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It’s that time of year again where people put up Christmas lights for us photographers to shoot. Here are a few tips for making great images of holiday lights:

• How to Take Great Photos of Holiday Lights from the New York Institute of Photography (NYIP):

There are some photographic subjects where it makes little difference whether you use a digital camera or a film-based model to capture the image. The colors and warm glow of holiday lights is not one of them. If you’re not careful, you can run into trouble with a digital camera. All photographers interested in getting great holiday photos should read this article. Digital camera users should make sure to read the special digital section written by NYI’s digital expert Jim Barthman with care. While today’s auto-everything cameras can do a lot of things following the wisdom of built-in programs, this is one area where you’ll want to exercise some control.

• Christmas photos can get a bit repetitive and boring, especially if you just shoot the obvious subjects in the traditional way. For ideas and inspiration on making better photos, BetterPhoto.com has a pretty good Christmas Photo Gallery.

• For a different take on shooting Christmas lights, Will Simpson has written an article on Drive By Shooting of lights:

Here’s how it is done. Find a safe section of road near a Christmas light display. Have someone else drive so you can concentrate on the images. The most important thing to remember is set the camera so the flash will NOT fire. If it fires the picture will be ruined by the reflection of the closed car window and you and your driver or any other drivers around might be temporarily be blinded by the flash. Not a good thing to have happen while driving.

• Photos of Christmas Lights and Other Holiday Happenings
• Top Ten Tips for Better Holiday Photos

Please use the comments section to post your own tips for shooting holiday lights, and link to any other articles or photo galleries (yours or other photographers).

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Greg Stott has written a list of Ten Movies Every Photographer Should See for The Luminous Landscape.

For me, the movies that populate my list are not those that contain extraordinary special effects or extended dolly or crane shots. Nor are they films that necessarily contain great acting though the blend of great visuals and admirable acting often do seem to go hand in hand. There have been many great movies over the years, of course, but only a small number I think are able to visually inspire a still photographer. In my opinion, the qualities of such movies include quality of light, first and foremost, but also fetching composition and, sometimes, camera effects. The most inspirational movies for still photographers often possess powerful and memorable scenes that make you wish you were there with a camera to capture some of the magic moments. Indeed, if I watch a movie and am left with an urge to go take pictures, it’s one of the factors that make it a contender for my list of movies worth recommending. By the way, as my list suggests (lots of foreign movies), I’m not bothered by subtitles.

Here is Greg’s list, with links to their Internet Movie Database (IMDB) pages:

• Baraka
• Barry Lyndon
• The Conformist
• Days of Heaven
• Dreams
• The Last Emperor
• Raise The Red Lantern
• The Third Man
• Visions of Light
• Winged Migration

Don’t just use the list above, though – visit the link and read Greg’s commentary about each movie.

What movies would you add to the list? Make your suggestions in the comments below!

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Kevin Mills has written a great tutorial showing how he turned a fairly run-of-the-mill image into a great one – Seeing Beyond The Capture.

Kevin explains every step of the process, talking about the creative decisions he made along the way and the Photoshop techniques he used to achieve each step. He even provides a .psd of the final image, so you can peel back the layers and experiment with the techniques yourself.

This is an extremely well-written tutorial, especially for those just starting out with Photoshop, and certainly worth a read for its blend of creative and technical issues. I especially like the use of rollover images to compare before and after images of each step.

Filed under: Software,Technique
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If you’re looking for something a little different to do on your next photographic outing, consider “camera tossing”. This is where you set your camera’s shutter on self-timer mode, then throw it in the air and see what kind of photograph it takes.

You can read more about it at Camera Toss (The Blog), including _nod’s tossing guide for beginners and the Camera Toss Mini-HOWTO.

Here are a few interesting shots taken using this method:

• supertoss2, made by throwing a Supersampler camera in the air (this camera takes 4 photos in rapid succession on a single frame of 35mm film)
• calligraphies, Photoshopped camera toss images
• multishot toss, made using a camera in multi-shot mode and then joining the images together
• the Flickr Camera Toss page for lots more

Most people seem to use cheap or disposable cameras for this type of photography (for obvious reasons!), but at least one person has been doing it with an EOS 10D.

If you’ve done some camera tossing, feel free to post links to your results in the comments below.

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Michael Reichmann of Luminous Landscape fame has recently returned from leading a two-week photographic tour of China. As he always does after such trips, Michael has posted a series of very well-written articles about various aspects of the tour:

• When Failure Is Not An Option – how to secure your digital files when travelling
• China In The Bag – what worked and what didn’t on a 2 week shoot in China
• Panasonic LX-1 Field Report – how this 16:9 format digicam made out in China
• The Classic Chinese Landscape – Guilin and Huangshan
• China Workshop Members’ Portfolios – photographs submitted by members of the expedition
• A China Archive – photographs from China in October 2005 that have appeared on the Luminous Landscape site
• Street Photography In China – a look at the tools and techniques for shooting in a foreign country

While you’re at the Luminous Landscape site, don’t forget to check out Michael’s Bangladesh book. I’ve ordered for my Christmas stocking, have you?

Filed under: Equipment,Photographers,Technique
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A young photographer, just starting out in the business, wrote to the editor of Lenswork magazine, asking, “What are the most important things I should do to improve my photographs?” Rather than a glib, canned answer, the editor devoted several pages of editorial space to “Twenty-One Ways To Improve Your Artwork”.

You can read the editorial in the free online sample of Lenswork Issue 58.

A couple of quotes that really resonated with me include:

Never forget that all the great photographs in history were made with more primitive camera equipment than you currently own.

and

Shoot more than you do; print more than you do; and be a ruthless editor. I’m serious. There is a great deal to be gained in sheer volume – not that volume itself is any virtue, but practice is. Besides, relentless practice does have a twin sister known as luck.

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If you’re interested in the photography of abandoned buildings, then Opacity is the site for you.

Once a building no longer serves its purpose, and all of its functionality ceases to exist, it becomes truly fascinating. Each room is transforming into something new at its own rate, yielding to the forces of nature as it reclaims man’s creation. The corrosion and decay paint vibrant colors across otherwise dull surfaces, lit only by natural sunlight spilling into the spaces at unaccustomed angles. Each object left behind becomes more significant than it has ever been, hinting at the life prior to its disuse. Floors collapse and walls cave in without care; if you get hurt, no one is here to help you. This is a lonesome alien world whose dark corners and peeling walls have gotten a hold of me and many others; this affinity for derelict structures and often dangerous excitement is the core essence of urban exploring, in my opinion.

Be sure to explore the photo galleries – there are some truly amazing shots in there. I love the textures and the isolation, and the incredible lighting in many of the photographs.

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For loads of information and tutorials on lighting principles, equipment lessons and lighting lessons, check out the Photoflex Lighting School web site.

This site is devoted to teaching photographic lighting principles and product expertise. Learn how lighting equipment is set up to produce great results when shooting portraits and products. Follow these easy-to-use lessons to learn the secrets of great lighting techniques. New lessons and tutorials are in the works, so visit often.

The articles are geared to show you what to do with Photoflex products, but obviously the principles apply just the same to other equipment brands.

While much of the site is free, some of the articles cost $0.99 to access. A small price to pay if you need to know how to light a particular shot!

Filed under: Equipment,Technique
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There’s a lot of interesting information in these ‘lessons’ on how to use your Manfrotto products.

We’ve produced a series of practical photography lessons in collaboration with webphotoschool, aimed at helping you get the most out of your Manfrotto equipment in different “real-life” photographic situations.

The lessons give you valuable information on how to tackle different subjects from still life to macro, from nature photography to portraiture, indoors and out.

Each lesson has been produced using different Manfrotto tripods and heads and gives detailed information on every step of the shoot from setting up the tripod through to making those fine adjustments in framing, lighting and technique that can turn a good photo into a great one.

Of course, the information in these articles is not strictly for Manfrotto owners. Although the example refer to various Manfrotto equipment models, the general techniques are translatable to any brand of tripod.

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Kodak ProPass is an online magazine for advanced amateur and professional photographers.

No matter what your passion, inspiration, or subject is, ProPass magazine will continue to deliver the content that will help you reach your artistic and your business goals. For the former, learn from the best via interviews with today’s hottest photographers spanning the spectrum from both the commercial and portrait/wedding fields. And when you’re in the market for new equipment and innovative solutions, our product reviews and announcements can help steer you in the right direction.

What’s in it for me?

Discounts and promotions. Access to our publication. Access to all areas of the ProPass website.The ability to learn from your peers through articles, case studies, and shared stories. Connection to photographers just like you through chat rooms, bulletin boards, and by attending seminars, trade shows, and members-only events. Unlimited access to our customer service area through a members-only online link.

Subscription is free, so sign up now and you’ll be notified of future updates.

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