paws

With all the pretty lights, there are a ton of photo opportunities during the holidays. Give your pictures a unique look with this simple technique!

Japanese musician Kenichi Tsuchiya, who’s composed music for a variety of games, including Persona, recently captured the attention of Japanese Internet users with dazzling photos that turned holiday lights into adorable paw prints. But he didn’t just show off his photos; he also included instructions on how to take some of your own!

“I’ve had a bunch of people asking if I was the one who made the paw print photos, so…
1. Using a hole punch for crafts, open up some holes in a piece of paper.
2. Attach it over the top of your camera lens.
3. Go find some lights or a nice night view.
4. Shoot a photo that’s intentionally out of focus.”

[tweet https://twitter.com/tsuchiya_ast/status/667282455934578688 align=center hide_media=’true’]

▼ Make some holes in a piece of paper…

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▼ …slap it over a camera lens…

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▼ …find some lights…

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▼ …and take an intentionally out of focus picture!

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In another tweet, Tsuchiya added some more tips: It’s easier if you use a lens with a long focal length and a bright maximum aperture. Also, the size of the pattern changes depending on how close you are to focused — the pattern gets larger the closer you are.

And in case you’re skeptical, here are a few photos Tsuchiya has tweeted using the technique, taken along the Meguro River in Tokyo!

[tweet https://twitter.com/tsuchiya_ast/status/668412123555299328 align=center hide_media=’true’]

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He also posted some before-and-after photos for the sake of comparison.

[tweet https://twitter.com/tsuchiya_ast/status/667775342975647744 align=center] [tweet https://twitter.com/tsuchiya_ast/status/667290601264517124 align=center]

It looks like this will even work with video! It might not make for the best home movie if you run this for 30 minutes, but it certainly would be great for a stylish introduction!

[tweet https://twitter.com/tsuchiya_ast/status/668417788596240384 align=center] [tweet https://twitter.com/tsuchiya_ast/status/666260461126463489 align=center]

Now, we’re sure that there are plenty of photographers and videographers who are already familiar with this technique, but we figure there are probably a few amateurs out there who will enjoy giving this a try. And be sure to share any photos you take with us over on our Twitter account!

Sources: Twitter/@tsuchiya_ast (1, 2)
Featured image: Twitter/@tsuchiya_ast