Photographing Christmas lights

Gear:

• Camera – A DSLR is preferable but a compact is fine if you don't own one.
• Tripod – You will be playing with longish exposures so a sturdy tripod such as the Vanguard Alta Pro 263AT is an essential piece of kit to take with you.
• Wide-angle lens – useful when there's not much distance between you and the lights
• Medium tele-photo lens - For when you have more distance to play with
• Camera bag - a shoulder bag such as those found in Vanguard's Up-Rise Series will be easier to carry when you're on the move.

Technique:
Don't wait until the light's completely left the sky as you'll only be able to see the lights and not the surroundings. Try arriving around sunset as this will give you plenty of time to plan your shot before the light vanishes.

When you're setting up make sure your white balance is set to tungsten and if you're photographing a large display of Christmas lights use a small aperture to get everything in focus.

When you start taking your photos it can be a case of trial and error at first as the ambient light needs to be just right so the lights 'pop' out of the image. But if you start shooting when there's still a little blue in the sky, as the lights switch on, you'll eventually find the window that will give you the chance to take shots that have interesting foreground detail as well as eye-popping lights.

If you don't fancy the 'take as many shots as you can and get rid of what you don't want later' approach you can always have a go at bracketing.

Set your gear up, taking your first exposure just after the sun has gone when there's still a spot of colour in the sky then wait for the sun to set before you take your next exposure. This way you'll end up with a shot of a pleasing night sky and surroundings for your second exposure of the lights to essentially sit against. Just don't move your camera between shots as your lights can end up hanging in the wrong place. All you have to do then is blend your images together - you can find more information on how to do this in our Photomatix tutorial.

If the streets are damp after an afternoon of rain use them to your advantage as they are a great canvas for Christmas light reflections. Also, if you're not a night owl but are an early riser try heading out just before sunrise as most light displays will still be switched on.

Find the tripod and camera bag to suit your needs at www.vanguardworld.com