Holiday Photo Tips

                                            Capturing Perfect Holiday Photos

                             Welcome Guest Post Rachel Book

  Photos by: Deck The Halls of HOME with JOY

We all know that pictures are the best ways to preserve memories, and the holiday season is the perfect setting. This is because everyone you love is present, the mood is festive, and your home is dressed up for the occasion. There’s always something going on, like opening the Christmas presents, Suzy laughing with Grandpa, folks overindulging in chocolate – What great photo opportunities.

Unfortunately, not everyone can take great-looking pictures. I’ve taken my share of horrible-looking pictures. There are the occasional red-eyes and the unavoidable blurry shots, especially when giddy little kids run across the room. Sometimes, the images are too dark or too bright, or the subject is out of focus.

With the advent of the digital imaging, it is much easier now to capture the perfect moments. Every shot you make can instantly be viewed on that small LCD screen in the back of the camera, which is great because you can easily review your pictures or simply delete the ones that you don’t like. The number of shots you can take is limited to the capacity of your memory card. And that limit is a lot compared to the old-school film cameras.

 Photo by: Rachel Book

However, I want you to focus on the quality of the shots, not the quantity. You may be able to take hundreds of pictures on your digital camera, but you have at least make sure that they are worthy of being posted on your family’s fridge door.

You don’t need an expensive digital camera to take great pictures. What you need is creativity and imagination, and your beautiful sturdy hands. Here are simple tricks that you can practice to capture those great holiday moments with your dependable camera:

The camera. Do you see those little buttons in your camera? Yes, they are there for a purpose. That lightning-shaped symbol looks intimidating, but I promise you it’s far from exploding. Press it to turn on the flash of your camera, which is great for dark rooms or if the subject is against the light.

Next is that flower symbol which activates the macro shots features. The macro setting should be enabled to take super close up shots of smaller subjects. For instance, if you want to take clear pictures of the details of your Christmas decor or the reindeer stitches on that table napkin. Move close to the subject when using this feature.

The ISO setting can also be adjusted to avoid blurry images. Higher setting means faster shutter speed, which also means less blurry the photos. Settings can also vary depending on the lighting condition. Try to experiment on the setting while in a particular environment with several test shots.

Turn on the red-eye reduction – the button with an eye symbol. We don’t want people and pets to look like aliens with fiery eyes, do we?

The subject. Use your creativity and imagination in your composition. It’s not difficult to find a subject, but capturing the right moment with all the right elements within that small frame is the key to taking great pictures. There are two tips to remember: avoid placing the subject in the center and take closer pictures.

Most of us take pictures with the subject right in the center of the frame. This creates a boring photo because the subject appears confined. To avoid this restriction, place the subject off the center. In photography, this is called Rule of Thirds. Doing so instantly provides space around the subject which allows a sense of movement and drama on the resulting image.

Move closer to the subject when taking picture. When I say “move closer,” you can use the zoom function of your camera. We want to see more of the subject, not the surrounding background. This is because viewers would appreciate the photos more if they can see details of the subject.

When taking pictures of an activity (for example, a child opening a present), don’t hesitate to take pictures. Lots. This way, you have a better chance of capturing that one magnificent moment. Avoid asking your child to stop, look at the camera, and smile. It’s just too rehearsed. We want candid photos, because these are moments that we want to treasure in our lifetime.

Lastly, pass the camera around. You may be the official photographer in the family, but you also want to be included in your photos, right? Give the camera to the kids. Kids have a different perspective. You’d be surprised on what they can produce. Better yet, use the timer setting of your camera for the obligatory family group pictures.

As you can see, you can easily take amazing holiday pictures like a pro just by learning a few simple guidelines. Just remember, the important thing is not the type of camera that you use, but on how you use it. Have a great holiday!


About the Author:
Rachel Book is a part-time researcher and analyst for an online retailer of live
  Christmas trees at Green Valley Christmas Trees.  Rachel is A budding photographer, she spends her free time taking pictures of people and things she loves.

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Rachel:
I love your wonderful Holiday Photo Tips!  It's a pleasure to have you share your love for photography.
Thank you for being our guest post today!