photo tip

this post from Work in Progress was very helpful to me last year.

Photographing Your Christmas Tree!

i got my first great photos of our lit tree using these tips.

here are some other links for great tips on capturing good photos of lights:

Strobist

BetterPhoto.com

Rebecca White

for myself, i found that using a tripod was perfect for me. but i've also used tables, chairs and counters to keep my camera still.

i am lucky to have a DSLR {Nikon D80} and a husband who loves to make sure i have great lenses. 

i picked up a good tip from reading a book by Scott Kelby. my lenses have a VR {vibration reduction} sensor. which means they will sense any kind of vibration and allow me to get a really crisp photo. here is where the tip comes in. according to Kelby, he recommends turning the VR to OFF when using a tripod. if it can't find any vibration...it will go searching for it! and create a less sharp image. 

{The Digital Photography Book: page 13}

in my previous post i shared a layout about our family at the provincial legislative grounds. don't be scared to take photos at night. i probably took about 10, and that is the only one that turned out the way i liked. even then, i still had to lighten the RAW format before printing. Photoshop Elements (often available at Costco or London Drugs for around $100CDN) has some features too that can help to lighten photos like that. Picnik would also be helpful, and it is available online for free. 

however....it is always helpful to have the best photo you can before you do any editing!

i hope those links were helpful. enjoy!!