Remember you want to tell a story with photography. Think about what you would talk about with someone if you were describing the party. With that in mind, here are some suggestions for getting the most out of your Holiday Photography this season.
Take Photos Of The Food: The chances of there being a large amount of food spread out along a table are pretty high during the holiday season. Of course food is an important part of the holidays. So why not grab a photo of it? Now you don’t have to go around taking individual photos of everyone’s plate, but a nice wide shot of the table or serving area would play a nice role in the evening’s storytelling.
Get Them When They Are Not Looking: When you want to capture the most natural smile or expression from someone make sure they don’t know you are watching them. Most of the time it’s very easy to get this type of photo. Just place yourself near (not next to) but near your subject, get your camera ready and simply wait. Maybe one of the kids are about to open a gift or two older relatives haven’t seen each other in awhile and you want to capture them interacting. Whatever the situation may be, make sure you are close enough and quiet enough to take the photo without disturbing the moment. If you follow this you will get some great photos because they will be genuine.
Don’t Forget The Environment: When you are telling a story with your photography you want to create establishing photos. Some examples would be a photo of the house you are at, or perhaps a closeup photo of the decorations. You don’t want to go crazy and shoot a hundred photos of the Christmas Tree. But, adding in a couple of establishing photos will enhance the overall story and unite your collection.
Fill The Frame: I suggest this to people all the time. Once you have chosen your subject make sure you fill the frame with it. Your subject of the photo can be one or many things or people. However, you will have better photos if you simply fill the frame as much as you can with the subject. For example if my subject is the fireplace and Christmas Tree, I”m going to zoom in as much as possible to see only the fireplace and Christmas Tree. I’m going to make sure I can’t see the sofa or TV. Why? Because the sofa and TV are not part of my subject and will be a distraction in the photo. You want to have your audience see your photo and know exactly what the subject is without any doubt or distraction.
Don’t Forget About Yourself: Most of the time the “family photographer” forgets to be in the photos. So remember to give the camera to someone else every now and then and be in some of the photos.
Happy Holidays To All!
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