Help me make my wife happy!

[gb hill]

My wife want's a picture of these Christmas lights that are at a certain house. To her they are the most beautiful arrangement she has ever seen. The whole yard is full of different arrangements. So I need you guys help & expertice to keep maritial bliss in the home."You married guys know especially what i'm talking about.😀 I have a sturdy tripod, but I don't have a fast lens for my bessa L. My 25/4 I don't think would be fast enough even with high speed film would it? Then exposure times of course are a factor. Might have to break out the slr for this one but don't really wan't to. QL-17 has the 40/1:7 but the lens may not be wide enough. These are a few thoughts going through my head at the moment. Plus also the right time of evening,etc.
So I ask you, 'the experts' How would you go about this night photography project. Any and all advice welcome. I have a month to do this.


thanks
Greg

 

[rncamero]

Hi Greg,

I think your 25/4 + tripod combo would be enough for the job. Is this the Voigtlander Snapshot-Skopar? I have that lens and it's capable of getting indoor lighting shots with fast film. I think with long exposures on a tripod, you'd be able to get the shot. A faster lens might not have that depth of field for you.

If you have some money to spare on film, a month could be long enough to get the best looking shot?

good luck!

 

[SolaresLarrave]

Hmmm... a challenge to the imagination here. I did some house lights a few years ago (the owners felt flattered, my pics didn't justify their pride so I threw them away). However, ever since I've been thinking about the "problem" of good composition, film and lighting.

I'd try several rolls, several takes, and all within a 15 minute interval, in the early moments at dusk.

First, try with a tungsten roll (to get a beautifully intense blue-sky-background), in your camera on a sturdy tripod with your 25mm lens, closed down to, say, f8 (that way, the lights will look like stars). Bracket your shots from half to one and a half seconds (probably more). Remember, this should be done right before all daylight is gone, while you still can see without a flashlight. And, to make things more exciting, lower your horizon down to one foot above ground. That way, if there are decorations on the ground, you'll get an unusual perspective and not the average viewer's. BTW, most tungsten films are ISO 160. There's a newer version of the Kodak Portra, which is tungsten print film. Otherwise, there's slide film (Ektachrome 64T).

Then, with regular daylight film, preferably ISO 200, with the same rig. Just beware of the color changes brought about by the light.

Another thing I'd do is place the camera on a tripod, at some distance, so as to get the entire house, at a time when the only light comes from the decorations. I'd try closing down the lens at f16 or f22 (the smallest possible aperture), and open the shutter for 30 seconds, then 45 and even one minute. Just see what turns out.

Hope this helps! 🙂

 

[Photog9001]

use the widest one you got/need, shoot tungsten balanced slide film, say fuji 64t or the likes, ... ahh, it's been a while since i've done this, how about starting at two seconds at f8, and bracket down from there, four/five stops (i don't have a clue of course how bright these lights are).... hyperfocal focusing (isn't that what it's called?) should do. and since marriage is on the line, buy three or four films, shoot plenty😉

and if you have a digi something (p&s should do), they're usable to determine a starting point...

just a suggestion....

 

[FrankS]

No problem. Set up camera on tripod with cable release. Set lens to f8. Set camera shutter speed to B setting. Use a wrist watch or simply count seconds (precision is not required) and make exposures of 1 sec, 3 sec, 10 sec, 30 sec, 1 minute, and 3 minutes. One of these exposures will be good with whatever speed film you use and however bright the lghts are.

You could look up exposure times for various situations including Christmas lights at night with the film speed you are using. I'd use 100 speed film for the quality. Since the camera is on a tripod, film speed is just a consideration for exposure.

 

[ikiru]

The others pretty much got it covered. When shooting static objects at night with a tripod, you don't need a fast lens....Also film is cheap bracket your exposures and you'll get a keeper...

 

[gb hill]

Thanks for all the quick replies. Yes it's a Snap Shot Skopar lens and the L is empty of film right now. I didn't even think of dof with a fast lens so this is a releif because they have this wood fence railing that runs along side of the yard that goes pretty deep with the lights and all that. This family does a really good job, artistic, not tacky like most I see around here. So looks like the bessa L is gonna get a good work out this season and the different film choices sounds interresting. Any other advice is also appreciated. Thats what I love about this group here at RFF.


Thanks again
Greg

 

[RML]

If this is a light decoration, you could even start out at less than 1 second shutter time. Try what the camera itself says and then bracket to longer shutter times but also bracket to 1/2, 1/4, 1/8 sec or shorter.