12 Photo Tips for Christmas

Now that December is in full swing, and the holiday decorating and baking have begun, there also come extra opportunities to practice your photography techniques. To help make your Christmas photos both merry and bright, I’ve gathered my top twelve “countdown to Christmas” photography ideas! With this list, you’ll be ready to take advantage of the festive props and backgrounds, capture your loved ones’ excitement, and preserve precious moments of family togetherness.

1. Find a Festive Backdrop

	Christmas photo tip: Station your subject a few feet in front of a glowing holiday backdrop. Specs: f2.5, ISO400, 50mm 1.4 lens, 1/125
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Holiday decorations not only make your home beautiful at Christmas time, they also make excellent photo backdrops. Take advantage of the holiday decor around you (e.g., Christmas lights, Holiday wreaths, Christmas trees) and use them as backdrops for your next photos. Don’t sit your subject directly in front of your backdrop, set them a couple of feet in front to help get that beautiful blurred background. (On your digital SLR camera, set a lower F-stop number to have a subject that’s in focus with a blurred background. Learn more in my eBook, 40 Top Tips for Better Photos.)

2. Establish a Photo Tradition

	Christmas photo tip: Take a photo every year with the same festive prop. Photo specs: f4.5, ISO 500, 28-135mm lens, 1/100
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	Photo specs: f2.5, ISO400, 50mm 1.4 lens, 1/125
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Take a photo each year in the same pose or location; it’s such a fun way to look back and see how people grow and change through the years. We have a yearly tradition of taking the kids’ photos wearing santa hats. I just love seeing how the kids have grown each year when I look back through these photos. And I love comparing siblings’ photos to see how much they looked alike at the same age.

3. Get in on the Action

	Christmas photo tip: Use a vintage action to give your photo a nostalgic glow. Vintage tea-tone action by Addy Lane.
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Editing your photos after you take them can be a lot of fun. One simple way to do this is by using Photoshop actions—as I’ve outlined in a previous article, 3-Minute Makeovers. When editing my Christmas photos, I love using a vintage action to give them a bit of a nostalgic feel.

	The "Before Photo": Here's how the photo looked prior to applying the action. Photo specs: f2.8, ISO 400, 50mm 1.8 lens, 1/60.
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4. Use a Self-Timer

	Christmas photo tip: A shot like this is totally doable with a self-timer. Frame your shot, set the timer, and run! Specs: f4.5, ISO 500, 50mm 1.8 lens, 1/160
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If you’re still looking to capture a family portrait for your Christmas cards this year and haven’t been able to schedule a professional photographer, why not give that self timer a try? Arrange the crew in a triangular shape when posing everyone (a simple trick to get a great grouping every time). I’m serious! For more tips for your next family photo session, visit this recent post from my blog.

While this is NOT a self timer shot it could have totally been achieved with a tripod or chair to hold the camera and a pair of quick feet. The tricky part with self timer photos is getting the camera to focus where you want it to when you aren’t actually operating it. Pressing the shutter button halfway, locking the focus where you want it, THEN pressing it all the way to start the timer is the key. Sure, it’ll probably take a few tries but its totally doable. Note: Check your individual camera’s manual for instructions for how this works on your specific model.

5. Take Your Own Shot with Santa

	Christmas photo tip: Take some candid shots of your own during a professional photo with Santa. Specs: f3.2, ISO 1250, 50mm 1.4 lens, 1/1250
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Did you know that when visiting most Santas in the mall, you can bring your camera along to snap a few photos of your own? Just ask the photographer on duty if it’s ok. If they charge money for photos, you’ll still have to pay for the shot the professional is taking, but it’s totally worth it to be able to snap a few candid shots with your own camera. I love this photo my daughter Emily and Santa discussing her Christmas list at length.

6. Capture the Details

	Christmas photo tip: Capture rows of holiday treats, especially those you set out for Santa. Specs: f2.0, ISO 1250, 50mm 1.4 lens, 1/160
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	Christmas photo tip: Take portraits of your favorite Christmas "characters" that you have on display throughout your home. Specs: f2.8, ISO1250, 50mm 1.4 lens, 1/100
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The magic of Christmas is all in the details. Don’t forget to snap a few photos of the little things that make Christmas special to you. Crop in close and let the little details take center stage—from treats baking to holiday décor to piles of Christmas cards received in the mail.

7. Get in the Photos

	Christmas photo tip: Even if it means ending up with a slightly blurry photo, give your child a chance to take your picture in front of the tree this season.
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While sorting through past Christmas photos for this article, I noticed one particular person was missing from many of our holiday photos—me! I immediately set the goal to get in a few more photos this Christmas instead of being the one taking them all. I plan to use the self-timer to hop in a few shots and also just hand the camera over to someone else once in a while. Even though its a little blurry and discolored, I’m so happy to have this shot taken by my 7-year-old a few Christmases ago, when I was pregnant with my fourth child. It might not seem fun to get in front of the camera, but it’s so worth it.

8. Take Pictures of Yearly Traditions

	Christmas photo tip: You don't necessarily need to capture the same traditions every year, but get them at least every couple of years. Photo specs: f2, ISO 800, 50mm 1.4 lens, 1/250
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	Christmas photo tip: Zoom in on Christmas pj's or your child holding a special gift. Eager little hands are especially fun to photograph at this time of year. Photo specs: f2.5, ISO 1200, 50mm 1.4 lens, 1/100
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Don’t forget to take a minute, while capturing your Christmas in photos, to showcase the family traditions that make your holidays special: those new Christmas jammies, Christmas morning breakfast, whatever it is you do each year without fail throughout the holidays. These are the details of Christmas that are rich in memories, and they definitely deserve a place in your photo albums.

9. Capture Connections

	Christmas photo tip: Use your camera's zoom to get close without interrupting the moment. Photo specs: f5, ISO 100, 50mm 1.8 lens, 1/200
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With family coming together for the holidays, our thoughts turn towards enjoying time with our loved ones and celebrating the connections we have with each other. What better time could there be to grab your camera and set out capturing these special connections between loved ones? A zoom lens can help with this, so you can take these photos from a distance without disturbing the authentic moment.

10. Seek Out Expressions of Wonder

	Christmas photo tip: Use your camera to try to see the wonder of the holidays through a child's eyes. Photo specs: f2, ISO 200, 50mm 1.8 lens, 1/80
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There’s nothing quite like experiencing the magic of Christmas than through the eyes of a child. Capture the wonder of the holidays by getting down on your child’s level as she gazes at the tree or at other decorations. Instead of standing, kneel down or lay down. Photograph her expression and also focus the camera on whatever she’s looking at, from her vantage point, and capture Christmas from a different view.

11. Showcase the Tree All Aglow

	Christmas photo tip: Use a tripod or other solid surface and set the self timer to get the clearest shot in low light. It's worth it to avoid using the flash. Photo specs: f4, ISO 2500, 28-135mm lens, 1/30
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Getting a beautiful photo of that Christmas tree can be tricky. If you have a digital SLR, you need a high ISO and a slow shutter speed (which allows more light to reach the sensor). You also need a steady hand to get an in-focus shot in low-light conditions, so let the self-timer take over for you. Set your camera up on a tripod/chair or other firm surface and put it on self-timer mode. Frame your shot, choose your focus point, press the shutter button half way to lock the focus and then all the way to start the timer. By letting your camera do all the work, you eliminate the camera shake that can happen when you’re holding it yourself at such slow shutter speeds in low light.

12. Put the Camera Away

Once you've captured some meaningful Christmas memories this year, which you will have done if you tried all 11 of my tips so far, then take the opportunity to put your camera away and enjoy a few hours with your kids—without that camera around your neck. Let go of the idea that you need to preserve every moment, and simply enjoy being in the moment.

For more photography tips and tricks for this holiday season and year round, check out my eBooks, 40 Top Tips for Better Photos: Simple suggestions for stunning photographs and Don’t Say Cheese! How to get great, natural photos of your kids.

Rebecca Cooper is a photographer, scrapbooker, and mother, who just moved with her family back home to Canada after a couple of years living on a Carribean island with her husband and four children. She blogs about life and photography at Simple As That.