How to Get Clearer Results When Photographing Christmas Lights

Christmas is just a fun and wonderful time of the year. Decorations are hung carefully and families gather to share presents and food. It is the most perfect time for a photo-op. I love capturing the family and friends on film Christmas day. The one thing I haven't quite mastered yet is getting my Christmas tree lights at night in that perfect picture.

The fact is that Christmas is a season of lights. Flashing colorful bulbs hangs all around inside, and outside, the house. The presence of those lights can garnish the home with Christmas spirit or bring back memories and feelings of nostalgia. I, like many others, would like to look back on those memories and feel the full effect from our Christmas photos.

If you are like me, you may notice that the background is usually blurred or not quite clear. For years I've wanted that perfect photo of my children in front of the Christmas tree at night. And, for years I've gotten less than perfect pictures. I've tried and tried, with no luck, to photo my Christmas tree as clearly as I can.

Recently, I found out the simple trick to do this. A friend of mine attends the New York Institute of Photography, the world's largest photography school, and gave me a tip for capturing the lights of Christmas that I will now share with you.

To capture the glow of the lights all you need to do is turn off the built-in flash. That's it! It is amazing that I never figured that out or tried it before. But, if you are like me, you probably thought that you need the flash when taking pictures at night or inside where there aren't much light.

The truth is that the flash overpowers the tree lights and that is why they seem blurry or have those light illuminating circles in your pictures. This trick also works when photographing a candle-lit scene.

There are other things to consider when using this trick. First of all, this is difficult when using split-second exposure; there's just not enough light for this when the flash is off. Very long exposure will make the picture once again blurry of you have the blinking or moving lights. To overcome this, use the following tips:

Use fast film-The ISO number tells how fast film reacts to the presence of light. Films with ISO of 800 or 1600 would do.

Use a tripod-The matter is that you probably won't be able to keep your hand steady enough when trying to take a picture at night without a flash. Try a tripod or a hard surface and set the timer.

Just follow these tips for capturing your holiday lights at night with no problem.