- ROLLEIFLEX 2.8 3.5 SOUVENIR CHRISTMAS TREE HOW TO
- ROLLEIFLEX 2.8 3.5 SOUVENIR CHRISTMAS TREE INSTALL
- ROLLEIFLEX 2.8 3.5 SOUVENIR CHRISTMAS TREE MANUAL
It takes a lot of time to compose images – particularly with a tripod. It gets exponentially more difficult when trying to photograph holiday lights. It takes a lot of patience to make beautiful images. Point-and-shooters may end up needing to cover flashes and even sensors with black electrical tape to trick the camera into doing what's needed. Amateurs with advanced cameras may want to bracket exposures to get some usable shots.
ROLLEIFLEX 2.8 3.5 SOUVENIR CHRISTMAS TREE MANUAL
Pro shooters need to use manual controls for absolute exposures. Middle gray works for most daylight photography, but it's the worst option for holiday lights because both the highlights and shadows are ignored to find something in-between (the wrong exposure for both). It measures the amount of light areas (whites) with the amount of dark areas (blacks) and tries to find an average (gray). Even sophisticated automatic meters can be easily fooled by holiday lights.Ī camera meter tries to find the average amount of light in a scene. It's important to remember a camera's ( reflective light) meter really doesn't know the difference between holiday lights and grains of sand. Chimping (looking at the preview screen) is probably the greatest advancement when it comes to accurately capturing holiday lights. Bracketing exposures is another automatic option. Now, simple color balance is one adjustment. I could explain the nightmare this was in film days, but I'll spare y'all. There is no way to hand-hold a camera absolutely still for six seconds.Īlthough the explanation may sound difficult, digital camera technology removed many of the problems of yesteryear. This is compounded by slow shutter speeds. Most PJs also use electronic shutter release cables (called "plungers" by film shooters).īecause we're shooting a scene filled with highlights, any camera motion is amplified. Because we're directly photographing lights rather than where the light falls, the largest lights spill onto nearby sensors.īoth effects happen with film, but aren't as pronounced.Įliminating camera shake is vital.
This creates a light loss which must be considered by digital photographers. Eventually, they become too small for the digital sensor to record all of them. As lights become more distant or camera angles become wider, their relative size becomes smaller. Digital cameras record light on a sensor. Film records each tiny light photon as it affects the silver halide to the point of reciprocity failure. The distance from the camera does play a role in digital dropoff. It's still subject to the inverse square law of light, but the source is constant and more intense than the light falloff.
Both lights are emitting the same amount of light.
If a light is 100 feet away, it's about the same as lights 10 inches away from the camera (depends on moisture and pollution). This is because we meter the light source, not where the light is falling. When lights are the primary subject, each equally-powered and filtered light is about the same. Each additional light increases the amount of light falling on a subject.įorget this rule while shooting lights as the primary subject. Two 100-watt light bulbs produce twice as much light as one. We know more light equals better exposures. More casual shooters should probably read Quick tips to shoot holiday lights instead. Consequently, this is a very info-heavy post.
ROLLEIFLEX 2.8 3.5 SOUVENIR CHRISTMAS TREE HOW TO
Lights are attached to everything from homes and boats to people and floats.ĭue to the work and cost invested into these sometimes elaborate decorations, PJs need to know how to photograph groups of light-emitting devices.Īlthough most PJs make this look easy, holiday lights are difficult to capture correctly. The most common holidays are Christmas, Yule, Hanukkah, Halloween/Samhain, Diwali, Kwanzaa and - on this coast - Mardi Gras.
ROLLEIFLEX 2.8 3.5 SOUVENIR CHRISTMAS TREE INSTALL
Many folks install decorative lights for different holidays from September through February. Please see the slideshow with examples (hit "back" on your browser to return to this post).