SIMPLE SOLUTION For indoor and outdoor shots of holiday lights, use the preset mode for night scenes, which lengthens the exposure and does not use a flash. If there are people in the picture, set the mode on night portrait to add a flash.

Outdoor shots should be taken at twilight, when it’s dark enough to see your light display but enough natural light remains to illuminate your surroundings. Use a tripod in all these cases to keep the picture from smudging or blurring. If your camera allows it, set the ISO to 100 to avoid graininess.

SERIOUS SOLUTION Set your shutter speed to 1/15 or 1/30. That will keep the blinking lights from showing up as sparks instead of full-blown lights. If you’re photographing both lights and people, turn on the flash. The flash lights up the person and freezes any movement. For photos without people, there’s no need for a flash. In both cases, use a tripod.

Outdoor shots work best at twilight; use a tripod or rest the camera on a stable surface. To shoot candles, which are much brighter than lights, experiment with various shutter speeds.