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Community Corner

Picture Your Holiday Decorations at Night

Here are some tips and tricks on how to take better pictures of those festive Lakeville holiday lights at night.

For many, the end of Thanksgiving marks the beginning of holiday traditions. Traditions that may include un-boxing last year's tree or starting the countdown to the last day of shopping.

For some, the tradition is all about the lights. If you own a digital SLR (digital camera) and want to be able to show off your home and holiday lights, here are some tips and tricks to getting a good picture at night to share with family and friends that may not be able to see your work of art in person.

Plan ahead of time: The last thing you want to do is to be running in and out of your house because you forgot something. Gather up everything you need before you go out so you have more time to enjoy experimenting with night photography. Additionally, keep in mind what time you will be taking pictures and weather conditions. Having the backdrop of dusk on your house and holiday lights will give your photograph a completely different feel than a star-lit background.

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Go manual: Your DSLR's automatic settings often get confused with pictures at night. From changing your aperture to changing your shutter speed, placing your camera in the "manual" mode lets you make all the decisions. The letter "M" typically indicates this setting, but refer to your camera's manual if you have trouble locating this mode. Also, change your lens from auto focus to manual - your camera doesn't do well on focusing when there's not much available light.

No flash: If your flash fires, you won't get a picture that shows off the natural colors of your lights. Flashes also have a limited range, so the areas farther away will look darker than the areas closer to the camera.

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Long exposures: Typically during normal daytime photography, there is such an abundance of sunlight that your camera's shutter speed might read 1/30th of a second or higher (some cameras can take a picture at 1/8000th of a second). With night photography, you will want to be going in the complete opposite direction because, by comparison, your holiday lights aren't very bright for your DSLR. There are no right or wrong settings, so anywhere from three seconds to thirty-minute exposures aren't unheard of. If your camera has a "bulb" shutter speed, you will be able to take pictures for longer than thirty seconds. All cameras makes and models may be different, so refer to your camera's manual for this setting.

Additionally, turning on your camera's self timer minimizes the amount of blur in your images by guaranteeing you haven't touched the camera when it starts to take a picture.

Use a tripod: Since you will be taking longer exposures, a tripod is a definite must have in helping you get crisp, clear night pictures. Placing your camera on a tripod minimizes the amount of blurriness your pictures produce because there is no movement within the camera.

Bring a flashlight: Sometimes you will be in an area where there's not much light and you have to change the settings on your camera. A flashlight will enable you to change those settings without any hassle.

Bring spare batteries: If you have them, great! The cold Minnesota nights take a big toll on batteries. They don't last as long in this weather and having spare batteries will help you experiment with different settings. Additionally, keep the spare batteries in somewhere warm. Jacket and pant pockets are good, but few people know that your armpits are one of the warmest places you can keep them.

Bring something hot to drink: It goes without saying that you should dress appropriately for the cold night, but a hot chocolate or hot coffee will go a long way for you to enjoy your time outside trying to get a good picture of your holiday decorations.

Lastly, have fun: One of the best parts of having a digital camera is the instant feedback. With DSLR's you will be able to see the work that you have produced on your camera's LCD screen and know if you need to take a longer exposure or a shorter one. Your results will vary, but being able to share a great night photograph of your beautiful home and holiday lights, that you took yourself, is just one of the many fun things you can do with your DSLR this holiday season.

About the Author: I wouldn't go so far as to call myself an expert, but I have been doing photography for a long time now. I first began with film photography for several classes in 1998 – yes you read that right "film." I really loved photography back then, but the costs for film and paper quickly exceeded what I could afford.

It wasn't until I took a photojournalism course at the University of Minnesota almost 10 years later, that I rediscovered photography. By this point, digital cameras and photo editing software allowed me, and everyone else that owned a digital camera, to get instant feedback on whether or not I was doing things right or wrong.

Currently, I am in the process of starting up my own photography business. I have been the official photographer at weddings, local events and have even done some freelance headshots. Although I studied broadcast journalism at the U of M, photography will always be my serious hobby and what I spend most of my time learning or reading about.

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