Taking my camera out this weekend and need some advice: I'm going out this weekend to Dana Point Harbor to see the lights. I have a Canon 6D and will be using my 24-105 lens. Could I...

brenz

I'm going out this weekend to Dana Point Harbor to see the lights.
I have a Canon 6D and will be using my 24-105 lens. Could I please get some advice on what my settings should be and should I use my flash. Thanks

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

brenz wrote:

I'm going out this weekend to Dana Point Harbor to see the lights.
I have a Canon 6D and will be using my 24-105 lens. Could I please get some advice on what my settings should be and should I use my flash. Thanks

I'm not sure what you want to shoot. Are the Christmas lights? If so, I would not use flash; but I would use a tripod. As for settings, it would depend on how much available light there is. Some displays put off a lot of light that would be able to illuminate the structure they are on. Remember, if you are shooting lights, you don't want to overexpose. Sorry if this is a bit vague; but I'm really not sure what you will be shooting.

Jbat Loc: Charleston, SC

That is just about an impossible question to respond to because we have no idea what the circumstances will be when you are there. Knowing no more than you have given us, the best I could offer is to use the P setting on the camera and let it make the decisions. The camera usually does a decent job in such circumstances.

What would really be most helpful to you I think is to learn how to set the camera for yourself. A great book is available by Bryan Peterson called "Understanding Exposure". I would highly recommend that you get it as soon as possible and go through it until you completely understand the issues related to exposure.

lightcatcher Loc: Farmington, NM (4 corners)

Jbat wrote:

That is just about an impossible question to respo... (show quote)

Use P setting or A setting. Not much to go on as far as info.

Ched49 Loc: Pittsburgh, Pa.

The best advice I could give you is practice...first, shoot the lights around the neighborhood and see what settings work best before you go to Dana Point Harbor.

brenz

I will be taking photos of the lights

brenz

Thanks for all the great advice. I will be taking pictures of the lights. I know that I need to learn my settings. I have been attending photography school for about 2 months and really struggling to understand my settings. I have decided that I'm not going to give up. Thanks for the advice on the book. I will look into it.

brenz

Thanks for all the great advice. I will be taking pictures of the lights. I know that I need to learn my settings. I have been attending photography school for about 2 months and really struggling to understand my settings. I have decided that I'm not going to give up. Thanks for the advice on the book. I will look into it.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

One nice thing about digital pictures. Once you get past the capital cost of the camera and before you get to the printer, the pictures are free. Take a lot of them, vary the exposure. So what if 75% of them are over or underexposed. If you bracket enough you'll get some keepers.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

brenz wrote:

Thanks for all the great advice. I will be taking pictures of the lights. I know that I need to learn my settings. I have been attending photography school for about 2 months and really struggling to understand my settings. I have decided that I'm not going to give up. Thanks for the advice on the book. I will look into it.

Brenz, funny, but you still didn't say WHAT kind of lights?
How far away?
WHAT do you think a flash will do for you(I realize you may not know, just a question)?
Christmas lights? Harbor lights? There is a Dana Point Lighthouse in SoCal. ;-)
SS

IShootEverything Loc: TN

You should start with TV. Start at about 1/1000 and (on a tripod) go down to 1/2"0. Some where in that range, no matter what you are tring to get you will have it! Yes I know that's a lot of photos but you will have many different options. And who knows you may like most of them, as you will have many different effects. Hope this helps!

brenz

I'm sorry, let me give a little more detail. I will be viewing the houses and boats that are decorated with Christmas lights.
I'm not sure how far, I would guess about 5-10 feet. I asked about the flash because it will be dark outside, but I guess it makes sense,the subject (Christmas lights) are lit up.

Mr PC Loc: Austin, TX

I know this isn't a purist's approach, but I would find a Scene mode in your camera, even if it's Auto or maybe night cityscape, something that you can use for a starting point. Then, look at the settings in those pictures and switch over to a more manual mode and use those settings as a jumping off point. It's saved me a lot of time getting setup in the past. While I like playing with settings and doing things as manually as possible, I also like to get the shot one way or another. My 2 cents...

DavidPine Loc: Fredericksburg, TX

You will need a tripod because you are going to have very slow shutter speeds. You won't need a flash. Because you are new, you will want to use one of the automatic modes. Notice what settings are being displayed so you might be able to replicate them using manual or aperture priority modes. Good luck.

brenz wrote:

I'm going out this weekend to Dana Point Harbor to see the lights.
I have a Canon 6D and will be using my 24-105 lens. Could I please get some advice on what my settings should be and should I use my flash. Thanks

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

brenz wrote:

I will be taking photos of the lights

Lights on houses, or light on moving boats in a parade? It makes a huge difference. If the subject is moving like a boat, then put the camera in the LiveView mode, use AV or shutter priority, and set it for 1/60th of a second. Then put the camera in auto ISO. Use the exposure compensation while viewing the screen to your satisfaction so that the lights on the boats are as bright as you like. You can add flash to this but very little and only if the boats are less than 100' away. Use flash compensation for just a little fill flash to better see the people on the boat or the boat hull.

If your shooing houses, use a tripod and set it any way you like but I wouldn't use a really long exposure. You'd probably see more noise than you'd like to see.