The holiday season is here, and that means it is time for friends and extended family to get together, share meals, gifts, laughter, holiday photos, and even political views. As this may be the rare time of year when everyone gets together, it naturally leads to the photographer in the family wanting to get some good images of Aunt Clarice preparing her famous fava bean salad or Grandpa Joe reading stories to the little kids.
But in order to make your images last — and for the perfect holiday party photography that everyone will remember for years to come — follow these tips and tricks for capturing the best of your holiday get-togethers.
Let ’em know
Assuming you aren’t already famous/infamous among the family as the go-to person who always takes pictures at these holiday get-togethers, let people know ahead of time that you will be taking pictures. Many people will look at you like a vampire looks at daylight if you point a camera at them unexpectedly. They may think their outfit looks bad, they don’t have makeup on, they look tired, they have a pimple, or any number of reasons why they don’t want to be photographed. Forewarning people limits some of these reasons and may get people with moderate camera shyness to be OK with having their picture taken.
Eye level shots are best
This is one of the most important photography tips there is! Shooting at eye level allows your camera to directly engage with your subject. This is especially true with the shortest of family members: the babies and children. When taking pictures of kids, crouch down to their level and see how much more you enter their world. I will, however, caution you to be on your guard as you have now put your camera within reach of their hands and feet which are not only dangerous but can be grabby!
This is by no means a rule, more of a guideline. There are many circumstances where you may want to shoot from a high or low angle. But more often than not, eye-level shots are exactly what the situation calls for!
Learn your camera
Knowing your tools is one key to getting the most out of them. The others are practice and self evaluation. Take an hour to read some articles or watch some videos about how to specifically use your camera. If you have a DSLR or mirrorless camera and don’t know how to control the exposure (the brightness of the image) check out this introductory video on the exposure triangle.
Also, as a good tip, you won’t want to use a flash when creating holiday images at family events. Nothing can ruin a moment like having a bright light flash people in their eyes. It also makes subsequent pictures with natural reactions much less likely. In order to get pictures that aren’t blurry or too dark you will either need to raise your ISO or have a fast lens (a lens that allows a lot of light onto your sensor), or both.
And once you take all these pictures, review them and think about how you could have done better. If you don’t know what that is, ask a photographer friend or even ask on the internet. Though do be prepared for some potential PhotoShopping requests from some family members.
If you recently purchased your camera, one of the first things you should do is customize a few of the settings. This is a great way to get ready to shoot holiday photos and family pictures. Most cameras come equipped with factory settings that need a bit of adjustment.
For instance, you may want to set the camera to shoot in RAW instead of JPG. Take a look at this article on how to prepare your new camera for tips. For newer photographers, it’s also a good idea to review key camera settings like shutter speed and aperture. After all, the time to troubleshoot settings is before you have the whole family gathered and smiling for a photo.
Fortunately, we’ve already assembled some great written guides and videos with photography tips for understanding shutter speed, aperture, and ISO settings like auto ISO.
If family photo poses are the part of family pictures that overwhelms you, check out our article on family portrait posing ideas before you get started with holiday party photography.
Get details
While people are clearly the main subject, make sure not to neglect getting some of the details that make these events special. Plenty of important details will pop out at you over the course of the day. Things like holiday presents (before and after you open them), holiday decorations, or a collection of family coats gathered together on a coat rack are all great details to capture. Each of them will help you tell the story of your holiday gathering.
Is there a family member who makes the best apple pie you have ever had in your life? Make sure to get a picture of that pie (and follow these food photography tips for professional-looking photos). When you look back at these pictures, it will remind you of tasting that heavenly dish and all the details of the shot will help bring you right back to that moment. Try to be aware of what makes these events special, personal, and timeless.
When photographing details, many photographers prefer to use a macro lens, but any lens will work if used appropriately. Try shooting with a shallow depth of field to draw focus to the details you want to highlight. A wide-open aperture like f/2.8 or f/4 should provide enough depth of field to keep the whole subject in focus while blurring the background.
If you don’t have a macro lens, the next best thing is a zoom lens or telephoto lens. You can zoom to crop your photo so you can focus only on the details you need.
Be patient and as unseen as possible
Capturing real emotions is hard when people see you standing there with your camera trained on them like a sniper. Having a camera constantly pointed at someone can often make them uneasy and may not lead to the amazing interactions that you wish you could capture.
One way to get around this is to position yourself a little bit outside of the circle of action and use a telephotos lens (a lens that gives you a more magnified image). And don’t keep the camera perennially glued to your head. Get your settings right, then keep the camera at your side, and wait until just before the right moment to raise your camera. You will have to be fast as moments are often fleeting, but this will lead to more natural, candid shots. Also, again, keep the flash off.
Get everyone all together for holiday photos
Make sure to get the group photo while as many people are still at the event as possible, and hopefully before anyone has had one too many eggnogs. Group photos are a family gathering staple for a reason. Having several generations in one picture that captures the family in a moment in time are photos that you will treasure and be able to share with the young ones when they’re older. Plus, as time marches on, they will become dated and vintage which, as hipster as it is, will always be cool.
The easiest way to organize a series of group photos is to start with the largest group and then ask people to step out. For example, start with your camera on a tripod and photograph the full group of gathered family members. Next, photograph just the kids before moving on to individual family photo poses.
The bigger the family gathering, the longer the posed group shots will take. Make sure you’re ready to go by setting up all of your gear before you start. Younger family members may start to get impatient, so try to get their photos done quickly.
For very small children, it’s helpful to have a noisy or squeaky toy available that you can hold over the camera to capture their attention. If you’re having a difficult time getting them to focus on the camera, ask everyone else in the room to keep quiet so your subject isn’t distracted or overwhelmed. If all else fails, ask their parents to help you catch their attention!
Be present, and put the camera down sometimes
It should be obvious, but actually enjoying the experience of being around your family members is better than having a million photos of them. I know I have suffered from this, but I have learned to balance the amount of time I spend taking pictures and the amount of time I put the camera away and just hang out with the people I care about.
Bring your photos to life to share as memories
When the holidays have passed and you’re looking for a priceless way to hang onto those memories, what could warm your heart more than sharing your family photos with the ones who matter — the people you took them with? Going through the snapshots of the fun, food and family moments shared over the holidays is almost as fun as enjoying them in person!
Don’t wait until the next holiday party to remind your family members of all those magical moments — share them now. You spent time and effort capturing the good times and gatherings, so put them on display in a creative keepsake. Here are some memorable ways to turn your holiday photos into gifts for your family:
- Holiday photo books: If you’re like most, you probably capture more photos than you know what to do with. So why not compile them into a professional-quality book of memories? Turn your artistic eye into a work of art by collecting your family photos in a holiday photo book. With so many themes, styles and gorgeous ways to get creative, AdoramaPix lets you capture that holiday magic in a personal way. Flip through page after page of high-quality images and lovely memories. Choose from hardback, softcover, leather or fabric — and make copies to share with your family.
- Holiday greeting or thank-you cards: Some people send out Christmas cards before the holidays, but why not offer your season’s greetings after you’ve celebrated the occasion and snapped a few shots? With AdoramaPix’s creative, professional-quality card templates, you can print your holiday memories on cards to share with the whole family. Send family photo cards as thank-you tokens, keepsakes or best wishes for New Year’s. Your family members will love getting one last gift to spread a little extra cheer!
- Holiday keepsake prints: When you want to keep it simple, sending out high-quality prints is a thoughtful gesture for the family members in your photos. They’re sure to be touched when they receive your vibrant photos of the fondest holiday memories. Prints are perfect to display in frames, put on their desks or keep in their wallet.
- New year family photo calendars: Keep the holiday spirit alive all year long by organizing your beautiful photos into a photo calendar your family members can use all year. Every time someone flips to the next month, they’ll be reminded of another happy memory from the previous holiday season — and they’ll look forward to doing it all again next year.
Holiday photos gifts
The holidays are all about family, and snapping photos of your favorite family moments isn’t complete until you share the results. Explore AdoramaPix’s creative collection of photo print gifts to share with your family this holiday season.
Frameable prints are always a great option for gift-giving occasions. You can print a large image for framing as the centerpiece of a room over the couch or an end table. Or, select a collection of small prints that you can frame together as a photo collage.
If you’re looking for a printable photo gifts option that’s a bit more exciting than a traditional framed print, there are several possibilities. Canvas prints, metal prints, acrylic prints, and stand-out prints are all unique, eye-catching options that will become a beautiful centerpiece in any home. You can design them in a variety of sizes to accommodate any picture or environment.
Photo albums and books are another great alternative that will let you include a bigger collection of your holiday images. With leather, fabric, hardcover, and softcover options, you can work within any budget and start a new tradition that can grow over the years.
If you want to remind family members of valued memories all year long, a calendar is another fantastic option that merges multiple images in a small footprint. Otherwise, consider thinking outside the box with ideas like ceramic mugs, thermoses, or water bottles with your favorite family photos.
Whether you choose to print your favorite images on puzzles, acrylic photo cubes, holiday ornaments, or wall decor, any family member will be happy to receive thoughtful photo gifts for the holidays! What better way to remind the ones you love about the special moments you spend together at the happiest time of year.
