tommystrat Loc: Bigfork, Montana

Thanks! Very informative, simple to understand, and a great starting point!

nauticalmike

Although I have a decent tripod I do not use it very often unless I'm shooting video because I like to frame my pictures through the viewfinder and I am a paraplegic, so using the viewfinder from a wheelchair when the camera is on a tripod is virtually impossible. I also think that being seated in my wheelchair is a more steady platform than standing is for hand holding the camera.

chasgroh Loc: Buena Park, CA

...my first attempt at shooting Xmas lites was at the Newport Boat Parade a few years back. Sheesh what a debacle, hahaha. See, the lights on the boats are doing what lights in all their ramifications do, and of course the boats are *moving*! So the tripod thing works, but only if you can pan a bit, and *then* it's roll the dice. I like the lights to be the subject, not necessarily what they're mounted on, so in trying to prevent blurring I ended up (after a couple years of doing this madness) concentrating on getting enough shutter to stop the boat motion. Manual settings of course, but keeping things *lights* oriented (letting what ambient light there was illuminate the boat) allowed me to keep the ISO value down to a manageable number and still get enough shutter to stop the boat motion. I have to find them, when I do I'll post a couple of examples, but it was a work in progress, knowledge gained from the first try really helped on the second. ;0) The keepers were really worth the effort!

rwww80a Loc: Hampton, NH

Find a Kodak "Master Photo Guide" and follow the tables. Remember the exposure for the lights (which are bright) is different than the exposure for the background (which is usually dark). Flash for the background and a higher shutter for the lights. Not difficult, Experiment!

Jerry Coupe Loc: Kent, WA

A couple of suggestions: 1) use a tripod 2) shoot around sunset time. I followed item 2) recently and was more satisfied with my images than when I have tried shooting when it is very dark or later in the evening. And probably a 3) if shooting in aperture or shutter mode, you will need to adjust your +/- exposure value as the bright lights or the amount of darkness will affect the cameras metering.

From here, go out and experiment.

Szalajj Loc: Salem, NH

Could I suggest that you look for a short monopod, which you could place between your legs on the seat of the wheelchair. This could will eliminate any up and down motion that you might get with hand holding and trying to use a slower shutter speed. They also make a bodypod that could work for you.

Szalajj Loc: Salem, NH

A decent tripod.

A remote shutter release, either wired or wireless to eliminate camera movement when the shutter is tripped.

If you're anywhere North of the Mason/Dixon line, warm clothing.

Patience.

As others have mentioned, the slightest breeze will blur your shots. You need to know where your camera usually starts to get "Noise" or "Grain" in your shots, and keep your ISO at or below that point. This will often require you to be shooting in Manual. You want to ensure that you have sufficient depth of field to keep enough of the shot in focus. That means that you don't want to try to use the lowest f-stop number, start somewhere around f-8, and go to a higher f-stop number as you increase your length of exposure. It's a balancing act between the shutter speed and the f-stop.

I'll often switch from view finder mode to using my rear screen to focus at night.

You didn't mention if you're going to be shooting indoor or outdoor displays. I've tried several times to shoot indoor displays of individual ornaments handheld, and every time they've come out blurry. A tripod is the only way to go.

If you're shooting outdoors with long exposures, be aware of your surroundings. Because if you're shooting across say a town green, you could end up with headlight and taillight trails in the background that you might not want. Sometimes they can add some character to the shots, other times they would be a distraction.

You're going to have to play around with your camera, and go out on several different occasions to end up with something that you like.

Once you get close, write those settings down on an index card with a sharpie marker so that you can refer to them a little easier in the dark. But your location, time of night, as well as any ambient light will make each shooting situation different with respect to what settings you'll use for your camera and lens combination.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

F8, ISO 250, 1 Second time.
Adjusted in PS a bit.

(Download)

jethro779 Loc: Tucson, AZ

It will work pretty good. In fact some of the better pictures I have seen were taken at dusk.

bel air bill Loc: Bel Air Maryland

Go to, "PictureCorrect" there is a Article on how to Photograph " Christmas Lights". I will be using these Tips this year to Photograph Christmas Lights. Hope this helps.