Family Hearthside Shot

<p>I'm a rank amateur at lighting but I'd like try try a shot of my small family sitting at the hearthside with the Christmas tree to one side. I'd like a warm romantic effect with the flames of the fire visible as well as the lights of the Christmas tree. I have a Nikon D7100 and a SB800 and a SB600 but initial tests with flash were not encouraging. Perhaps some low wattage incandescents might be better? Any suggestion or tips would be welcome. Thanks.</p>

<p>Al</p>

<p>All you need to do is extend your shutter speed to capture the flames of the fire Al. About 1/15th second should be plenty long enough. Don't let the camera choose the shutter speed for you. You might also want to dial down the flash compensation a little - perhaps minus 1/2 a stop.</p>

<p>Edit: Forgot to mention that you'll need to keep both camera and family still for the length of the exposure. 1/15th second or longer really needs a tripod or other steadying device rather than being handheld.</p>

<p>Done this many times.<br /><br />You need to be on full manual. First thing is to make some test shots to see where you get an exposure that makes the flames and the Christmas tree lights look good. What kind of bulbs do you have on the tree? Standard mini lights don't put out much light and LEDs can be even dimmer. If you have a real tree (not artificial) old fashioned C-7 bulbs are much brighter and make this easier. But if miniature is what you have, that's what you have.<br /><br />Once you've got that exposure figured out, dial in your flash units to match the aperture. Flash doesn't care what the shutter speed is as long as it's at or below your camera's sync speed. I have used one flash in an umbrella off to the left with the kids facing that way while seated in front of the fire, and a second umbrella unit to the right providing fill a stop or two less bright.<br /><br />Trying to get both the fireplace and the tree in the shot might be a challenge. You probably need the tree right next to the fireplace, even though that might not be where you would want to keep it for the season. Might be able to have it further back and shoot at an angle that emphasizes the kids and fireplace with the tree more in the background. Keep in mind that you don't need the entire tree in the picture. I've often used it as a background, sometimes out of focus behind the kids.<br>

And with my own kids, the rule of thumb is that you don't have a good shot until they've cried and then you settle them down to get them to finally cooperate. :) Do as much testing without them as you can to minimize the tears.</p>