Holiday Light Portraits Made Easy

Holiday Light Portraits Made Easy

Photo by Kim Fogle

Holiday light portraits with a sweet dog

Christmas lights provide a great backdrop for portraits during this season. If you want to get photos like these (animals or people!), here are some quick tips:

 

1 - Make sure to get close and fill the frame with your camera.

In this shot, Kim Fogle from our Lincoln store makes sure she's close enough to get both the subject and the lights filling the frame.

 

2 - Make sure you have some sort of light source nearer to your subject than to the background lights!

Here Kim has a light near her and to the left of her dog, and the light is mostly on the animal and not on the background. You can use lighting equipment, or just move a lamp a lot closer to your subject!

 

3 - Try to use a wide-aperture lens in order to blur the background.

A "nifty fifty" lens is a great addition to any kit, and allows photographers to get that awesome background blur Kim is showing in this photo. Just use a wide aperture (f/2.8 or wider if you can), and you'll get that "bokeh" effect of blurring those holiday lights!

4 - Experiment!

Try different amounts of lights in the background, and get a little closer or farther away to see the difference in your photos.

Just remember that your dog will probably love a portrait in front of the Christmas tree. Your cat? Less so.

 

Need more inspiration for holiday photographs? Check out these other blog articles:

5 Tips for Better Holiday Photographs

Better Food and Family Photographs This Holiday

Photographing Holiday Lights

8 Simple Tips for a Memorable Holiday Card

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