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Photographing Coloured Lights in Forest Settings

In a number of places across the UK, as autumn is well under way, you see events being put on involving photographing coloured lights in forest settings. These vary from well illuminated forest trails, with interesting but easy to walk trails to art works involving a major expedition up hillsides to experience more spooky effects. Some have music, some sound effects and some just the lights.

We have a listing of some of these that we have come across,  but I expect there are more.

In addition to the larger forest settings, there are also a number of gardens that have floodlit features, ranging from private gardens to town parks and holiday areas with paths with illuminated wildlife features.

In some places the lights are arranged around or near lakes, so as to get reflections.

Of all night time photography this can be some of the most difficult to make effective. Light shows, where the colours change, can be recorded a step at a time, or with time exposure all the colours added to a photograph, but often is less effective than when you are out in the middle of it.

With a lot of the illuminated creature type of features, you come across one at a time as you move through the woods, so its difficult to get any shots with multiple items in.

The technical considerations are very similar to those with photographing street scenes at night and the spot metering technique explained is likely to come in handy particularly with the lights in the woods.

See also our these location guides for ideas:-

Walsall Illuminations, Walsall Arboretum, Walsall, Staffordshire

Enchanted Christmas at Westonbirt Arboretum, nr Tetbury, Gloucestershire