Christmas Lights ???

whardman · Nov 25, 2006

Ok, I thought I used to be able to take pictures of christmas lights, but I guess not.

What am I doing wrong???
The lights are always blown out, or the rest of the house is black.
Should I have a low f-stop or high f-stop? What other settings (filters?) would help?

Nikon D50 AS-f Nikkor 18-55mm 3.5-5.6
F18 30" 20mm

OTE.

Garbz · Nov 25, 2006

The camera can not resolve the same level of contrast as the human eye. You either have to balance the shot with faster shutter to prevent the lights blowing out, which also will make the house dissapear, or slow it to make the house brighter and blow out the lights.

If you want both in the frame you will need to go at dusk. In Brisbane about 15 min after the sun has set the sky is still light enough to add a bit of light to subjects which will allow you to better balance the light. Just hope the lights are turned on if this isn't your house.

whardman · Nov 25, 2006

Lol, yea it's mine. Thats what I was afraid of, though, that there is no easy fix. I might try HDR and see if I can get any good results. The biggest problem is the C9 bulbs around the bricks. They are brighter and blow out easily.

memorex88 · Nov 25, 2006

nice job in putting all those lights up BTW

buckenmeyer · Nov 25, 2006

looks a bit red.. adjust the color balance maybe in photoshop..

oldnavy170 · Nov 25, 2006

Mmmmm, I like it!!!! I think its very pretty!

aedemirci · Nov 26, 2006

Hi,

Lovely colors. Thanks for sharing. If you are using P mode, try not to use it in night shots. It is most likely the camera would measure the light wrong. Manual mode works best..

astrostu · Nov 26, 2006

I think you need to do an HDR shot for what you want to get.

xfloggingkylex · Nov 26, 2006

if you are showing off the lights, shorten the shutter time or close down the aperture even more (for a nice starburst effect). I wouldn't worry about getting the house in detail because the lights are the subject.

emogirl · Nov 27, 2006

Ok, i'm going to say the obvious .....Its Christmas lights..they glow...if they werent glowing, they would be BORING...forget about it being 'blown out'..its pretty!! and the red cast...duh, its Christmas lights!! be happy with it!