Tips For Capturing Christmas Lights With Your Phone or Camera
Christmas time is literally my favorite time to play with lights in my photos. This is also a great time to stock up on images that you may use this Christmas, but you might want to use at the beginning of next Christmas too. Either way these tips & tricks are meant to be fun & are just the starting point to your creativity. So, let’s dive in.
When it comes to your phone camera we cannot control the actual focus. Yes, we can tap on what object we want the image to focus on, but we cannot adjust that focus. Even in portrait mode you cannot adjust the focus. What do I mean by adjusting the focus? Look at it like this … standing in a crowd. There are settings on your camera that you can adjust to either sharpen the background or blur the background ( The fancy word for blur is Bokeh). & on your camera you have a setting to where you can put your camera on Manual mode and Auto Focus mode. Your lens gives you access to adjust the focus by twisting the lens light or right.
But in this group we are using a phone & just like a camera you can still get that Bokeh background when it comes to Christmas lights.
First Step - Always keep the object you are taking a photo of away from the lights. Leave enough space to allow the lights to get blurred behind the object.
Second Step - Try different angles. If you are wanting more lights, but don’t really want to move your object farther back, then try and turn your phone upside down and go at an angle.
Third Step - Make sure the tree is not back lit. What I mean by that is make sure there are no harsh lights behind the tree that will take away from the small lights.
The thing about taking phone photos versus camera photos is you need to have an object in front of the light to take all the attention away from the lights. & you need to play with angles. Tile your phone up, turn your phone upside down or have the object on the floor. The list can go on as far as creativity.
The thing about the camera is you do not need an object grabbing the focus’s attention. However, you do need to have your lens on MF(Manual Focus) & you do need to have your ISO at a larger number. You would think you do not need to worry about your ISO, but actually if you want more lights to shine then bring that puppy up. Play with moving your ISO up and down, the lower the number the fewer the amount of Christmas lights that are going to shine & the higher the number the more that will show, but don’t go too high or you will bring in too much light and then there will be no Christmas lights.
& just like your phone try adding an object in front of the tree to grab the attention of the focus. If you choose to do this you can put your lens back on AF(Auto Focus). Using an object in front of the lights ( Whether they are on a tree, mantel or just hanging out) is the perfect way to also keep your style, especially if you are a light and airy photographer.
Also, if you do have a camera, try this to turn your lights into fun objects. You can can turn them into trees, hearts, squares & so on.
You need…
A sheet of paper
Pencil
Scissors
Tap
1st start with a sheet of paper. Lay your lens on top of the paper and draw around your lens.
2nd cut around that circle
3rd fold the circle in half & just your object out
4 tape your circle over your lens & shoot
Make sure to not turn your ISO up too much or you will see a white film around your tree that will be a distraction.
Like I said in the beginning, during Christmas I use that time to gather as much Christmas content for the next year or for during the year. There have been times that I have had to use my Christmas light photo for a graphic or an ad. Be creative and enjoy
If you are a light and airy photographer, please do not be afraid to play with lights and shadows. If it wasn’t for me playing with my friends Christmas tree lights a long time ago, I would have never had the courage to try and add lights into my product photography. & anytime there are fun lights hanging around time I love to shoot in front of them to give certain pieces a bit of an edgier vibe, but also keep my same style.
Oh my friend I cannot wait to see what you come up with & what you create. & like always don’t forget to tag or share with me your creations & of course always if you have questions always reach out.