Getting the most from your Christmas Photos does not have to be frustrating or take time away from the moment! With Christmas only a week away, here are some tips and tricks to get the best images Christmas morning!
First of all, I know how much you want to capture every moment of your children opening their presents, but you don’t have to be stuck behind a camera the whole time to do that. You can be part of Christmas and still get those photos, but how? Here are a few ideas:
1. Use a tripod and remote or timer. This is a very simple and quick set up and although you have less control over your composition, you have the ability to take photos without a camera in front of your face and while still enjoying this time with your family.
2. Wait until after the presents have been opened and then take photos, chances are your kids will be busy playing with their new presents anyway which gives you a chance to be sneaky and take some photos.
3. Pass that camera! If there are other people there then pass the camera down and have everyone take turns taking pictures, unless you are a camera control freak like me, then you just have personal problems to work through 😉
Next, take a minute to think about where you will be opening presents. This is important because without light, you have no photos! You don’t have to have a ton of lighting or a fancy camera to get sharp, beautiful images, but you do have to have some nice light. Try and open presents next to a nice large window so you have plenty of natural light on your subjects. Here are some examples of how to and how not to use your natural light to get the best images. The images you see below have not been through post processing, they are purely to show you the differences in light, these are straight out of the camera with extremely minimal exposure adjustments which you can do easily.
In this image the window is to is right with the light flowing across his face. It was pretty gloomy outside when I took this, and even with the minimal light I had available I was still able to get a well lit shot with minimal adjustments and even some bokeh from the tree behind him. Camera settings: Aperture 2.0, Shutter speed 1/125, ISO 1250
Do you see the difference in the image above? This shot is at the same time of day, minutes apart from the other. The only thing that changed is I moved him from next to the window, now the window is more behind and to the right. You can see that the light is barely hitting his face, his face is dark and not well lit at all. This doesn’t mean that you can’t do it this way, a plain white sheet in front of him can act as a reflector and bounce light from the window back onto his face, but really? who wants to mess with all that on Christmas morning? I certainly don’t. This just gives you an idea of how important light is in an image.
So what happens if it is dark and/or you just don’t have window light available to you? Well turn on those Christmas tree lights and use them to light your subjects, sure the light won’t be perfect but does it really matter? In the end no, the goal is not to get perfect images, the goal is to get memories, and as long as you have those then “perfect” images are a bonus
If it helps, practice taking photos a few days before so you can find a good place to celebrate and open presents Christmas morning.
As you know I am really big on safety, if you have younger babies and want to take some photos at home, my favorite forum has some tips on safely taking photos of those beautiful babies of yours. Follow the link below for more information.
http://www.newbornphotography.com/page/christmas-baby-photo-tips
Best wishes to you and your families this holiday season! If you are traveling please stay safe. Thank you all for supporting me and my work!
Emma Stasko Photography specializes in newborn, baby, maternity, birth, child and family photography in Austin, Texas and surrounding areas including but not limited to Cedar Park and Round Rock.