The holiday season is traditionally a time for gathering with loved ones and making memories that will last a lifetime. One of the best ways to preserve these memories is through family photos, which you can proudly hang on your wall for years to come. These photos act as the perfect reminder of the joyful magic the holiday season brings.
If documenting your treasured family experiences and memories is an important part of your family traditions, it may be worthwhile investing in DSLR cameras or the perfect point-and-shoot you have been eyeing all year.
Take the Right Gear
Whether you are passionate about photography or choose to capture images simply using your phone, it is essential to take some time to prepare beforehand to ensure you have the right equipment on hand for your family holiday shots.
Regardless of what you use, whether that be a point-and-shoot, your trusty smartphone, or your go-to DSLR model, you need to include a charger, spare batteries if required, and plenty of memory cards or cloud space to hold every image you take. If you are concerned about losing your content, include a hard drive that can be used to save and back up all of your photographs.
Change Your Perspective
If you feel your holiday photos are stale and predictable, it may be time to change your perspective. For example, you could capture fun, festive activities like baking, decorating cookies, or wrapping presents from a bird’ s-eye perspective.
Alternatively, you can shoot your images through seasonal props like Christmas wreaths or string lights for a simple but highly effective contrast effect. Finally, while traditional poses may always result in classic images, experiment with new levels and setups to add dimension and interest to the final shot.
Find the Light
One of the most important photography tips for taking better shots is to pay attention to the light. Natural light is vital for capturing the best images, so select locations that are well-lit and try to take your photos before the light begins to fade outside.
If you are shooting indoors, turn off all overhead lights and position your subjects near a window, open door, or glass sliding door to allow soft light to fall across their faces. Alternatively, you can have them look towards the light source to get sparkling reflections, known as catchlights, in their eyes.
Mind the Details
Before taking your pictures, take a quick look at the background of your shots to ensure there is nothing distracting present, like clutter or unwanted items that could take away from the overall aesthetic you are hoping to achieve.
The smaller details are important to get right, as they can make a world of difference to the finished product. They can elevate your photos from amateur images that get forgotten in a photo album to beautiful snapshots worthy of hanging up in your home.
Incorporate Traditions
Incorporating sentimental items or family traditions is a fantastic way to make your photos feel extra special and personal during the holiday season. For example, you could snap a photo of your annual tradition of decorating the tree with memorable family ornaments, document the matching Christmas pajamas your family wears, or cook the same cookie recipe you enjoy every year.
For many families with traditions that cross generations, documenting the same concept over several years is a fantastic and heartwarming way to capture sentimental holiday experiences that everyone in the family can enjoy and reflect back on in years to come.
Embrace Candid Moments
There are so many memories to capture over the holidays, but the reality is that not all of them are perfect for filming. There may be other people in the background, the light might not be right, the Christmas clutter that inevitably finds its way inside may ruin the aesthetic of your shooting location, or your bed hair may overshadow your Christmas pajamas.
But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t document these moments. Instead, you should embrace what you have been given and do the best job you can to capture these valuable and irreplaceable memories to look back on. Furthermore, candid photos add a wonderful charm and authenticity to your holiday snaps that posed pictures simply can’t match.
Have Fun
Taking family portraits over the holidays should be a fun and memorable experience, not a chore that you dread every year. To keep the energy light and playful, include fun items like festive hats, matching holiday mugs, or strings of light.
If you are photographing small children who may struggle to sit still and stay engaged, give them small tasks like holding a fun prop or placing a decoration on a tree to maintain their interest and attention.
Your child’s experience is more important than the resulting photo, so focus on making them feel loved and happy rather than stressed or bored sitting through hours of endless photos. Keep your photo requests brief and simple, with everything you need ready to go before you herd your children in to have their pictures taken.
