Taking photos of your family in front of the Christmas tree can be challenging! So to save you the stress of figuring this all out on your own, I have put together a few tips and tricks to help you get better photos of your kids in front the Christmas tree this year.

 

Now for my top tips on photographing your kids in front of the Christmas Tree

 

Lighting is key for a good photograph. 

• Turn off all artificial lights – Turn off any lights in the room, besides the tree of course, this includes lamps, overhead lights and maybe even a light that could be spilling in from a joining room!
• Open the blinds to let in some natural light – Try facing your subject towards the window. This will allow for more light on their faces. Alternatively, if it is too bright or sunny you may want to close the blinds a bit to block some light.

 

Remove any distractions. 

• Roll the rug away if you have hardwood floors to add more reflection.
• Use the kids bodies to hide any exposed cords that may be hanging down from the tree.

 

Scoot your kids away from the Christmas tree.

• If you want to get those big blurry lights in the background, we call this bokeh in the photography world, you will need to be away from the tree and not too close to it.

Use your Smartphone or Digital Camera.

• If using your smartphone, put your camera on Portrait mode and turn off the flash.
• If you are using your digital camera, set it to Aperature priority mode to help create those big sparkly lights.

Get creative with your Composition.

• Take individual portraits of your kids looking at the Christmas tree, putting on an ornament and put them directly in front of the tree.

Don’t forget to hop in for at least one photo.

• Yes moms, I am talking to you! Too often we are the ones taking the photo and not the ones in the photo. Prop your phone or camera up on a shelf, bonus points if you have a tripod, and use the self timer function on your Smart Phone or Digital Camera. Count down from 3, 2, 1 and say “cheese”.

 

I hope you found these tips helpful. I wish you a very Merry Christmas with great photos to document it.