Photo by Liz Ness

With the winter darkness quickly taking over more and more of my day, the holiday season always comes as something of a relief. Just as I start to feel truly blue about the 5pm sunset, small twinkling lights suddenly begin appearing all over town. They dance between light poles, twirl around trees, and light the way home. It’s hard to be blue when the whole town seems to be prepped for a party.

For this month’s P.E.T. Photo Challenge, focus your camera on the light sources around you. From twinkling strands to streaking headlights, giant billboards to a solitary candle, there are so many interesting ways to add light to a scene. See what happens when you turn the light itself into your subject.

If you’re shooting buildings or other outdoor scenes, keep in mind that lights often look their best just before the sun has set—when there’s still enough light to make out the scene, but it’s dark enough to see the effect of the lights.

If you’re in need of a little inspiration, here are some good places to start:

• This is a great opportunity to try your hand at capturing bokeh (seen here in Liz’ photo). The soft, dreamy, out-of-focus light can add a lovely touch of whimsy to a photo—and is in perfect keeping with the season. Check out Laurie Excell’s article “Bokeh: Getting the Perfect Soft Background” from the September/October 2008 issue. If you’re ready to get more creative with it, read Liz Ness’ fun tutorial “Transform Your Light“ (September/October 2011).
• Photos tagged with “lights”  at 500px.com.
• Photo tagged with “ holiday lights” on Flickr.

Most importantly, have fun!

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