Zobbie's Tips for Photographing outdoor and indoor Christmas lights

People often see a great display of lights they want to photograph but when they try they get pictures that are too dark, Or blown out by the flash, Blurry, or fuzzy , or don’t work for a number of reasons.

I am by no means an expert but here is a few handy tips that have worked for me.

1. Turn off the flash. You don’t need it and it. It will light up what is right in front of you but not the scene you are actually trying to capture.

2. Grab a tripod or find another means of stabilizing your camera. The shutter speed is going to get low and hand holding just isn’t going to work and you will see some blur from the camera shake. Plus if it is really chilly, and you are a wuss like me you might be shivering which also adds to camera shake. Also if you have a shutter release cable or wireless one use it, if not try the self timer to help reduce shake..

3. Pick a good time to shoot your pictures. I like to try to capture them at dusk. The sun has set but the skies still have a little light and color to them. This combination with your holiday lights can make for some great shots. Don’t worry if you can’t get out there at dusk, full darkness works just fine, but try for dusk if you can. The light fads fast at that time of day!!

4. Set your white balance to tungsten. Most holiday lights are tungsten balanced. This also makes your dusk sky look great, so it is a bonus. As you can imagine trying to do a CWB in this setting might be a little on the tough side.
5. Don’t be afraid to shoot from different angles aside from straight on. Getting down low to include some of the sky can produce some great images. If you can find some reflective surfaces like a puddle or snow that can add an interesting effect also.

6. Camera settings. There is no right answer for this, you just need to play with things till you hit it just right. Do not be afraid to bump up your ISO a little either to help shorten the exposure time, especially if you don’t have a tripod or if it is breezy and your lights are swaying. Bracketing can work to your advantage for some thing like this, it is a great tool for helping to find just the right exposure settings. I tend to use ISO 400 but have gone up to 1600. Take some test shots till you get the look you want.

7. Shoot raw if you can to give yourself a bit more flexibility in the editing process.

8. For the star effect you can set your aperture between f5.6 and f8 to get this naturally, and the other great way is to buy a filter that produces the effect for you. The filter will be more pronounced and the non filter way is a bit more subtle, it is personal preference.

9. Take lots of pictures. With the digital age you can take a number of pictures and worry about deleting any stinkers later.

10. Now don’t forget to put the camera away and soak up the lights with your human eyes and enjoy what you are seeing.

And sincee a few people have asked for them here is the indoor tips, which are pretty close to the outdoor ones..

Christmas lights Inside

This is not much different from my notes on outdoor shots but here goes…
People often want to capture the beauty of their Christmas tree after decorating it with the lights on. This is not as easy as it seems. You can end up with pictures that are too dark, or blown out by the flash, Blurry, or fuzzy, or don’t work for a number of reasons.

I am by no means an expert but here are a few handy tips that have worked for me.

1. Turn off the flash. You don’t need it and it. It will light up things too much and you will not see the glow of the lights.

2. Grab a tripod or find another means of stabilizing your camera. The shutter speed is going to get low and hand holding just isn’t going to work and you will see some blur from the camera shake. Also if you have a shutter release cable or wireless one use it, if not try the self timer to help reduce shake from clicking the shutter..

3. Since most people have their Christmas tree in front of a window or right next to one you want to wait till it is dark outside so that any light from the window does not distract from subject. Also turn off any other lights in the room.

4. Set your white balance to tungsten. Most holiday lights are tungsten balanced. Lets face it to do a CWB in this situation might be a little on the tough side.

5. Don’t be afraid to shoot from different angles aside from straight on. Getting down low, stand off to the side, stand on something to get a taller vantage point, be creative. If you have a mirror in the room reflecting light that can make for some fun shots too.

6. Camera settings. Just as is the case for outdoor shots there is no right answer for this, you just need to play with things till you hit it just right. Do not be afraid to bump up your ISO a little either to help shorten the exposure time, especially if you don’t have a tripod or a good way to steady the camera. Bracketing can work to your advantage for some thing like this; it is a great tool for helping to find just the right exposure settings. I tend to use ISO 400 but have gone up to 1600. Take some test shots till you get the look you want.

7. Shoot raw if you can to give yourself a bit more flexibility in the editing process.

8. For the star effect you can set your aperture between f5.6 and f8 to get this naturally, and the other great way is to buy a filter that produces the effect for you. The filter will be more pronounced, and comes in several varieties for number of star points, and the non filter way is a bit more subtle, it is personal preference. (I love the way a star filter looks)

9. Take lots of pictures to make sure you get exactly what you are looking for... With the digital age you can take a number of pictures and worry about deleting any stinkers later.

10. Now don’t forget to grab a cup of hot cocoa, turn on some Christmas music and curl up on the couch and enjoy your holiday lights.

An alternative to paypal

I just signed up for my free account with revolution money exchange and got my $25. Hey free money is free money right? So I thought I would share it with the readers of my blog... This offer is good through April 15th 2008




The account is free and it is free to send and receive money unlike paypal which takes a chunk when people send you money. It is easy to use and you get $25 free when you sign up.... Just wanted to pass it along. I like the idea of not having as much of a chunck of my money taken when I receive money.

How do you get the word out about your business

So you have taken the plunge and you have started your own photography business. Now you are trying to figure out the best way to get the word out and generate some business for yourself.

There are all sorts of marketing tools that can be used. One I recommend starting with is a business card. Easy to carry and you should always have some with you in case you are out and someone asks you for your information. If you have photoshop you can easily design your own to be just how you want it to look.

Another great tool is a website. This will be an entire post by itself at some point. There are so many things to consider when creating a website.

You can also do free things like bloggs and online galleries like Photoshop online.

Now if you are one of those people that really doesn't feel creative in this area or you just don't want to spend a ton of time creating marketing material and would rather use some templates I came across a beautiful and customizable set of templates here
LCH Photography - Click on photography designs to see all of her beautiful Templates.
I also love the stuff available from
Orange Gecko Designs She has great extras for photoshop also, check out all she has to offer.
So start spreadign the word.

Macros - lenses, filters, extension tubes

So you want to get up close and personal with you subject but you are not sure what the best way to go is.

Probably the least expensive way is close up filters.

Your second option is Extension tubes, a little more expensive that filters but more effective.

The last option and the best one is a true Macro lens. Don't worry you can use this lens for more than Macro shots. I have a 100mm Macro and love it because I can get nice close up shots without having to be right on top of the subject. I actually love this lens and have found a ton of uses for it.

As you will see recomended through out this blog you can always rent lenses and try them out before taking the plunge and purchasing it.

Tripods and Monopods

I have to steal a quote here from Theresa over on 2 Peas for this post

"When it comes to tripods, buy cheap, buy twice."


Inexpensive tripods typically have lots of plastic. As I am sure you are aware Plastic breaks easily. If you take it out in cold weather and it can become very brittle and cold doesn't mean below freezing. Plastic also has some Give to it so stability is a little lacking. My first cheap tripod had a handle snap right off in cooler weather. Also cheaper tripods can have a wobble to them and do you really want something with your precious camera on top to be all wobbly? No, I didn't thunk so. Monopods can take a real beating and get dropped often when not in use and get banged around. I have seen cheap ones shatter. (OUCH)

I personally own Bogen/Manfrotto. B&H has some great kit deals, you can get a decent setup for under $200. I have the carrying strap, and that is all I need, I can't see the need for a carrying bag. there are all sorts of options out there and my recommendation is buy the best you can afford so you don't put your camera at risk, or end up with a tripod graveyard.


It all boils down to the amount of stability that you need. So study and find a sturdy and well made tripod or monopod. Look for poundage ratings, you want oknow how much it holds. & how tall it can extend.

As for when you want to use a tripod and when you want a monopod that really depends on what and where you are shooting. Tripods are used more often then monopods but both have their advantages. I am currently without a monopod but looking to add one to my collection again. Monopods are great for that extra stability in places where you are not allowed to use a tripod like museums, sporting events and a lot of tourist attractions.

Lightroom - Blogs and books

Lightroom can be a photographer's best friend for managing work flow. But for some people it is not as intuitive as it is for others. So here are a few books that might help you out.

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Book for Digital Photographers- By Scott Kelby

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom for Digital Photographers Only - By Rob Sheppard

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Workflow: The Digital Photographer's Guide - By Tim Grey

Also if you want to keep up on the latest happenings be sure to check out this BLOG. and be sure to download the free weekly presets.

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Killer Tips

I love Lightroom, it has made managing my work flow SO much easier. It saves so much time when editing large amounts of photos in Raw.

***Edit in December 2008****

Since I wrote this there has been a new release of Lightroom and hence new books on the sunject. I personally have not upgraded at the time of this update but I have heard good things about the Scott Kelby book for Lightroom 2.

How do I share all my digital images with my family

Now there are probably hundreds of ways to share your photos with your family and friends. The first step is what do you want to be able to share.
Do you want something for free or are you willing to pay for some extra protection?
Do you just want them to view them?
Do you want them to be able to view and order prints?
Do you want to be able to password protect your galleries?
Do you want people to be able to add to your galleries with their own images?
Do you want people to be able to download full size images?
Do you want to be able to watermark your images?
Do you want to earn a little money selling your images?
Do you want to personalize your gallery with your own logo?

The list goes on. Once you decide what you want your gallery to do for you then it is time to start looking into all the options out there. For me I was willing to spend some money for extra features and I finally narrowed my choices down to smugmug and Zenfolio.

I ultimately chose Zenfolio. I went with the Premium account for $100.00 so I could also use it as a proofing system and maybe make a little money from this hobby of mine. If you go with Zenfolio feel free to use the referral code SQS-B4T-17R to save yourself $5 off your account.

Why did I choose Zenfolio over SmugMug? Simply it offered everything I was looking for and was $50 less. Now SmugMug has some different features but they just were not what I was looking for at the time. Plus Zenfolio seems to be constatntly addign things to their services.

Some of the features I was looking for and got were.
Unlimited Storage
Full size uploads
galleries
collections
password protection
batch uploading
custom layouts
can use my own domain name once i get one
watermarks
Ability to let peopledownload full-size images
Achoice of print labs Mpix or EZ Prints
ability to set my own prices
and many other things..

Can't decide by just reading the features then sign up for the free trial of both and see which one fits you best..

I was looking for a recent comparison of both but could not find one more recent than 2006 but if I find one I will add it here.

SugMug users feel free to share your referral code in the comments section for folks that decide that is the way they want to go.

Where to get prints made

Now I have all these cool digital images.. Where should I get them printed?? This is a question that gets asked over and over. There are countless online sites for your "snapshots". Some of the more popular ones are:
Kodak Gallery - I have been really happy with these for snapshots.
Shutterfly - I have liked these also and I have been happy with their little books for fun stuff.
Snapfish - I will never use them again after terrible customer service experience and terrible print quality.

As for local places it really depends who is in the lab printing them. You just need to try them out and see if you are happy with the results or if you aren't do they work with you to make them right? I have never heard good things about Wal-Mart for printing so I would have to say I personally would avoid them.

For your professional printing needs the most popular are:
WHCC
Mpix
ACI
Color Inc
But there are MANY MANY others. Do some test prints and choose which you like best!

I want some big poster sized prints, canvases, or something unique, is there anyplace to get these done in addition to places already listed?

Check out Wallhogs for something different.
Canvas on Demand
Pixel 2 Canvas These guys can make some HUGE canvas prints..
The Poster Place


Another common question is, "What kind of paper should I get for that "professional" look?" Everyone is going to have a preference for this so you should really get some printed up on all the types you are considering and decide which you like the best.
The most commonly used are:
Matte
Luster
soft gloss
Satin
Metallic- looks better for some prints more than others.
Linen Texture - This makes it harder for people to scan your pictures.

If you are wondering, "Why not glossy?" There is a few reasons for that. Fingerprints show very easily, they stick to page protectors when scrap booking and if you do not use a mat when framing your pictures they will stick to the glass, and that is just no good.

Please share where you have gotten prints made and your experience so we can all learn from each other.

Camera Straps

As more and more people are branching out into the world of DSLR usage there has been an increased desire for not only a more comfortable camera straps but for ones that are more fun. Some people even have several to match different outfits, their camera bags, their moods, or for certain events they are attending.

I have so far only purchased one new camera strap(however I am sure there are more in my future) and I went with this cute example which I purchased from the etsy shop of Kristie Denton




There are also some others that make camera straps on etsy so do a search on the words camera strap and see what pops up.


Now for those that feel they are not ready to branch out into the fun and funky looks and just want comfort places like B&H or Amazon (among others) have a ton to choose from.
A very popular brand for comfort is Op/Tech.


Of course there are those that are more crafty and creative than others and will simply make their own and I applaud those people. Make it fun, make it funky, but most of all make it comfy and functional….

**Edit in December 2008**

I am up to 3 fun camera straps. The person I got my original from is no longer making them but there are lots of others out on Etsy for purchase.

Photoshop and lightroom Actions/Presets/Templates

Looking for some fun and unique presets or actions for Photoshop, Photoshop elements or even ligthroom? Well the below links are just a few of the Many options out there. Give it a look..

Jess's Actions and Presets - Lightroom and Photoshop and Photoshop Elements

Lolly's Actions and presets - Or Lolly's Playground Lightroom and Photoshop CS2 & CS3

Vibe - Actions, Presets, and Borders In Photoshop and Photshop Elements

Orange Gecko Designs Actions/borders/story boards and other fun stuff.

Here is another site that has some Great templates

LCH Photography - Click on the Photography designs link

For those really new to this and wondering what actions are here is a brief description

Actions...What are those?
Actions are mini"programs" or keystroke replicators. (macros)

If there is a certain set of steps you do on a regular basis in PS you can "record" these keystrokes into an Action, so in the future, you could accomplish them ALL with the click of one button. Pretty cool huh?

There are many talented photographers and designers out there that have recorded THEIR successful Actions and sell them (or offer them for free from time to time) so we can all more easily replicate the "looks" they achieve in their photos.

You can even have an action for proof sharpening and resisizng or even for embedding copyright info into the EXIF data of each image AND adding your copyright logo on the images for proofing.

Oh and if you are thinking you will never be able to keep track of all your actions.. Never fear there is this great little software program called ActionDex that organizes all your actions for you. It gives you a lot of management ability for your actions..