Shooting Christmas Lights?

suvlady

Senior Member
I'm new to this forum. I just got a D3200. I upgraded from a D60. I am looking for advise on how to best shoot Christmas lights, both indoors and outside at night. I've been doing a bit of experimentation, but was hoping for some expert advise to steer me in the correct direction.

Thanks!
 

PapaST

Senior Member
I wouldn't qualify as expert advice but I will give you some ideas as to how I shot outdoor lights. I used ISO 800 with a 16-35 and 50mm lens while in A mode around f/7-f/13 range. I used a tripod and shutter release. I shot right at dusk for a better sky plus it helps with the exposure IMO. Sometimes I would shoot in HDR mode while bracketing 1 stop up and down. If I didn't like the HDR image then I would just pick the best exposure of the 3 and process from there. Which leads to my last point, post-processing will be a big help in acheiving the look you want with the lights. I used Lightroom 4. I hope that helps. Here are a couple of my pics.

bm6_5653-4.jpg

bm6_5716_1280x854.jpg
 
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suvlady

Senior Member
Thanks for the information. Your shots look great! Do you prefer Lightroom software over Photoshop Elements? Do you shoot in RAW format or JPG?
 
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