Capturing Beautiful Photos of Christmas Lights with Your iPhone

It’s Christmas time and that means snapping tons of photos of all of the twinkling lights. You might not always have your fancy camera with you to capture holiday lights with all of the gadgets, do-dads and settings your DSLR has to offer but you do have your iPhone! Check out these quick tips for getting a great photograph of lighted decorations with your camera phone.

Best Time:

Dusk. Right before it gets completely dark.

Best Position:

Steady. Brace your arm and tuck in your elbows close to your body or use a tripod to reduce shake.

Best Focus:

Bokeh. Focus on something in the foreground to create that desirable out-of-focus look on the christmas lights in the background.

Best App:

Skip the built-in camera app. Use one of the great apps offered in the app store that offers white balance adjustments.

Best Strategy:

Burst mode. Use the iPhone’s burst mode to snap a bunch of pictures at one time. Go back later and pick out your favorite from the bunch.

Best Rule Ever:

Have fun! Take pictures you like! Then take those pictures and make a fun Animoto video to show off your photography skills.