In addition to looking for the best places to photograph Christmas, it is necessary to have a professional camera or a good cell phone with a camera to immortalize the moments with family and friends this Christmas season.
But it is also necessary to have a minimum knowledge of photography to make the memories even more endearing. Many streets and squares these days become story postcards, full of lights and colors, which are the perfect setting to immortalize any moment.
But dealing with Christmas lights when taking photos isn’t always easy. Light rays may occur that spoil the photograph, or unexpected reflections may occur.
Tricks for photographing cities decorated for Christmas
To photograph cities with Christmas decorations and lights, it is advisable to follow a series of tips. Sony and photographer Carlos Sánchez provide six tricks to make images look “film-like.” For your interest, so that you can take the best photographs this Christmas, we comment on them:
The ideal time: before night falls
Although you think that the ideal time to photograph Christmas lights should be at night, it is not. It is best to photograph them after sunset. It is what is called “blue hour”, when the street lights are already on but there is still some light in the sky.
Taking photographs at this moment allows for a better balance between the glare of the lights and the background.
Blur with intention
It is a very useful resource for creating interesting photographic compositions, but it should not be done lightly. When there are lights in the image we want to take, it can be a very good idea to perform a selective blur.
In this sense, you must shoot at the maximum aperture that your lens allows, focusing manually, so that lights outside the focus range are softened and diffused. Many mobile phones have that bokeh effect by default that allows you to blur backgrounds. Use them and you will see how the out-of-focus lights become soft halos that beautify the background and make the person stand out.
Black diffuser filter
If you want to reinforce the Christmas atmosphere, use a black diffuser filter. It is an accessory that screws onto the camera lens and softens the highlights, adding a subtle layer of haze. In this way, a magical and cinematic halo is achieved for the image.
On mobile phones you can use one of the best photo editing apps to add a filter that generates a similar effect.
long exposures
Playing with the exposure will allow you to blur or even erase moving people in busy areas whose lighting you want to photograph. Can Place the camera – or mobile phone – on a tripod and take a long exposure of several seconds.
To avoid overexposure of highlights during those long shots, close the aperture and reduce the ISO to the lowest that your camera allows.
Find the details
General shots are fine, but it is also worth paying attention to the details. Look for decorative elements, such as the star on the tree or a specific ball. With a telephoto lens, you can get closer to those elements and enhance their beauty. Additionally, you can play with the bokeh effect to blur the background.
Better without flash
Finally, keep in mind that when photographing Christmas lights, it is best to do so without a flash. The most normal thing is that they are at a long distance, so it will be of no use to launch the flash.
Also, if they are too close, it will flatten the scene and be much less charming. So turn off the flash on your phone when you go out to capture Christmas images around the city.
