When the sun goes down during the holiday season, hundreds of houses in the area flip on their Christmas lights. From a busy city street to a quiet country road, thousands of lights illuminate front lawns, porches, windows and gutters.
For six years and counting, Jamestown residents John and Margie Fuchs have turned a small corner of the Internet into a virtual tour of light displays from houses across southern Chautauqua County. Anyone with access to the Internet - from local residents to family members and friends around the world - can take a virtual drive around the area to see the colored lights, lawn decorations and nativity scenes that create that festive mood.
JUST A HOBBY
Like many families, the Fuchs enjoyed the tradition of spending some evenings driving around the area and looking at Christmas light displays. Soon, however, John began to think about the people who were unable to enjoy the holiday tradition that many people take for granted.
Those in nursing homes, those who have moved out of the area, soldiers overseas and other groups of people who are unable to relish the Christmas displays started to come to mind. He wanted to provide a way for these people to be able to see the lights.
With a background in professional photography and the knowledge of how to shoot a picture of lights at night, John began to use a recent "toy" to his advantage - a Nikon D70.
"My wife says, 'Here's another toy that is going to sit on the shelf,'" Fuchs joked. With a smile he added, "I said 'I'll show her.' For years and years we had cruised around and looked at lights - that's what we did at Christmastime. I thought about the people that couldn't do it. Those two things kind of congealed into what we call the Christmas Light Tour."
Fuchs created the Web site www.christmaslighttour.com in 2004 which, at the time, was a rather revolutionary idea. Although the Internet was increasing in popularity, these were the days before the creation of many Web sites - like Facebook or The Post-Journal's own CU pages - which targeted the public posting of pictures.
CHANGING TIMES
The first year of the Christmas Light Tour went better than expected. Originally hoping to post about 50 or 60 pictures, the popularity of the Web site took off and Fuchs found himself posting over 300 pictures of Christmas displays in the area.
In 2005, more e-mails were sent to Fuchs for requests to take pictures of specific homes, and about 400 pictures were posted on the Web site, which is about how many have been posted every year since.
With a first-hand look at hundreds of light displays every year, Fuchs said he has noticed a number of changes to the way Christmas lights are hung and displayed. Despite people trying to conserve during the tough economic times, more energy-efficient light bulbs have allowed them to still put up as many - if not more - lights than past years.
"I think people are putting out more lights, and I think people are putting out more displays than they did," said Fuchs. "We talk about the economic downturn now, but I think there was a point about 15 years ago where everybody backed off on energy and Christmas lights took a big hit. Now, I think people do more and more and more. The price of lights is down. The lights use less energy because people use smaller bulbs."
The new LED lights are major energy savers, but Fuchs said these are the most difficult for him to photograph. Because they are smaller, the colors do not photograph as well, which makes them tougher to look good in pictures.
THE PROCESS
There is much more to taking pictures of lights than just capturing a quick snapshot. Because of the time of day, it takes someone with a more advanced understanding of photography to produce high-quality pictures of Christmas lights.
While a flash would wash out the lights and result in distorted pictures, Fuchs only uses the available light when he takes his pictures. This translates into a much slower shutter speed than any traditional picture, a speed too slow for even the steadiest human hands.
"These pictures are tough to take with a point-and-shoot camera," said Fuchs. "Everything is shot with a tripod because they are all timed exposures. It will vary, but it will be from one second to 10 seconds. I shoot everything at least six or eight times with varying settings just so we get something good. It isn't something that is really easy to do."
After the pictures are taken they are uploaded onto a computer, where Fuchs touches them up to enhance quality.
"Everything goes through Photoshop to touch up what I can," he said. "I don't create anything. If somebody has some icicle lights and they have some sections missing, I don't fix those. You show me what you got and I'll do it but I won't correct for you. I really don't have a problem running it with a couple segments of lights out, because most of the time it looks fine."
Recently, Fuchs has offered the option on his Web site to allow others to take their own pictures and send them in. He said this isn't a very popular option, however, which he believes is because of the difficulty of taking pictures. A document on the site explains how to set advanced camera options - including ASA, bracket exposures and resolutions.
OVER THE YEARS
Fuchs' travels have taken him, and sometimes his wife as well, to many parts of Chautauqua County. He posts pictures from the Jamestown area, which usually extends around Chautauqua Lake and as far east as portions of Cattaraugus County.
"I've been out on some really nasty nights on some really country roads shooting pictures," explains Fuchs. "It's amazing how many displays there are way out there. Nobody is going to find them. Thank God for GPS. I'll put a marker wherever I shoot a picture then I can go back and put on the Web site what road it's on."
Fuchs has mastered the practice of finding Christmas lights and has taken advantage of the time that is available to snap pictures. He usually starts searching for lights after Thanksgiving and goes out an average of once every other night. The best time, he said, is about 6:30 to 10 p.m., when the most lights are on.
"I might get 20 to 30 a night," he said. "Sometimes you will find a street where there is like seven in a row and you are like 'yes!' and sometimes you'll drive two miles to get to the next one. Some days I'll just go out and cruise around until I find one."
To shoot a picture, Fuchs said he never goes on people's property, and does his best to respect the privacy of residents. When he posts the picture on the Web site, he will name the street but not give the house number. Originally worried about the ramifications of taking pictures of people's houses, Fuchs said he has only had two people contact him and ask that their pictures be removed.
He has also found a couple other challenges, however, but he hasn't let them stop him.
"I've been chased by a couple dogs," he said. "There's a risk there because you are out there in the middle of the night. But so far, I still have all my hands and stuff."
THE PRESENT AND FUTURE
A difficult Web site for people to find if they don't know what they are looking for, Fuchs said he sees a spike in viewers when people hear about the site in newspapers or on the radio. Whether or not he gets a large number of hits, however, taking the pictures and posting them is just something he enjoys.
"It's something that has just been a lot of fun to do," he said. "If two or three people during the Christmas season say 'I really enjoy the site,' that's all I need."
But he has gotten more than two or three people to point out the convenience of looking at lights from around the area right in their own living room. In addition, he has gotten a big response from people who no longer live in the area but recognize houses and streets in the pictures.
"I's always heartwarming for that to happen," said Fuchs. "That's what it's all about. That's why I do it, to get those kind folks." He also added that he gets e-mails from soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"You get people who are in faraway places and say they saw this house or say it is their parents house. That's what it's all about."
While the idea to turn his Web site into a contest has been proposed to him numerous times, Fuchs does not want to become involved in giving out prizes, judging light displays or being responsible if others host and hold the contest via the site.
"I can make a good display look bad and I can make a bad display look good just in the way I take a picture," he said. "If somebody wins and somebody else says their display is better and I took a better picture of theirs, I don't want to get into that."
There have been some ideas Fuchs has tossed around, though. Familiar with the light displays in the area (as well as a growing number of daytime displays he is beginning to put on the site), he wouldn't mind putting together some kind of tour of lights in the area. He also brainstormed the idea of putting some lights on Christmas cards - perhaps as a fundraiser for a local group - but is still working on the logistics and legalities of it.
Whether or not those ideas take shape, the Christmas Light Tour Web site seems to be a holiday tradition that has a promising future. To take a virtual tour of lights in the area, or for more information on how to submit your own, log on to www.christmaslighttour.com.
Fuchs said he will continue taking and posting pictures for another week or two after Christmas.
