All Day I Dream About Photography

In this article of reader’s section raspberrytart shares with us tips that will improve our Christmas Ornaments pictures. All pictures in this article are by raspberrytart

There’s something magical about Christmas ornaments. When you unpack them from their boxes and prepare to put them on the tree, there’s dozens of memories associated with the little baubles–vacations to Hawaii, a child’s art project, or a friendship. Then again, maybe you just bought them because you thought they were pretty. In any case, they make great subjects to photograph. Here are some tips to help you get the most in capturing your ornamental subjects.

• Use a tripod: I admit that I’m a tripod-hater due to the bulky nature of them, but they’re a must-have in this situation. They’re the only way to get crisp, clean shots without any noise. You just can’t hold still enough.
• Don’t stress your lens-type: I’ve shot ornaments with everything from a 10.2mm fisheye to a fixed 50mm to a 300mm zoom lens. Part of the fun was experimenting with the different looks.
• A note on aperture:I’ve found that my favorite shots will have a sharp subject and a nicely blurred background of sparkling lights. To achieve this look, you’re going to need a lens that lets you set your aperture to something in the f1.8 to f5.6 range.
• Camera settings:
  • Mode: I shoot most of my ornament shots with Aperture Priority. Christmas lights give off more light than you think, so your camera shouldn’t have too much trouble auto-focusing. If it does, switch your lens from to manual focus.
  • White balance: White balance can be tricky. Shooting in RAW format may be your best bet because you will be able to adjust your white balance on your computer. However, if you don’t have that option or you hate the hassle of RAW [like me], I recommend using the “tungsten” white balance setting. It should give you the best light without being too cold-looking or too orange.
  • ISO settings: You have a tripod, of course, so set it low. 100 or 200 is perfect.
• Get close to your subject: One of the most common problems of ornament photos is that people try to take a photo of a section of the tree. This means that there’s no true subject to the photo; your eyes bounce around from ornament to ornament. To make the most of the photo, get really close.
• Use the timer on your camera [or a remote]: Your finger on the shutter is going to cause camera-shake and lead to blurry photos. Use the timer so that your camera has a few seconds to stop shaking before it takes the photo.
• Check your histogram: Things always look great on my screen and then end up underexposed on my computer; the only way to overcome this is using the histogram. If you don’t know how to read it, do yourself a favor by studying up on it. You’ll improve every photo you take.
• Experiment: Try different groupings of ornaments, angles, and colors of Christmas lights. It’s fun to see what you can get.

Good luck!