Even as the days get shorter we, as commercial photographers who chase the daylight, don’t get bored. In the middle of winter, when the days are shortest, we sometimes only have three hours of decent sunlight for our daytime shots. On the upside, the early nights mean that we don’t have to wait very long for the ‘blue hour’ to arrive to take some beautiful shots of the glistening Christmas decorations a city is dressed with.
No matter where it is, a Christmas market always has a special atmosphere. The best have a sense of anticipation and wonder. In the cold and wet Scottish winter a hot mug of mulled wine, the twinkling lights and the smell of roasted nuts and spices can make all the difference.
The thing about photographing ‘Christmas’ is the need to convey those warm and fuzzy feelings within the image. That is easier said than done when photographing a crowd busy enjoying stalls, funfairs and food and although this sounds the ideal scenario we’ve found that this type of scene isn’t always easy to photograph. So time and patience are definitely required for the right moment to arrive.
Over the last few years, McAteer Photo has documented Glasgow’s many shimmering Christmas events with a few of our favourite images shown here.
