Design Crafters

In yesterday’s column, I explored some tips for taking your Photo Christmas Cards photographs indoors.

Now I will continue with a discussion of some indoor lighting factors you are likely to encounter, and how to turn them into an advantage for setting that perfect Photo Christmas Card shot.

First, let us cover some factors involved with using window light for your photo.

On a sunny, bright day, window light passing through your window can add a charming effect to your photograph.

To set up your photo with window light, you will want to:

1. Open the window and blinds.
2. Position your subjects (such as the engaged couple that will be in the photo) on a sofa or chair near the window.
3. Focus the camera on the part of their faces where the sunlight is shining.
4. Take the image.

Window light does not work well when sunlight is streaming in directly through the window. It will be useful for you to observe the times of day when the rising and setting sun do this, and schedule your window light sessions to avoid these times.

Shooting Under Fluorescent Light is another matter, entirely.

Because of their tube shape, fluorescent lights reflect and illuminate differently than standard lighting. Your camera’s White Balance Fluorescent Setting is best for this task. 

I show you that setting in the illustration at the upper right corner of this blog post.

Here’s what t0 do:

1. Press the Menu button.
2. Press the left-facing Control button key until the White Balance menu is highlighted.
3. Press the up-facing Control button key to highlight the Florescent setting.
4. Press the shutter button to take your shot.

Keep in mind that some fluorescent lighting can cause photos to acquire a blue or green tint. If this happens, turn off your flash setting, or, if possible, switch off some of the fluorescent lighting itself.

Tomorrow, I’ll talk about avoiding that dreaded red-eye.