It’s the end of the year again in a blink of an eye. The Christmas season is here. The Christmas and New Year’s Day atmosphere is getting stronger in the streets and alleys, and it’s a good time to take pictures.
Every Christmas season, whether it is day or night, the various lights and decorations on the streets are particularly eye-catching, and they are also very suitable for taking pictures.
Today we will not discuss the ideologies and deep cultural meanings behind various festivals. We will simply talk about how to take a good photo of the year-end festival atmosphere from a photography perspective.
1. Holiday elements
When we think of Christmas and New Year's Day, elements such as Christmas trees , stars, gift boxes, snowflakes, etc. will appear in our minds. If we want to highlight this festive atmosphere, we need to make good use of these elements.
For these elements, we can either use them as the main subject of the shooting, or use them as auxiliary elements in the picture:
Elements such as Christmas trees, garlands, Santa Claus, , snowmen, etc., we can use them as the main shooting objects, in the picture Highlight their presence , such as using central symmetrical composition and frame composition , and using a large aperture to enhance the festive atmosphere;
And some smaller elements, small accessories, small decorations, etc., we can use them as the background or foreground in the picture to match the characters, buildings, etc. to set off the festive atmosphere.
If you have these holiday elements around you or at the shooting location, you can make good use of them.
2. Color
During the Christmas season, the most conspicuous colors may be red and green . Red represents elements such as Christmas hats and bows, while green represents elements such as Christmas trees and ribbons. We need to be sensitive to these two colors when shooting, and we can look for these two colors and incorporate them into the picture; and in post-production operations, we can appropriately enhance their saturation and brightness , and move other colors closer to these two colors. For example, blue can be adjusted to green, and purple can be adjusted to red.
In addition to these two colors, orange yellow and white are also relatively common Christmas and New Year's Day colors. As one of the most common warm colors, orange yellow has a feeling of warmth and reunion . It is very common in store windows. When we shoot, we can use it as the main color of the picture. As an adjacent tone of red and green, it works well with the overall picture.
And white usually appears as background color and foil color during festivals. It can also achieve good results when matched with red and green, and can add a unique winter atmosphere.
3. Night scene
Photos of Christmas and New Year's Day holiday elements must not avoid the night scene. On the one hand, there are traditions such as Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. On the other hand, various decorative elements combined with lights at night will create a more festive atmosphere, so don't miss the night scene.
When shooting, we can look for places with lighting and densely decorated . Whether it is indoors or outdoors, we can get good results. However, when shooting, we must pay attention to ensuring that the light is sufficient. We can use a large aperture and appropriately increase the sensitivity.
When adjusting in the later stage, the night scene photos can be appropriately improved with contrast and definition , and the picture effect will be better.
4. Taking pictures of people
In the lively atmosphere of the festival, if we want to take portraits, we can learn from the above method, make good use of festival elements and match the festival colors. During specific shooting, we can use some ambient lights, small decorations, etc. as auxiliary props to coordinate with the subject.
Finally, I suggest that if you want to go out to shoot, you can choose later when there are fewer people. On the one hand, you can avoid the impact of people and traffic. On the other hand, you still need to maintain social distance during special periods and take precautions..
That’s it for today~
