Jewel-Box Lighting.

Jewel Box Lighting can be very effective at Christmas. I was one my way home and spotted this house. The sky was just about perfect for Jewel-box lighting so I stopped in the street (after making sure no cars were coming), rolled down my car window, and grabbed quick photo with my iPhone.

Christmas at Easton in Columbus Ohio.

Most Christmas light photos are taken at night because the lights stand out at night, like this photo at Easton. But there is a magic window between sunset and night that the evening sky is perfect for jewel box lighting. The key is to combine a deep blue sky with Christmas lights.

The ideal time depends on the intensity of the Christmas lights. Really bright lights means you shoot earlier in the evening and dim Christmas lights mean you shoot later in the evening.

Christmas ornaments. Lamoni Iowa.

These Christmas decoration are much brighter than your typical outdoor Christmas tree lights so I had to shoot earlier in the evening.

Getting the right mix of Christmas lights and deep blue sky requires a bit of experimentation and usually requires several different exposures. For detailed information on how to do this, read the “Basics” article at the first link below.

Personal taste comes into play too. Just how light or dark you want the blue sky to be is up to you, and you might go for a lighter blue in some situations and a darker blue in others. In this photo I not only ended up with deep blue sky and snow, as an added bonus a star is shining over the roof of this house.

The important thing is to go out and experiment.

Links

Jewel Box Lighting, The Basics (for digital cameras)

Jewel Box Lighting Basics (for film cameras)

Jewel Box Lighting for Lighted Buildings

How To: “Jewel Box Lighting” at the Franklin Park Conservatory