The time for friends and family to gather and enjoy the holidays is upon us. The tips today are about recording the memories that fill the holidays.
- Play with the Depth of Field – Instead of snapping a picture in front of the tree, place your subject in the background, increase the aperture on your camera to the lowest setting (like around f/5.6 to f/1.4).If you keep your subject in focus the tree and lights in the foreground will be blurry and twinkling.
- Work in the background - Candid shots are more natural and can be amazing. Stand back away from the holiday festivities for a few moments and capture those un-rehearsed moments.
- Accessories - Use props, clothing and other items to jazz up your holiday pictures.Try festive hats, decorations or gift pacakges.
- Capture the Action – Gift opening can be hectic enough without worrying if you got the shot or not.To make the whole experience smoother put the camera in “Auto” mode or even “Burst” mode and just start taking dozens of shots.
- Avoid the red eye – Whenever you use your flash you’re more than likely to get that evil red eye.Try using the red eye reduction setting for the flash. And some cameras even offer a “Auto Red Eye Correction” mode these days.
- Embrace the darkness – To get a sharp photo of twinkling tree lights or candles, turn off the house lights and turn up the ISO setting on your camera.Using ISO 800 or 1600 should work just fine. You’ll need to hold the camera steady so your photos don’t come out fuzzy.Try either using a tripod or put the camera on a different solid surface and use the timer delay setting.
- Head outdoors - To get crystal clear pictures at night use a tripod. Turn up the ISO setting to 800 and lower the aperture so lots of light gets in. And don’t forget to turn off the flash.A word to the wise; if it’s extremely cold outdoors. Cold temps tend to drain the juice out of your batteries rather quickly.Be sure that you charge up your batteries. And if you are going to be outside for a while, be sure to keep your camera warm. Hold your camera close to your body as this will keep it warm and then pull it out when you are ready to take the photo.
- Give peace a chance - Be certain to watch for those quiet moment shots as well. Nothing is more precious than watching a child’s face as a beloved grandparents reads, “Twas the night before Christmas”.
- Know when to use the flash – Sometimes you just need to use your camera’s flash.Try to stand about 12 ft from the subjects of your photo so that the flash is bright enough but not so bright that they are blinded by it or overexposed.
- Capture the preperations - We sometimes forget to record the experience of everything behind the scenes while preparing for the festivities. Do include the baking of the treats, shopping for gifts, decking the halls and the wrapping of the presents.
- Try a new angle when taking photos – Stand off to the side and zoom in to capture the moment.
- Be in the pictures too! - Many photographers end up not being in any of the pictures, give your camera to others and let them take some snapshots also.Just keep in mind that family members don't care about how you think you look, they want the pictures to help keep the memories alive for years to come.
Hopefully some of these hints will help you create better photographs and get more enjoyment from your camera!
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