
You can use their soft glow as lighting and include them as a prop, especially in portraits of children.Ĭapture the lights’ glow against the snow in your Christmas lights images. Even if there are a lot of Christmas decorations, you can create a simple image by choosing one thing or person to photograph.Īs already mentioned, portraits can look beautiful against a bokeh background of Christmas lights, but there are also other ways to use holiday lights in portraits. It gives your viewer a clear subject to focus on. Shooting something specific – such as a Christmas portrait – is an easy way to simplify your image.
CHRISTMAS SCENERY PICTURES WINDOWS
You can also look for bright windows and capture their warmth against the dark night. Instead of trying to capture the atmosphere of the scene, you can focus purely on the lights, shooting abstract bokeh photos or the outline of decorated buildings. However, if you miss this short window of opportunity, you can still get interesting photos if you work strategically with the darkness. Then, you’ll have a pretty blue sky and more lighting to capture details, yet also enough darkness to show off the lights. It’ll give you a similar soft atmosphere as a regular bokeh photo, only instead of being in the background, the bokeh will be layered on top.Ī lot of online tutorials for photographing Christmas lights recommend going out around sunset and shooting during the Blue Hour, before it’s completely dark outside. If you want to try something new with bokeh, experiment with double or multiple exposures, combining bokeh Christmas lights pics with something else. Try a double exposure for unique Christmas lights images. You can shoot lovely portraits, city scenes, or still life photos with this easy technique.įor more bokeh inspiration, check out these 40 beautiful examples of bokeh photography. That’s because bokeh can turn crazy holiday lights into a peaceful background, beautiful with nearly any subject. The blurred streaks of light can draw viewers into the picture and simplify the scene by blocking distractions.īokeh is one of the most common techniques photographers use with Christmas lights. It may seem counterintuitive to capture light trails with moving cars and Christmas lights since both are bright, but the resulting images can look fantastic. But instead of giving up, try creating light trails in a long exposure. If you’re in a city or town with busy streets, shooting Christmas lights can be difficult with cars and buses getting in the way. The symmetry makes the scene easier for viewers to take in because it creates a sense of organization and clarity. Symmetry is an excellent technique for anything that’s a little overwhelming, whether that’s a grand building, the lovely aurora borealis, or a crowded display of lights. Capture the light’s glow against the snow.Try a double exposure for unique Christmas lights images.Tips and Ideas for Christmas Lights Images All of the following ideas can help you overcome that issue. The real trouble comes with composing your scene so your photo won’t be too cluttered. In any case, you’ll want a tripod (or a solid surface for your camera) to minimize blur.Ĭamera settings are only a small part of the challenge, though. But typically, your ISO, shutter speed, and aperture will be adjusted to account for low light and increase the quality of the image. no movement) and how low your lighting is. These settings will depend on what you’re shooting (e.g. Inspiration for Pictures of Christmas Lightsįirst off, you’ll need to use the right camera settings for your scene. Here are some techniques and compositions you can try out to get beautiful Christmas lights images. How can you create a simple, compelling photo under these conditions? Though challenging, it’s not impossible, even for beginners. You have to shoot with difficult lighting and clutter. Christmas lights can be particularly hard to shoot since they combine both challenges. The darkness can make photography more difficult, and good composition can seem impossible with bright, chaotic Christmas decorations. The tricky part in December isn’t finding subjects, but rather composing and shooting them. And, of course, it’s the best season for capturing Christmas lights images! Despite being the darkest month of the year, you have a great variety of subjects to photograph, from the night sky and city lights to the first snowflakes and winter mist. December is a beautiful month for photography in the North, especially in areas that celebrate Christmas.
