xmas neighbourhood watch

im trying to take a picture of some of my neighbour's pittoresque xmas
decorations...
but its hard. if i use flash, it just looks like daylight and u cant
really see the lights - which is the point
if i don't use flash, it just looks... dim.
i tried "using" street lights, even worse... nearby, from far away...
im stuck.

how can i make a good photo of windows and doors that are glowing in
the dark...

thnx

"karburator" wrote in message
oups.com...
im trying to take a picture of some of my neighbour's pittoresque xmas
decorations...
but its hard. if i use flash, it just looks like daylight and u cant
really see the lights - which is the point
if i don't use flash, it just looks... dim.
i tried "using" street lights, even worse... nearby, from far away...
im stuck.

how can i make a good photo of windows and doors that are glowing in
the dark...

thnx

A long exposure is the only way...

--
Skip Middleton
www.shadowcatcherimagery.com
www.pbase.com/skipm

Skip wrote:
"karburator" wrote in message
oups.com...
im trying to take a picture of some of my neighbour's pittoresque xmas
decorations...
but its hard. if i use flash, it just looks like daylight and u cant
really see the lights - which is the point
if i don't use flash, it just looks... dim.
i tried "using" street lights, even worse... nearby, from far away...
im stuck.

how can i make a good photo of windows and doors that are glowing in
the dark...

thnx

A long exposure is the only way...

......with the camera on a tripod.

"Michael Johnson" wrote in message
...
Skip wrote:
"karburator" wrote in message
oups.com...
im trying to take a picture of some of my neighbour's pittoresque xmas
decorations...
but its hard. if i use flash, it just looks like daylight and u cant
really see the lights - which is the point
if i don't use flash, it just looks... dim.
i tried "using" street lights, even worse... nearby, from far away...
im stuck.

how can i make a good photo of windows and doors that are glowing in
the dark...

thnx

A long exposure is the only way...

.....with the camera on a tripod.

That's a given... ;-)

--
Skip Middleton
www.shadowcatcherimagery.com
www.pbase.com/skipm

Skip wrote:
"Michael Johnson" wrote in message
...
Skip wrote:
"karburator" wrote in message
oups.com...
im trying to take a picture of some of my neighbour's pittoresque xmas
decorations...
but its hard. if i use flash, it just looks like daylight and u cant
really see the lights - which is the point
if i don't use flash, it just looks... dim.
i tried "using" street lights, even worse... nearby, from far away...
im stuck.

how can i make a good photo of windows and doors that are glowing in
the dark...

thnx

A long exposure is the only way...
.....with the camera on a tripod.

That's a given... ;-)

I agree but sometimes it is good practice to state the obvious.

"Michael Johnson" wrote in message
...
Skip wrote:
"Michael Johnson" wrote in message
...
Skip wrote:
"karburator" wrote in message
oups.com...
im trying to take a picture of some of my neighbour's pittoresque xmas
decorations...
but its hard. if i use flash, it just looks like daylight and u cant
really see the lights - which is the point
if i don't use flash, it just looks... dim.
i tried "using" street lights, even worse... nearby, from far away...
im stuck.

how can i make a good photo of windows and doors that are glowing in
the dark...

thnx

A long exposure is the only way...
.....with the camera on a tripod.

That's a given... ;-)

I agree but sometimes it is good practice to state the obvious.

Yup, then you don't get the follow up post, "all my Christmas light pics are
blurry..." Grin

--
Skip Middleton
www.shadowcatcherimagery.com
www.pbase.com/skipm

So far, even with a good digital camera, I've had better luck with film
cameras under the same conditions.
1. Fast film, fast lens, with more latitude than the usual digital sensor.
2. Autofocus is often confused by the conditions.
3. Manual focus is somewhat of a problem on many digital cameras, due to the
low light level and the methods used to display the image on the usual lcd
screen.
4. I can hand hold a film camera and expect good results. For equivilent
results, I end up using a tripod with the digital cameras.
(Oly OM-2 vs C8080)

"Skip" wrote in message
...

"Michael Johnson" wrote in message
...
Skip wrote:
"Michael Johnson" wrote in message
...
Skip wrote:
"karburator" wrote in message
oups.com...
im trying to take a picture of some of my neighbour's pittoresque
xmas
decorations...
but its hard. if i use flash, it just looks like daylight and u cant
really see the lights - which is the point
if i don't use flash, it just looks... dim.
i tried "using" street lights, even worse... nearby, from far
away...
im stuck.

how can i make a good photo of windows and doors that are glowing in
the dark...

thnx

A long exposure is the only way...
.....with the camera on a tripod.

That's a given... ;-)

I agree but sometimes it is good practice to state the obvious.

Yup, then you don't get the follow up post, "all my Christmas light pics
are
blurry..." Grin

--
Skip Middleton
www.shadowcatcherimagery.com
www.pbase.com/skipm

Chuck wrote:
So far, even with a good digital camera, I've had better luck with
film cameras under the same conditions.
1. Fast film, fast lens, with more latitude than the usual digital
sensor.
2. Autofocus is often confused by the conditions.
3. Manual focus is somewhat of a problem on many digital cameras,
due
to the low light level and the methods used to display the image on
the usual lcd screen.
4. I can hand hold a film camera and expect good results. For
equivilent results, I end up using a tripod with the digital
cameras.
(Oly OM-2 vs C8080)


Worked for me (digital)
http://www.fototime.com/inv/F6C5EAFF157958F

--
Frank ess

On Wed, 20 Dec 2006 12:39:30 -0500, Chuck wrote:

So far, even with a good digital camera, I've had better luck with film
cameras under the same conditions.
1. Fast film, fast lens, with more latitude than the usual digital
sensor. 2. Autofocus is often confused by the conditions. 3. Manual
focus is somewhat of a problem on many digital cameras, due to the low
light level and the methods used to display the image on the usual lcd
screen.
4. I can hand hold a film camera and expect good results. For equivilent
results, I end up using a tripod with the digital cameras. (Oly OM-2 vs
C8080)

Uh, I hate to break this to you but you're not comparing film and digital,
you're comparing a decent SLR with a so so point-and-shoot.


"Skip" wrote in message
...

"Michael Johnson" wrote in message
...
Skip wrote:
"Michael Johnson" wrote in message
...
Skip wrote:
"karburator" wrote in message
oups.com...
im trying to take a picture of some of my neighbour's pittoresque
xmas
decorations...
but its hard. if i use flash, it just looks like daylight and u
cant really see the lights - which is the point if i don't use
flash, it just looks... dim. i tried "using" street lights, even
worse... nearby, from far
away...
im stuck.

how can i make a good photo of windows and doors that are glowing
in the dark...

thnx

A long exposure is the only way...
.....with the camera on a tripod.

That's a given... ;-)

I agree but sometimes it is good practice to state the obvious.

Yup, then you don't get the follow up post, "all my Christmas light
pics
are
blurry..." Grin

--
Skip Middleton
www.shadowcatcherimagery.com
www.pbase.com/skipm



--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

Michael Johnson wrote:
Skip wrote:
"karburator" wrote in message
oups.com...
im trying to take a picture of some of my neighbour's pittoresque
xmas decorations...
but its hard. if i use flash, it just looks like daylight and u cant
really see the lights - which is the point
if i don't use flash, it just looks... dim.
i tried "using" street lights, even worse... nearby, from far
away... im stuck.

how can i make a good photo of windows and doors that are glowing in
the dark...

thnx

A long exposure is the only way...

.....with the camera on a tripod.

I might add that the best, well some of the best most interesting shoots
are taken after (or during) a rain. The wet streets reflecting the lights
adds a lot of interest.

Play with the exposure. Depending on the camera you may be able to play
with the flash, although usually without the flash is best. If you want to
see something other than just the lights, consider taking photos at dusk.
Experiment to find just the right time.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia 's Muire duit