The day after Thanksgiving - appropriately called "Black Friday" - marks the traditional start of the Christmas season. This home owner couldn't wait another day, though. I was driving down Route 44 in Johnston, planning to take a photo of people lining up to shop when the stores open at midnight, when these lights caught my attention. This just begged for a photo. For the record, I'm not a big fan of outdoor lighting decorations. For years, I was an amateur astronomer, and the amount of light pollution created by the Christmas lights every year effectively rendered the telescope useless for a solid six-weeks. Instead, I consider myself a purist, and every year I decorate my home the same way Mary and Joseph did 2000 years ago.
Post processing started with a detail light photo in Topaz Adjust. I then adjusted adaptive exposure, contrast, protect highlights, and details. A levels adjustment was added in PSE.
Wow! I apologize for three things I'm going to say (for the length). What a beautiful photo! We suck at night shots still, so I am admiring. For star photos, go to Chaco Canyon National Park World Heritage Site some day--70 miles from everywhere. For fun, just research the ancient Puebloans knowledge of astronomy and how it guided everything they built and is still standing. Finally, we did a street shot, and you more than anyone else I'd like to critique it, please. Happy Thanksgiving, Ron!
don't lie, this is your place