As if the holidays aren’t stressful enough, now we’re all photographers and have the added pressure to get that perfect photo of Christmas morning to post on our Instagram/Twitter/Facebook feed.
Not to worry. I got you.
Here are five tips to ensure you get the best photos possible on Christmas morning (or whenever you’re opening gifts).
1. Put the light behind you
There’s an rule in photography that says, “Find the light, find the background, then find the subject.” So your first step is always to find the light.
Open up the curtains on all of your windows and let the light pour in. Put the best light source (the biggest window) behind you (the photographer) so that all of that light pours onto your subject. And avoid having a major light source behind your subject (the kids) as that will throw off your camera and lead to dark photos.
Here are some more tips on using natural light indoors.
If your house is still dark, turn on every lamp and light that you can.
Tip: Unless you have a nice flash that lets you bounce light off the ceiling, ditch the flash. It will only create ugly shadows. Try upping the ISO on your camera instead if you don’t have quite enough light. An app like Manual will let you adjust the ISO on your iPhone.
2. Get down to their level
Christmas photo magic doesn’t happen from the couch. It happens on your living room floor. That’s where you need to be, too.
Photos taken from the level of your kids will feel much more personal than ones taken from your much higher vantage point.
Tip: Have an extra camera? Give it to one of the kids to take photos of each other. You’ll see Christmas morning from a whole different perspective (mostly out-of-focus).
3. Shoot action and reaction
You’re looking for two things in your photos: action (ripping off paper, playing with the toys) and reaction (the look in a kid’s face when he got just what he wanted or when he saw all the presents under the tree for the first time).
You’ll get these shots if you get yourself into the right position and anticipate when they will happen. That means getting downstairs first so you see their reaction when they see the presents under the tree for the first time.
To increase your odds, take way more photos than you think you need. Then take even more. You can always delete the bad ones.
Tip: Hold down the shutter button on your camera or your phone to take several photos in a row and increase your odds of getting a great action/reaction shot.
4. Make sure you see their eyes
A big part of all communication is visual, and nothing communicates visually better than the eyes. Make sure you get their eyes in as may photos as possible.
This means you need to be close enough to see the whites of their eyes, or have a lens with a good amount of zoom.
For younger kids, it means saying their name once in awhile to get them to look at you. Or try the Look Birdy photo app to get their attention.
Tip: Try to get close without the zoom. A zoom lens (or zooming with your phone) only makes it more likely your photo will be too dark or blurry.
5. Shoot wide
A good photographer will get a mix of wide, medium and close-up shots. Christmas morning is a spectacle, and it’s fun to take it all in, to remember everyone who was there.
Make sure you stand back and get a few wide shots that show everything in it’s full wrapping paper and toy-filled glory – yes even mom in her pajamas.
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Have some tips of your own? Please share them in the comments.
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