Five Top Tips for Better Holiday Photos

All of you in the States... if Thanksgiving is here, Christmas & Hanukka are not far behind. And for those of you in other places in the world... Christmas & Hanukka are still right around the corner! Our thanks this year to all our enthusiastic Lightscoop users!

Here's some advice to prepare you for the season.

Happy Thanksgiving!

  1. Take great pictures of Christmas trees with lights or Hanukkah candles burning brightly by fooling the automatic light meter inside your camera. Put your camera on manual (m) and then set your shutter dial to a slow speed like 1/15sec or even 1/8 sec. This slow shutter speed will let the lights from the tree or candles come out brighter. Remember to hold the camera very still or rest it on a desk, monopod or tripod.

  2. If the room light is very low, try using flash. Set the flash setting on “moon”or “city scape.” This setting will keep the shutter open longer and pick up more available light coming from the tree or candles. You can use this setting in combination with Professor Kobre’s Lightscoop® for best results with the pop-up flash on 35mm SLRs. Bouncing the pop-up flash with the Lightscoop will result in an even more natural-looking scene — no harsh light.

  3. If you have young children, get down on their level to shoot. Witnessing the world from their perspective will add a refreshing point of view to your pictures. And remember to come in close to your child’s face - the closer you get, the bigger the child will appear in the picture and the more the child’s smile will radiate the memories of the holiday. (And by bouncing the pop-up flash with your Lightscoop, you won't blast the little one's eyes.)

  4. While loved ones are decorating the tree, wrapping gifts, or preparing candles,they are likely to be relaxed and engaged — and less likely to pay attention toyour camera. What a great time for candid pictures instead of frozen smiles.These are magic moments.

  5.  Avoid the awkward delay that occurs with point-and-shoot cameras between the time you press the button and the shutter actually clicks. Frame your picturethe way you like it and then press the shutter half-way down. Keep the button partially depressed until your subject reacts in some fun way… with a smile or intimate touch. Only then, at that critical moment, press the button all theway down. Now the shutter will click almost instantly. Using this technique you can get more candid pictures — you can do this on your iPhone, too!

Posted by Ken Kobre at 11/26/2009 4:06 AM
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: Tips
 

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