucket limit of "jumbo" shrimp in a hurry, when the conditions are favorable. The abundance of shrimp also triggers the snook and "gator" sea trout bite.

At night you can hear the trout and snook smacking the surface in their feeding frenzies, and more often than not a manatee will surprise you with a friendly visit. Although night bank fishing is prohibited in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, night time boating and shrimping is allowed. A special free, self issuing, Refuge Sport Fishing Permit is required by everyone fishing or shrimping in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

It outlines the special fishing regulations applicable for the area and can be download online, or you can get it at boat ramps and refuge entrances, in the Fishing Maps & Regulations Brochure. The popular Bairs Cove boat ramp is located on the southwest side of Haulover Canal, is open 24 hours a day, and offers convenient access to both the Indian River and Mosquito Lagoon. With April almost gone, and May just around the corner, you can expect some outstanding fishing opportunities in Central Florida's Haulover Canal.

Haulover Canal - A Fertile Fish Cut Where You Can Catch Almost Anything

Night Photography Techniques

Haulover Canal - A Fertile Fish Cut Where You Can Catch Almost Anything

Haulover Canal - A Fertile Fish Cut Where You Can Catch Almost Anything
Haulover Canal - A Fertile Fish Cut Where You Can Catch Almost Anything

Night Photography Techniques

Night Photography Tips for Amateurs

Taking a photo is not as easy as focusing on the subject and then clicking the camera. It takes more than that. In fact, it takes a lot of intuition and a set of lessons. This is why amateurs in photography need not only experience but also lessons in techniques and of course in the basics.

One of the hardest thing to master is night photography, not only because the subject is hard to find but also because the shadows will make it more difficult for the amateur photographer to take a good shot. Below are some tips that any amateur photographer can use to master night photography.

Safety

The first thing of course that amateur photographers need to remember is to choose the location well. Remember that if you are going to do the shoot, you will have valuable equipment with you. There are places in the country especially in the cities that are very dangerous at night. Safety is paramount. If possible, do your explorations with one or two people as you cannot very well conduct your shoot in daylight or under artificial lights.

Spares

Another reminder is that batteries often run out easily in cold conditions, so it is best to carry an extra or if you have none, try to fully charge your batteries before going out of the house and proceeding with the shoot. You should also bring a good case for your camera as moisture during the night can easily permeate to your camera.

Other equipment

The best camera to use for night work is actually the one with the manual exposure settings, preferably an SLR (single lens reflex). Automatic cameras are not often recommended, as they are not powerful enough to fight the darkness. Another requirement is a sturdy tripod with a rubber leg to minimize slippage. A cable release is also needed as this will enable you to hold the shutter speed open.

Exposures

One important thing that an amateur must remember in conducting night photography is the fact that longer exposures are needed for black and white photos compared to ordinary lighting. Color film, on the other hand, will produce shifts in colors.

Use of flash

With insufficient light from the moon, most photographers will supplement the light with a hand-held flashes, a technique known as “painting with light.” Other more sophisticated ones may also use movie lights and torches as additional lights.

Night Photography Tips for Amateurs

Night Photography Techniques

Night Photography Tips for Amateurs

Night Photography Tips for Amateurs
Night Photography Tips for Amateurs

Night Photography Techniques