Take Better Pictures on Christmas Morning

You spend so much time picking out the perfect gifts for your loved ones, holiday pajamas, and more to create those magical Christmas memories. It’s so important to me for my family to remember those memories in years to come by telling the story of our traditions through photographs.

Today I am going to share with you some of my favorite tips to take better pictures on Christmas morning.

Christmas Morning Photo Tips:

I highly suggest practicing a couple of days before in the room which you’ll be opening gifts. Make sure it’s around the same time that you’ll be shooting on Christmas morning. Try these tips first before your practice session:

- Open your windows and turn off artificial lights (overhead lights, lamps, etc).

- Turn off your flash

- Put your back to the light source (window, glass doors, etc). Front lighting is the easiest way to get a properly lit shot.

- If you’re a digital SLR user who doesn’t know how to shoot in manual mode turn the dial to “P” for portrait mode which naturally selects a lower aperture. A low aperture allows more light in through the lens and creates a blurry background.

Then take pictures of the details that you might miss on Christmas morning. The tree, your favorite ornaments, presents wrapped up, stockings on the mantle, etc.

On Christmas morning open up the windows, turn off the lights, and keep your settings as they were on your practice day. I always try to get a couple of shots of my kids in their matching Christmas pajamas before the madness begins (it’s a Christmas Eve tradition in our house to open up pajamas to wear on Christmas morning).

And then let them go to town.

- Remember that the light source should be behind YOUR back before you get settled.

- Get on your child’s level (sit on the ground or kneel).

Take pictures of:

* Small hands unwrapping gifts.

* The look of excitement on your child’s face as they receive the present they were hoping for.

* Take pictures from different angles (from above, zoomed in close, stepping back to show the chaos of the scene).

* Your child playing with their gift after all of the unwrapping is finished.

- Finally, my last tip is put the camera away! One Christmas my face was behind the camera the entire time photographing every single thing everyone got. Now, I strive to take at most 20 pictures from different angles being sure to capture the details of the day. And then put my camera down, help my children open gifts, and be present in the moment. Have a Merry Christmas y’all!