How to Use Your Phone to Photograph Christmas Lights

Here's a quick and easy guide to taking better cell phone pics this Christmas! Taking decent pictures in front of Christmas lights can be a challenge, but with a few of these tips, you'll be the coolest kid on Instagram.

1. Flash

Avoid Using the Flash 

Flash causes red eyes (your children or pets look like demons), and really downplays the lights in the back.

Without using the flash the Christmas lights are brought out more but...
If you are photographing children or pets in front of the tree they are underexposed.
There is a simple way to get both exposed subjects and great Christmas lights in your images!

Using a friend’s phone flashlight is the best way to go! This gives side lighting, which usually looks better, and allows the Christmas lights to really shine through! Just have a friend off to the side of you and aim their flashlight at the SUBJECT, you want to avoid as much spill onto the tree and lights as possible.

2. Don't Selfie

The front-facing camera in a phone is a lower-resolution camera and doesn't do as well, especially at night. It's always going to go at least a little bit better if you use the back camera and have someone else take it. That way you can include your entire family as well!

Best lighting and time of day

Want to take a scroll-stopping shot? It’s all about capturing the right moment in the right light. A slow exposure is needed to capture darker and illuminated areas. Make sure the flash is off and the night mode is on. However, if you use Night Mode and there are moving lights or people, they may become blurry.

Naturally, the best time to photograph Christmas lights is typically dusk. Your best bet is to shoot between when the sun begins to set and a half-hour after sunset, right before it gets completely dark.

Best position

 You’ll want to remember to remain steady. Brace your arm and tuck your elbows close to your body to reduce shaking. Don't be afraid to take close-ups too for a dazzling, bright, and unique photo. Also, shoot in portrait orientation (phone up and down) If you share your photos to social media you won’t have to crop out as much of your image.

How to focus

While there’s no hard and fast rule about focusing your photo, we’re fans of bokeh when it comes to capturing holiday lights. Focus on something in the foreground to create that desirable out-of-focus look on the lights in the background. If you want to get a photo of the lights in focus, a wide landscape image is a great choice.

I hope this helps.
Enjoy your holidays!
Brenda