Do you have a photo that you take each year of your children at Christmas?
For us, it is the children by the Christmas tree with only the lights from the tree illuminating their faces.
Looking back at the photos you can see how they change each year.
This is an easy photo for you to start taking each year.
Let’s talk about how to get a photo like this one shooting in manual mode.
Christmas Tree Lights Photos
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No.01Turn off ALL the lights but the tree.
You want your house to be pitch black. You want the only lights on are the lights from the tree.
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No.02Crank up your ISO
You are shooting in extremely low lighting and you may need to max out your ISO. Remember it is better to increase your ISO than have an underexposed image.
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No.03Meter off the light hitting their face
You are going to have very little light to work with so it may be a challenge but you want to make sure their faces are illuminated.
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No.04Set your white balance
This one is extremely important. Christmas lights can have some crazy colors and that is reflected onto your child’s face. Instead, set your white balance prior to taking the photo so you have less of a headache in post-processing.
Not sure how to set your white balance? Check out some different white balance methods here.
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No.05Tell your subject to FREEZE
Because you may need to lower your shutter speed to get a properly exposed image you do not want them to move.
Settings: 20mm on D700, f/2.8, 1/100, ISO 3200
If you liked this post, you don’t want to miss these other Christmas posts:
* 16 Tips to Photograph Christmas morning
* 5 steps on how to photograph Christmas lights
* Tips to make your Christmas photos more than snapshots
* How to create beams of Christmas lights
* Christmas Tree Lights Photos: 5 Easy Steps
* Christmas Tree Lights Bokeh
Snap a couple Christmas tree lights photos and then don’t forget to take time this year to put your camera down and enjoy the moments you are capturing!
Um, do we want to make sure our children’s faces are ‘eliminated’ or ‘illuminated’? ;)
HA! Good catch! Thank you!
I guess it depends on whether or not you like the children… ;)
Awesome tips! This is great. Thank you!
Thanks!! Have fun photographing your Christmas!
Just found your blog and I love it! Thanks for all the great tips and explaining them in a way easy to understand!!
Welcome!! I’m so glad you enjoy them! Let me know if you have any questions!
Ok, this might require a lengthy answer…but how do you do number 4 (metering the light off their faces)? Thanks!
Eleni,
Do you shoot in manual mode?? If so, make sure you are using spot metering so that you only have one focal point. This is where the camera pulls the light to figure out the exposure. Put that spot on their faces and they will be lit correctly :) Check out this post – http://clickitupanotch.com/2010/09/metering-mode-–-basics/
These are really nice BW photos! The tree lighting looks great too… I think adding transparent glass figurines from Murano and http://www.glasslilies.com will make the lights more mesmerizing and will make the tree shine all across the rooms.
Why do I get flares or small reflective lights on my subjects. It’s like the lights are reflecting off the lens but I move around and the reflections are just moving also?
I’m not sure. Do you have a filter on your lens? Good luck!
You may have answered this question somewhere else on your blog, but is the Tripod you linked to one that you recommend for an amateur hoping to improve her photography? I’m pretty sure I’ll never want to carry my tripod, so I love the portability aspect of this one. Any other tripod tips?
I have another tripod I use more but it’s heavier. You can see it on this page – http://clickitupanotch.com/2014/05/peek-inside-a-photographers-camera-bag/ I love having a tripod and being able to get in the photos with my family.
Thank you so much!!!
How do you get a 3-year-old to freeze? haha!
Isn’t that the impossible task :) I would suggest getting everything set up, get your metering correct and then convince them to come over and check out the tree. Hide something in there and see if they can find it and then whisper their name while they are looking and when they turn snap the photo :)
This is my daughter’s first Christmas – she is 10 months old this weekend. Do I have any hope for tree light photos with her, since she doesn’t know how to freeze? Any suggestions? Or do I have to wait a few years? I have a Canon Rebel T3i with kit lens and tripod.
What should the white balance be set on