I want to talk about Holiday Photo Ideas! Christmas is my favorite holiday! I love the way my house twinkles with the lights and candles, the memories made, and the traditions of the season. Capturing photos at this time of year is magical and I am going to share 10-holiday photography tips with all of you.
Holiday Photo Ideas…
Find the Bokeh
Tip number one is all about that blurry background. Christmas lights lend themselves to creating bokeh. Remember, it helps to shoot on manual mode for this one. Place your subject far enough away from the lights to create a nice depth of field, shoot wide open, and start taking those pictures!
Detail
Finding the detail is my number 2 holiday photo idea for you. Just like when you took the Halloween Photo Challenge and focused on the details, do the same with your Christmas photos. The decorations offer endless possibilities to capture the memories of the holiday season. Do you have a collection of Santas? Or snowmen? Capture those memories to look back on in years to come.
Capture the Family
Tip number 3 is a must. You will be taking plenty of photos of the family this Christmas. (So many opportunities to try out these holiday photography tips!) Capture both posed and unposed shots of your family. Try to catch your little one sneaking a peek at the presents or writing that letter to Santa. Pose everyone in fun, festive Christmas PJ’s or a family shot posed in front of the tree.
Around Town
Don’t forget to capture the scenes from around your town. Tip number 4 is capture shots around town. I love my village during the holidays. The lights, the trees, the village landmarks bathed in holiday tradition. I even love to capture the decorations in the stores and to capture the festive window fronts.
Document the Days
Tip number 5, document the everyday. Do you have family traditions leading up to the big day? My family bakes cookies every year and one of my favorite thing to do every year is look back on the pictures that I have taken of my boys baking. Do you read Twas the Night Before Christmas? Do you watch The Polar Express? Enjoy a warm cup of hot chocolate? Document these memories for a more intimate look at the season.
Self Portrait
I am not a huge self-portrait photographer. Tip number 6 will make you push yourself to get creative. Take your reflection in a shiny Christmas ornament or any other reflective surface.
Don’t Forget the Food
Tip number 7 is my favorite. Once those amazing cookies are made, use the rules of composition and snap some shots. Don’t forget Christmas dinner or the sweets from the stocking on Christmas morning.
A Festival or Parade
Does your town have a tree lighting ceremony or a local holiday parade? Tip number 8 is to make sure to capture it! Use a journalistic approach and capture the event from a different point of view.
Get Silly
The holidays are such a fun time. Make sure not to take your photography too seriously. Tip number 9 is have fun! The candid, unplanned photos often give the best memories. Keep your camera close by and capture as many spontaneous silly moments as you can.
Christmas Morning
And number 10 on the holiday photo ideas list is…capture the craziness of Christmas morning. Sometimes, it can be challenging to capture the moments, but you can do it with a bit of preparation. Be prepared. Make sure your settings are ready. Capture the details, their little hands tearing into the paper, the smiles on their faces. And don’t forget to get into the photo. Using a timer can help ensure that you are actually in your Christmas photos!
Now get out there, start snapping and have some fun capturing all of your holiday memories!
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