I love Christmas lights. I love them almost as much as I love my wife. Maybe more.
(Just kidding, honey.)
But when I first tried photographing them in 2004, my results were bland and unimpressive, featuring either underexposed lights in a sea of murk, or overexposed lights with some bits of house scattered across the frame.
Two years later, David Hobby published his definitive guide to photographing Christmas lights, which I discovered yet another two years later. Stop now and read David’s post before you continue here.
To be sure, my first efforts with my new knowledge weren’t all that impressive:
But eventually I found time and leisure to try more complex compositions:
Sometimes I even put the foreground on the right side of the frame:
Most of my pictures have been taken either in Champaign (40° N) or Arlington Heights (42° N), and in either case my rules of thumb for the best time to photograph are the same:
- On a clear day, the best light is between 4:55-5:10 PM. Before that the sky is too bright, and after that it’s too dark.
- Shift everything back 10 minutes for a cloudy day (4:45-5:00 PM).
- You may be able to buy a few extra minutes on a clear day by shooting into the west.
- You may need to start earlier if you’re shooting into the east.
- Don’t be afraid to experiment, especially on the darker end.
Despite the proliferation of LEDs in modern Christmas lighting, incandescent/tungsten white balance is still the best choice in my opinion. Nothing else yields those rich blues that are half the reason for photographing Christmas lights.
Inspired to take your own pictures now? I hope so. Now get out there and do it. As always, I wish you fair subjects and following light.
Nicholas Haggin Photography 