Capturing the Holiday Spirit One Shot at a Time

Last year I spent the majority of my time trying to capture the essence of the holidays from the Christmas tree lights to the gift unveiling to Christmas dinner preparations and the table settings. This year I thought it would be a good idea to get some advice on what to capture.

Stacie Errera from Chasing Picture Perfection suggests to take a moment to think about the kind of photo you want. Taking time to set up your camera properly or changing your position can take your pictures from typical snapshots to outstanding holiday photographs. Check out some more of her great holiday tips.

Shooting portraits for holiday greeting cards

• When taking photos outside, using your flash takes away harsh shadows on the face and adds a highlight to the eyes. (F/4.5; 1/60th sec.; 55mm; flash on)
• Blur the background for a professional look. First, take a few steps back from your subject and zoom in tight. By setting your lens to telephoto, the background is blurred naturally. Set your camera to “portrait mode” or aperture priority and select a wide aperture like F/3.5, 5.6 or 7.1 to make the background soft and creamy. Be sure to focus on the eyes. (F/7.1; 1/160th sec.; 250mm)
• The nighttime portrait mode can be used anytime you have lights (like a lit iconic structure, sunset, holiday lights or candles) in front of or behind the subject. Set the camera mode to the icon that has a person and star and/or moon. Turn on the anti-shake function on your lens or use a tripod since this mode sends out a flash burst to light your subject, but holds the shutter open a bit longer to let in the ambient light. Boost your ISO to keep blur from camera shake or subject movement at a minimum. (F/5.0; 1/10th sec.; ISO 1000; 60mm; night portrait mode with flash)

Photographing traditions and candid moments

• Capture the result of an activity, like cooking and baking, with flair. Position yourself at a higher level and shoot down. Position the subject in the top one-third of the frame and the activity in the bottom two-thirds for a pleasing composition. This elevated position also eliminates distracting backgrounds. (F/5.0; 1/60th sec.; 55mm; flash on)
• Capture family interaction by keeping your distance and zooming in a bit. When shooting into a wall, you chance getting harsh shadows behind your subject. Try using a flash that can bounce off of a white ceiling, which showers the area with light and eliminates the shadows. (F/5.0; 1/60th sec.; 28mm; flash on and bounced off ceiling)
• A key to getting good expressions during gift-giving is to be on the subject’s level or slightly below. Kneel or sit on the floor with them and you’ll capture more of their face instead of the top of their head. Additionally, the shadows created by your on-camera flash can be reduced. (F/4.8; 1/60th sec.; 65mm; flash on)

Capturing group portraits

• For fast group pictures, line up your family members with tallest on the outer sides of the group. Avoid the “line-up” look turning their bodies slightly towards the center. Or try arranging chairs so that the tallest, or the patriarch/matriarch, can be seated in the center with children standing to their sides and adults leaning in from behind and the side. Ask men to kneel and women sit on the floor. Avoid having heads all on the same level, or “ear to ear.” Stagger heads for a more pleasing composition. Avoid photos on a couch as people tend to lean back and their position is not flattering. Take several shots to ensure all eyes are open and expressions are good. (F/8.0; 1/60th sec.; 29mm; flash on)

Shoot the Details

• Capturing favorite holiday items is easy when you set your camera to macro mode or use a lens that can zoom in close. When you are so close to your subject, the background automatically becomes blurry making the subject to stand out. Focus carefully when shooting close up. (F/2.8, 1.25th sec.; 50mm)
• Don’t forget to photograph special food dishes. Tilt the plate just slightly toward the camera to be sure to see all of the food. (F/5.6; 1/60th sec.; 92mm; flash on)

Get outside with the kids

• Make snow brighter rather than grayish by using the “exposure compensation” setting on your camera. In bright snow, the camera’s meter is easily fooled and the result is a darker, under-exposed subject and grayish-looking snow. By moving the exposure compensation setting (“+/-”) to the plus side, more light gets to your subject and the snow will be brighter. (F/5.6; 1/800th sec.; +0.33 compensation; 35mm)
• By slowing down your shutter speed, you can blur the snow for a dramatic effect. Set your camera to shutter priority and choose a shutter speed of approximately 1/30th of sec. If your photo appears a little dark, boost your ISO. (F/6.3; 1/40th sec.; ISO 800; 185mm)

Stacie Errera is Chief Marketing Officer for Tamron USA, Inc. and her family’s enthusiastic memory keeper. Her blog www.ChasingPicturePerfection.com provides useful photo tips for the novice photographer. All photos are taken by Stacie Errera.