However this time, a macro lens was used with the lowest aperture f number for the macro set at f/2.8. The photographer chose an ISO of 200 so he could retain high photo quality and he exposed the shot evenly at 2/5th of a second.Īnother example of Christmas house lightsĭSLR Lens: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USMĮxposure (shutter speed): 1/8th of a secondĪgain, the camera was on a tripod. The lowest aperture for this particular lens was f/4.5. This helped to avoid blurring due to camera shake. This shot was taken with the camera sitting on a tripod. As the night gets darker and light changes you may need to adjust this.Įxample of Christmas lights taken at night timeĭSLR Lens: AF-S DX Zoom Nikor 18-55mm F/3.5- 5.6 G ED II (kit lens)ĭigital SLR Camera settings for photographing Christmas lights If it’s too light then choose a faster speed. If the photograph seems too dark for your liking, then choose a slower speed (up to say 1/25th of a second). If you like a darker photograph, then underexpose the settings by around 2 or 3 stops.Or you can take a bit of a punt and initially set the shutter speed to around 1/50th of a second, then adjust it give and take from there. If you’re not sure what I mean by exposure we have a tutorial on it at: How to use manual mode. Firstly, you can focus the camera at part of the house that isn’t too dark or too light and adjust the exposure.

There are two ways to adjust the shutter speed.

It’s never recommend going higher than 800 however, due to loss of photo quality the higher the ISO. Depending on how dark you want the images to be, you can adjust this later on. For example anywhere between f/2.8 to f/4.6 will be sufficient.

Set your camera on manual mode with a low as possible aperture f number.

It’s also a good idea to use a tripod, as the shutter speed will be too slow for sharp hand held shots.

Where as a wide angle lens is great if you want to get the whole house into the picture. A macro is useful if you want to seclude any one ornament or decoration.

Use either a macro or an all purpose wide angle lens.

Recommended SLR camera settings for Christmas lights at night To get around this, you need to keep a low aperture and higher than normal ISO.

The last thing you want is a decoration or person seen in your photograph as a slow motion blur. With Christmas lights flashing and people randomly walking around the decorations, it’s important not to set a too slow of a shutter speed. The end of the year when all the Christmas light decorations go up in the street, is a wonderful time for getting out your digital SLR camera and doing night photography. Here are some useful tips for photographing Christmas house lights at night time.

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