[geekkt]

Hi all, I'm hoping this is posted in the right place. On another forum I read, a member started a thread sharing a poor photo of her Christmas tree and invited everyone to join in. Despite my still fairly limited photography skills, I thought to myself "I can take a better picture than THAT!"

Well, that darn tree isn't the easiest thing in the world to get right - I'm up to 60 pictures and I dislike all of them; they just don't give me the fuzzy tree glow feeling.

Here's a few examples:


The first photo best shows the tree, the second is more accurate of the actual light color, and the 3rd I like the best but it's not quite right. There are also colored lights running up the banister but they're mostly lost. I've been trying different combinations of the flash, house lights, ISO and white balance - I didn't do any alterations other than editing of the white board and an upload from Picasa. I just don't love them.

I'm working with a K110d, an 18-55 lens and an AF-360FGZ flash, and these happen to be shot in JPEG, but the question is both directed at my situation and universal:

What are your best tips and tricks for taking pictures of holiday lights, and what might help me here?

[Adam]

The first looks good to me- the original picture doesn't have to be perfect, as long as nothing is completely overexposed. A little photoshopping and the glow effect can be reduced and the shadows/highlights corrected.

[enoeske]

I haven't done many, but here is one from last year that came out nice. Its a bit of a long exposure (1/13 sec handheld @ 28mm, ISO 400, f/3.5) but no flash. I don't have any real advise other than to keep trying. You will learn through experimenting. Try longer exposures, or shorter with diffused flash, or change your focal length and get in closer. Check your composition; more than anything, this makes a good photo.

[foto guy]

I definitely wouldn't use flash, as it creates distracting and harsh shadows, and produces the wrong kind of light. Use a tripod and set the white balance to tungsten.

Also try manual white balance to see which produces the nicest look. It would also help to have some ambient light nearby, as long as it's tungsten as well. The christmas lights don't put out enough to light up the entire tree. If you can get an exposure of several seconds (lowest ISO and f/22), you could use a flashlight to shine over the entire tree.

Shooting in RAW allows you to fine tune the white balance, which is one of the main culprits here. You may not want to hear this, but I'd recommend getting and learning Lightroom. It helps so much in processing an image, especially with tricky situations like yours. Even Photoshop Elements should allow you to process RAW files. (Check before you buy, because I don't know for sure.)

The following shot is one I took five years ago of a friends tree.


This next one is the same shot I processed today.


And this is a variation on doing on doing the whole tree. Sometimes a close-up tells the story better. Though it's all about personal preference.



Obviously, I used a star filter, which will likely please some and annoy others.

The thing is, don't stop experimenting. And asking questions. You might want to join the NAPP (Learn Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom and Digital Photography | NAPP) as they have lots of helpful tips in their magazine and on their web site. That is, if you're ready to invest in the full-blown version of Photoshop.

Good luck and let us know when you figure out what works for you.

[geekkt]

Thanks! I should have been a little more clear...I tried both flash and no flash, house lights and no lights, etc. Another 60 shots and an angle change and I got something I like better, but I'm still working on it. Oh, and I have Lightroom and am also working on learning basic PP but for the most part I'm still staying away from it, trying to improve my technique first.

[wjax]

Here's one I took yesterday. It is an HDR photo with some retouching. HDR really helped since there is a lot of dynamic range with the lights, shadows, etc.

[vievetrick]

Great shots everyone - Wjax that is awesome with the moon outside.

Here are a couple I did this weekend. Tripod and shutter release. I shoot in RAW so can tweak the WB to what I like in LR. Geekkt I like your second round of shots from the floor the second one works for me.

[alohadave]

That is really nice.

[vievetrick]

Thanks Dave

[geekkt]

That is really nice.

I agree, love the detail of the tree in that one. All of these are great shots, and great advice.

[Copyright]

Here's mine:

[paddy567]

That is really nice.

That is just lovely, and the lighting is perfect.

[Nick Siebers]

Good topic! I have been trying to figure out balancing a bounce flash with the lights from the tree itself with enough light to stop the motion of kids hanging ornaments. Basically, I need high ISO, higher than I can do right now. Or slower-moving kids. :-)

[foto guy]

I just read about a technique using slow sync with a flash. Just make sure to have all the lights off, except the ones on the tree, of course. If you go slow enough (3+ seconds), you could use the flash and a flashlight to do some light painting. I haven't tried this technique yet, but I might give it a shot tonight.

[Sparkle]

Try reflecting some house lamp(s) light (tungsten) on the wall behind the tree, use a tripod, take a spot meter reading on a tree light up close, then back off, no flash, bracket your pictures and also use RAW on some in same set up so you can better PP. Takes a while to get it right. If you find the photos too dark then as suggested above do some light painting with a flash light i. e. shine the light about the dark areas while the shutter is open..