I recently recorded a small piece for Hometown Stations about photos during the Holiday season! Quite frankly i’m not a big fan of being on camera, But It did get me thinking to myself, why haven’t I blogged this before?!?! So whether you have grown kids, young kids or fur kids- these all apply!
Much like Holly addressed, the holidays (Thanksgiving & Christmas) are a great opportunity to hire a professional photographer! The holidays are a great time & I’m such a big supporter of shopping small & local but also shopping with legal business’. Support a business that pays taxes that go back into your community!
- Photographers are often booked months in advance, so as soon as you have the date your family will all be together, book your session!
- You photographer can provide you beautiful products likes prints, canvas & albums!
- (And probably the most important!) Hand over the stress of pictures to your photographer and create an amazing experience for your family in what is the most magical time of the year!
BUT not everyone gets a ton of time off for the holidays, especially when Christmas is midweek like it is this year! Here are some times for times when hiring a professional isn’t possible!
- Find/Use a large lightsource! A big window is great! Angle your family slightly towards the light. In these SOOC images, You can see how opening my front door allowed more light in on Vinny. Check the photos below to see how moving him even closer to a large light source changed the image!
- Try to make sure everyone is on the same focal plane. See how Beckett is next to Vinny & both are in focus, but in the next photo he is not in focus?
- For larger groups- short people in the front and tall people in the back! Utilize the shoulder gaps! Also- using furniture to layer people can help!
- Don’t be afraid to rearrange some things! If there is a chair or couch in front of your big window, slide it across the room for a few quick pictures! Making sure the area you are photographing in is free and clear of extras such as waterbottles, cups & the plate of cookies you snuck off with!
- Anytime you are photographing a group of small children or pets, have only the person taking the photo make noises to get their attention, otherwise you have multiple children looking in a billion different ways!
What about Christmas morning?!
- All of the above tips still apply, find that big light source! If your kids wake up before the sun is out and spilling that beautiful light in your home- just turn on lots of lights to help brighten up your space!
- Create a “special spot” for your kids to sit at and open their presents! Then you are more in control of things such as the light source and can document the magic of Christmas morning with great images!
I hope these help a little and I hope even more that you all have a wonderful Christmas filled with many blessings and your favorite people!
