Where to take great Christmas photographs in Norwich

Christmas in the City, supported by Chantry Place, celebrates all that is magical about Norwich in the festive season. From the shops and entertainment, to the places to eat, happy crowds, great atmosphere and plenty of photo opportunities, there's plenty to enjoy in Norwich this Christmas.

It can be tricky taking photos at this time of year. The lights don't show in the daylight or seem to be fuzzy in every picture in the dark. Sometimes the sparkle is so bright that everything else fades and your little ones fade next to the decorations.

Don't just stand in front of decorations, get close or peek from behind (Image: jo malone)
Or that whole street of lights, which looks brilliant in real life but grey and not at all Christmassy in your picture.

But take a close up and Christmas magic is restored! Pick individual items or a shop window you love.

There's no shortage of interesting window displays in Norwich, play with the reflection for fun effects (Image: jo malone)

Or just take a cheery selfie!

Scott Rozier has fun in front of the rainbow at Chantry Place, Norwich (Image: Scott Rozier)

Luckily, with today's digital cameras, we can experiment and instantly see the results, taking several shots until we get one we like.

The Tunnel of Light in the city centre is a top spot for festive selfies in Norwich Byline: Sonya Duncan (Image: Sonya Duncan)
But what to photograph?
Find beautiful decorations, lights, and displays that inspire you to snap away.

Close up pictures bring life to a festive photo, such as this little gonk from John Lewis (Image: jo malone)
Try different angles, get closer, move left or right, bend down and aim up or squat down and take a child's eye view for something different. Look at the screen preview for an idea of what the photo will be like.

Taking a photo from below looking up adds a different perspective to the bauble tree at Castle Mall, Norwich (Image: jo malone)
Tap on the area of the screen that you want to be in focus and experiment blurring the background or the foreground.
Don't worry about grey days, look for puddles near lights and get low for some really atmospheric reflections. Or keep an eye out for striking business decorations.

A wreath, bows and flowers add up to a wonderful festive photo opportunity, such as this door at The Cottage hair and beauty in Norwich (Image: jo malone)
Norwich has plenty of photo opportunities for capturing fun or meaningful pictures this festive season.

Great photo opportunities when street entertainers and buskers add to the festivities in Norwich (Image: jo malone)

Just have a wander and enjoy.

Festive entertainers are perfect for Christmas photos in Norwich (Image: Jo Malone)

Head to the giant stars at the entrance to Chantry Place for some great photos.

Lyndsey O'Halloran and daughter Erin, pictured, enjoyed a family day in Norwich, including taking photos with the stars at Chantry Place (Image: Lyndsey O'Halloran)

Blogger Lyndsey O'Halloran of Me, him, the dog and a baby! enjoyed taking photos while in the city.
Lyndsey said: "We visited Chantry Place on a family day out in Norwich. We had lunch in the dining terrace after a trip to the cinema and made sure to see the stars while we were there. Erin asks to see them every time we're in Norwich and always wants a picture!"

Paul McCarthy, general manager at Chantry Place, Norwich, takes a festive selfie with the gold stars at the shopping centre (Image: Paul McCarthy)

Paul McCarthy, general manager at Chantry Place, said: “Our tunnel of stars on Chantry Square, along with our destination Christmas selfie wall in the centre, have proved a big hit again this year with all ages getting into the Christmas spirit and we love seeing all the selfies and smiles being shared on our Instagram page.

Five year old Eliza enjoys the destination Christmas selfie wall at Chantry Place, Norwich (Image: submitted)

"Of course, face coverings are now mandatory in the centre when shopping and browsing, but our retailers are enjoying how busy it is in the build up to the festivities.”

Stroll the city centre for some great festive photo opportunities from decorated shops to street entertainers, to lights and Christmas trees.

Look out for beautiful decorations to add to a collage of Christmas in Norwich, this giant wreath adorns Albrow jewellers (Image: Jo Malone)
Taking pictures of Christmas trees can be tricky as the tree is dark, the lights are bright and the decorations reflect the twinkling.

Beautiful shop window displays, such as this in the Royal Arcade, celebrate Christmas in Norwich (Image: Jo Malone)

It means cameras on auto settings can get confused about light and focus, try getting close to highlight just one or two decorations or blur the background to help the tree stand out.

Having fun with reflection at the bauble Christmas tree in Castle Mall, Norwich (Image: Jo Malone)
Try and avoid flash as that will cancel any ambient light, killing off that warm Instagram-cosy feel.

Close up photos such as this John Lewis display can be more effective than trying to capture everything (Image: jo malone)
Playing with underexposure can help as it will make lights appear dimmer.

Place your finger on a brighter part of the preview screen to underexpose, before clicking the shutter.
Keep as still as possible to avoid a fuzzy photo, or deliberately blur and move to give a sense of colour and ambience rather than a clear picture.

Most of all, have fun and aim to try and capture the Christmassy essence of your fun day out in Norwich.