Feliz Navidad from the Phoenix Botanical Gardens

I went to the Phoenix Botanical Gardens las noches de las luminarias celebration on 20 January 2009. This was a nightime celebration that of course posed many lighting problems. Armed with my new Canon 7D and a monopod, I took a sampling of photos using the higher ISO settings of the 7D. I used anywhere from 1600 to even 6400. Of course, the higher the ISO the more grain, but I thought some of it added to the appeal of the photos. I edited about 90 percent of the shots in Adobe Lightroom. For a few of them, I went to Photoshop and used the OnOne Plug-in Suite 5 tools. One thing I learned about taking evening shots... BRING A SMALL PENLIGHT! It was nearly impossible to make any kind of change on the camera without light. I even tried holding up a luminaria to see better. The other option is to memorize the controls on your camera. No, on second thought... bring a penlight! I was smart enough to bring my Manfrotto monopod that also has little legs that pop out at the bottom. Some venues will give you a hard time if you bring in a tripod. With a monopod, you can always say HEY IT'S A WALKING STICK! They'll usually leave you alone then. One more thing.. I totally forgot to bring my remote control. It is really easy to create blur with night shots even if you are so careful you hold your breath before clicking the shutter.