Photography Project - Photo 4

 I had been watching youtube videos on how to take photos of Christmas lights and on Christmas Eve the weather looked perfect so I gave it a try.
They talk about the sweet spot when the light is just right to show off the lights and also show the background to a degree - in this case the houses alongside one side of Ancrum Green. This meant I was out for ages taking lots of photos to make sure I didn't miss the sweet spot!
I used my DSLR with a tripod and the remote. Obviously I used no flash. The ISO was set at 800 and I had the White Balance set to auto. I did try incandescent (as it said some people prefer this) but I found it too blue. The camera was set to S - shutter. I think I set the shutter speed for around 0.6sec but I did try a few different speeds to see what worked best. I admit Ancrum doesn't have the glitziest of Christmas lights but as an experiment I think it works well enough.
I straightened the photo a little, the village green is slightly sloped and I didn't manage to get the tripod completely level, then I applied a little contrast. I didn't think it needed much else.
Even though I have been using my DSLR for a few years now and getting many lovely photos from it I haven't been using it to its potential - I tend to shut my mind off to things that are too technical. However my New Year's resolution is to learn how to use it more fully and to try and understand what all the buttons and controls mean! This was me starting early on my resolution!


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