Holiday photos take many forms. Since I live in a city, I have many opportunities to catch some great sparkle. Store windows, downtown streets, and glowing trees are full of signs of the coming holiday.
Doors and windows are all glitzed up, and offer opportunities to capture wreaths, swags, and lights. I try to avoid shooting into other people's windows, because I know I wouldn't like to find a photographer on my doorstep! In this photo, I intentionally included a delivery tag - it says the gifts are on the way. When you shoot architectural details like this, try to get all the lines straight. It may be easier to do this from across the street with a long lens than close-up with a wide-angle lens, which makes the lines lean inward. Sometimes you can capture reflections in the windows or even a door-knocker which shows some of the neighborhood.
There are many ways to capture holiday lights. The image on the left was shot on a dry night. The picture is almost monotone, with white lights silhouetted against a black sky. The photo on the right was taken at dusk - my favorite time to shoot. I like the addition of color and detail in this shot. Trouble is, dusk doesn't last for long. I try to plan to shoot in the afternoon through dusk and into the night to get a variety of looks. Many cities leave their lights on all night, so I shoot them at sunrise, too.
Here's another dusk shot - Quincy Market all lit up. There was snow in the air, which picked up the light and made everything look beautiful. This is my absolute favorite way to shoot. Light snow or rain or light mist create magical effects in a picture. You have to be careful to keep the camera dry, and sometimes I feel like a circus act juggling tripod, camera, umbrella, and wiping cloth. A lens hood helps keep the glass dry. I carry extra plastic bags and absorbent cloths to deal with the moisture.
I find that my camera does a very good job of metering holiday lights. Sometimes I add some light to the recommended exposure, but the camera gets it close enough that I can do any touch-up easily in Adobe Lightroom.
Where do I look for Christmas lights? Public parks like Boston Common. Commercial areas like Quincy Market and the Prudential Center. Historical buildings. Colleges. The picture above is the Salve Regina University in Newport, RI. Of course, the Newport mansions shine in December. Look below for a list of holiday events in New England.
Lights are the Christmas bling. But Christmas is not all bling, and there are many opportunities for pictures of Christmas unplugged. Country stores are decorated, as are lighthouses, covered bridges, houses, and inns. Restaurants often have unusual displays
Even the tiniest of towns use lights to decorate. This is a town bandstand in Maine. They put up icicle lights and a few wreaths and create magic. I like this image because the traditional homes behind the bandstand look like a village and are warmed with light, too. Yet there's nothing outrageous, just a few lights and a holiday tradition.
Here are some great Christmas events in December:
12/2 40th Annual Marblehead Christmas Walk
12/2-5 Festival of Lights – Wickford, RI 12/3 - 12/05/10 Christmas in Salem House Tours
12/3 -5 Christmas By The Sea - Camden
12/3 Village Holidays - Bar Harbor
12/3-5, 10-11 Sparkle Weekend - Freeport
12/4 Main Street Stockbridge at Christmas
12/4 Holiday Tree Lighting and Illuminated Parade – Portsmouth
12/4 25th Annual Harbor Lights Festival - Boothbay
12/4 Festival of Lights - York
12/4 New London Celebration of Lights and Song Around the World
12/10-12 Woodstock Wassail Weekend
12/11/10 Newburyport Holiday House tour
If you've missed the actual tree-lighting celebration, don't worry. Decorations will be up, lights will be lit, and the crowds will have gone home long after the day of the actual lighting.
Holiday Events websites:
You can see more of my photos and buy prints or gifts at my website:
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