Christmas Tree Photo Tips

The month of December may be my favorite. So many fun activities, so many photo opportunities. But, what better opportunity than photographing your child in front of the Christmas tree? Today, I am sharing my favorite Christmas tree photo tips to ensure you get great photos of your kids no matter if it’s day or night.

When it comes to photographing this season there are three different types of photos I try to get of my kids in front of the tree:

1. Decorating - Decorating the tree is an important moment in our home each year. I try to time it so that it’s prime lighting hours within our home (1pm-3pm). The sun is over our house so that there isn’t direct light shining through the windows but the room is well light. Be sure that your back is to the light source (in my case the window).

2. Artsy - Try taking some silhouetted photos of your children in front of the tree. To capture this look you’ll need a low shutter speed. I used a tripod and my settings in this photo were ISO 800 Shutter Speed 1/13 and Aperture 2.8.

3. In pajamas in preparation for Christmas morning - I like to do a Christmas Eve photo shoot in front of the tree with the kids. Last year I snapped these photos of the kids and I’m so glad I did…Christmas morning they were up at 6am and I did not capture the beautifully lit photos that I had hoped to. Read more about my Christmas morning photo tips here.