Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Let There Be Light!

The Christmas Tree that is fake but Made in the USA found it's way out of the box yesterday! It even has some lights on it, blue ones, Far Guy's favorite! Maybe in a few days it will actually have some decorations on it. I am really getting into the Christmas Spirit this year.

Do you know how hard it is to get an acceptable night photo of Christmas Tree lights? First you have to plunge the entire house into darkness..not real hard these days anytime after 4:30 works fine. Then you have to turn off the TV. No one wants to look at a photograph of CNN. The camera must be held perfectly still. Three seconds is a long time. Far Guy thought my twenty minute photo session was too long. "Are you done yet?" " How is it coming?" Now I understand he dislikes cooking by flashlight but I just needed a few more minutes. Reminder to self : Self buy Far Guy a Miners hat with a light.
A Tripod! That's what I need. I have tried about everything else. Books stacked up, a few books and an upside down bowl, a chair, you name it and I tried it. The log stairs worked the best! If the camera is not held still for those three seconds of exposure your Christmas lights look all squiggly. Kinda like little birds with wings. I had a whole bunch of those shots..now deleted. A few looked really artsy fartsy so I kept them. Controlling light and motion seem to be a key to good photography.

Now if I could just stop the sun from setting so early on the days that it actually shows up for work:)

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great shot! I like the blue light...

It gets dark here by 3 pm!! So I know what you mean ...

Andrea said...

Just found your blog from the Sunday Stills site....I saw a picture of a border collie and just had to click on through! :) I too have just discovered the pain of capturing holiday lights on film....very frustrating...but worth it if you end up with a good one! :) Nice to have found u...I will be back to visit.

Unknown said...

I love blue lights on Christmas trees and they don't remind me of Kmart's blue light specials either!
Tripods are great! I used mine to take some baking pictures and couldn't believe how a tripod made me so excited about taking pictures! I'm such a nerd.
Add a tripod to your Dear Santa list maybe?
I think your home looks so cozy!
Did you get any snow yet? Would you like some? We have plenty.
Amy

flydragon said...

You did manage to get a great shot. I definitely need a tripod. There's no way I can hold the camera still for even 3 seconds.

That Janie Girl said...

Awesome shot!

DayPhoto said...

What a beautiful home! I love the tree and the lights...we are dark at 5:00 it will get worse as the longest night of the year is still looming.

Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com/

Unknown said...

Too funny. :) I just got done shooting some photos of our ornaments and yeah, a tripod is necessary in this situation. :)

Love your idea of a miner's light for hubs though. :)

Due to computer crash I have lost your information for the altered bloggy book swap. Could you kindly send again? Thanx! :)

The Wife said...

I am so with you. I have a time with low light situations. I took a pic of my tree the other night, got tired of trying to hold it still so just went crazy moving it around. That was a very interesting picture! I'll have to get my tripod out. You got a good one!

Jeanne Estridge said...

I generally wait until the weekend before Christmas to put up my tree -- there's really no good place for it, and it takes up a lot of room.

Now that I've seen your picture, though, I'm hankering to get mine out....

Thanks for a dose of Christmas spirit!

Anonymous said...

wow how gorgeous... can i put my gifts under YOUR tree? :)

here where we're plum in line for a white one here

gp in mt.

A Wild Thing said...

What did we ever do without digital cameras. Me and my dog are always on the road shooting pictures of my beautiful Ioway countryside, can't get enough of it. I think maybe we got 3 inches today, I'm afraid to ask how much for you guys.

I used to live in Colorado, back in the 70's, so your popples bring back many fond memories of wandering the woods. So sad that so many have no respect for the wilderness and yes the demise of the family farm...thanks for stopping by.
sharon

The W.O.W. factor! said...

LOL! I can barely hold a camera steady to take a picture of a plain blue sky, let alone an object! You done good FSF!!!
And your home is beautiful!
I got Cowboy one of those lights that clip on the bill of a cap! You wouldn't believe how many horses he's shoed with it!! Ought to work great for cooking, so you can take your time!

Ed said...

Great shot, You can pick up an inexpensive tabletop tripod for around 10.00 at wal-mart or go for a full size one for around 20.00. Any Q's just ask.
Later...Ed

Anonymous said...

have to get all your outdoor shots done by four o'clock around here....because it's dark. such short days. i love your log stairs.

alphawoman said...

I bought a tripod from a mail order newspaper thype thing that I can not remember now! Grrrrrr. Because it had fabulous stuff at very reasonal prices vrs the internet where the prices are too high...especially if you are not working. Oh, the tripod broke! One of the legs gave way somehow and I loved it and now have to replace it. I tired to take pictures of the total eclispe (sp.lol) last winter and it looks like something very scary.

MariesImages said...

Wow, lovely tree! I love night shots! You should get a tripod, but a smaller one would be more useful.
I use my small tripod more that my old slik, which is too big & heavy.
Marie