VWAPC Christmas Party set for Dec. 8

By Rex Dolby

The Van Wert Area Photography Club’s Christmas Dinner has been set for Thursday, December 8, at 6 p.m.  The Black Angus on Main will be the dinner site.  Those planning to attend must call, text, leave a message, or Email secretary Dolby by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, December 6, telling how many places you wish to reserve. This will assure you and your guest that you will have a seat at the table.  Dolby’s contact points include: 419.238.4545, 567.259.8951, and dolbys2@embarqmail.

More and more Christmas displays can be seen around town, so I decided to provide some tips for photographing them.  I’ll discuss outdoor displays this week and indoor displays a later time.

Some equipment to aid in capturing a sharp image include: a tripod, a remote way to trigger the shutter (some cameras have a timer to trip the shutter), a wide angle and/or standard lens, and extra batteries if it’s really cold.

Now you need to determine whether you wish to include the building the lights are on, or around, or just the lights. If the building is to be part of the composition, how much?  If it is high, start at sundown or a little before if the building is not in direct sunlight.  It will be dark enough that the lights will show up well and still light enough to get the background too.  Check your results and slow or speed up the shutter, or wait till it gets darker.

If the subject of the photo is to be the lights, you can wait until later in the evening to start.  Try several lens openings, shutter speeds, and ISO settings to get your desired results. ISO settings should probably be no more that 400 to 800.  Any higher risks noise in the dark areas.  If you’re forced to use the wide angle lens in order to capture the whole scene, remember that items at the extreme edges may bend into the picture. They can be straightened to some degree however, in post production. When possible, back up, use the 50mm lens for less distortion at 1/50th of a second and lens opening of  f/2.8 to f/4.6.  Again take multiple shots at different settings to get the best results.