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Question from Kara: “What camera/light settings should you use when photographing people with Christmas lights or any other lights. I want my person to be the main part of the picture, but I want the lights to be visible in the background. Right now when I take these photos you can see the bulbs but they are very dim and lost in the photo.”
Shanyn: What kind of camera?
Sarah: I would like to know how to do this too
Ashley: me too
Laura: You’re aperture would have to be as wide as you can go.
Laura: You will have to use some sort of light source so if you can get everyone close to a window it is ideal. Put them all around 10ft or so in front of the lights. \
Suzy: I would put the camera on Aperture setting, turn the mode dial so the f-stop is in between 11 and 22. The camera sensor with figure out the shutter setting. If the shutter is too slow, then up the ISO. Start at 400. Always try some test shots. Tripods are ideal in this setting. X
Cara: For star-shaped bulbs, use a high aperture and a slow shutter (This however would be bad for people, they would be blurry.) for big round ball-looking Christmas light bokeh, use a very wide aperture and whatever shutter speed you need to make the people properly exposed (preferably faster than 1/120.) Make sure that the people are rather close to you and rather far from the Christmas lights, so the Christmas lights blur more.
Melissa: Cara, by high aperture you mean narrow, right? If so, I would definitely agree. But like Suzy said, if you use a tripod and ask your subjects to stay still (hard for little kids!) you can get a nice effect with a narrow aperture and slow shutter speed. Maybe better to experiment with adults? An engaged couple?
Bryan: How I would do it: My settings would start at ISO 1600, f2-2.8, ss 1/60th and adjust as necessary. I would have an off camera light through a softbox (possibly umbrella, but the light would spread more than I want) to light the people. Depending on the size of the group would determine where I would put the light, but if it was 2 people or so I’d put it either camera right or left and give the couple some nice definition by working with the shadows.
Amanda: Distance your subject from the background lights, an focus/expose for the subject. Are you in auto, with the flash popping up? If so, switch to AV & expose for the subject, maybe with a reflector in front. I’m only guessing you were in auto & the flash was competing against the lights, causing them to not stand out. Your subject doesn’t have to be a great distance from the lights, but with a larger aperture (smallest f-stop) it will create some pretty bokeh.
Melanie: Maybe use a grid instead of a softbox, Bryan?
Colleen: use a wide aperture (i.e. 1.8 to 2.8 ) and make sure that there is some distance between subject and lights….your lights will be large, soft globes…. Depending on distance, you might need to drag the shutter (go slower with your shutter speed than your A Priority indicates) in order to get enough light into the background while still using flash on the subject (the flash will then freeze the subject so don’t worry about blur)
Critty: You will need to use a higher aperature f4.0 or higher to get the lights to show details and a lower shutterspeed. using a strobe or speedlight (aka off camera flash) to fill your subject only…preferably w/a softbox. and a higher ISO will make a huge difference! Try it…it is pretty amazing!
Cara: Yup, by high I meant narrow. High number = narrow.
Christy: Aperture controls the strobe or flash power, shutter speed controls the ambient. If your exposure looks good except for the lights, slow down the shutter to pull in more ambient light. Use a tripod. The flash firing will help freeze your subjects. Be sure to use second or rear curtain sync
Christy: Also dialing down the output on the flash/strobe so the ratio between it and the ambient is lower
Kara: Thank you for all the input!
Blue Milkshake Photography: if you’re camera in a Nikon d something or other, it probably has a night portrait mode. use that, as it will light up the subject, but its aim is to keep background detail 🙂
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