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NEWS
The Greatest Show on Earth In Rocklin, Northern California, many homes have joined together on two streets (Pebble Creek Drive and Strand Road) to create the best light display in the area. There are over 300 high quality handcrafted characters, all from cartoons we've come to know and love. Some are animated and others are programmed to talk. We highly recommend that you walk the streets, because there are trains, sounds, and life-size animated displays that can't be viewed from your car. As you make your turn onto Pebble Creek Drive, there is a large parking lot to the left. It is highly recommended that you utilize this. If you do decide to drive through, please dim your lights, drive slow and watch for children. Please note that the weekends can draw a large number of vehicles, so please be patient and courteous. From all of us at Pebble Creek Drive and Strand Road, have a wonderful holiday! |
Please Donate any canned food There is a wishing well at the end of Pebble Creek drive where you can drop off any canned items. These items will then be donated to multiple charities. Thank you very much.
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In Loving
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Photography Tips How can your pictures capture the colorful glow of the lights of Pebble Creek Drive and Strand Drive? The "trick" is to turn off your camera's flash! That's the key: Turn off that handy built-in flash Otherwise the bright light will overwhelm the subtle lights in your picture. Point and shoot cameras Of course, certain things follow from this: When you turn off your flash, you won't have enough light for split-second exposure. Your automatic camera will compensate by opening the shutter for a longer time - maybe a second or longer. Let your camera's built-in meter decide automatically. However a very long exposure will become blurry if either the camera moves or the tree lights move or both. To minimize this risk, we recommend two further steps: Step 1: use fast film - for example, ISO 800. This will cut down the duration of the exposure. Step 2: steady your camera. Handholding just won't do. Your best bet is to use a tripod. If not, place the camera on a solid surface, such as a tabletop, or brace it against a wall. For digital photographers, just follow the second step. SLR (Single Lens Reflex) Cameras These are the cameras that you can change the lenses. I recommend a wide angle zoom lens such as a 18-55mm lens. First of all you will need a tripod. Also, if your camera has a mirror lock feature, enable it. This will further reduce the chance of any camera shake. For photographing lights, I have 4 options: 1. Aperture priority mode: This will automatically set the shutter speed in order to capture the light needed for proper exposure. Set the aperture to the desired f/stop, usually 5.6 to 10 is good, depending on your situation. The shutter speed is automatically determined. 2. Shutter priority mode: Aperture is automatically set and the shutter speed is manually set. I recommend anywhere from 1/4 to 8 seconds, depending on how much light you want to capture. This will take some experimenting, so if your SLR is digital, take lots of pictures and choose the best ones. 3. Fully manual mode: Aperture and shutter speed is manually set. This is where you have full control of the exposure. Set the aperture to the desired setting and the shutter speed is the same as step 2. 4. Bulb: The aperture is manually set and the shutter stays open the entire time the button is pressed. This is especially good for special effects, like the streaks of lights from automobiles. My preferences are the manual and bulb modes. This gives me full control of the exposure I desire. Also, there is an ISO setting on Digital SLR's. Higher ISO settings enable the photographer to get proper exposures at higher shutter speeds. Higher ISO speeds produce "grainy" or in photographers' words, noisy photos. This can be corrected in a photo editor like Adobe Photoshop. Also, don't use the flash. This will produce unnecessary light and distract the main subject, the lights. There is one exception, if you are taking a photo of someone in front of the display. This is called fill in flash. The person and photographer should be a considerable distance from the lights. Exposure settings are set appropriately (the same as you would without a flash) and then the flash is turned on. A tripod is a must to ensure a clear photo. Finally, a remote shutter release is highly recommended, but not required. Although it's not a good idea to snap the picture with the shutter release on the camera, it could be done with a very steady move. The best alternative to a remote shutter release is to set the timer on the camera, and press the shutter release. This will allow time for the camera to steady before the picture is taken. You can see some examples of my night photography here: |
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