Hi! Happy post Thanksgiving! Hope you enjoyed the holiday. Let’s talk about holiday cards, shall we? The hardest part for me is finding the right picture to include on the card. Over the years I’ve used both professional pictures and pictures I’ve taken myself. This year I decided not to use professional photos and that I would take the picture for the card myself. In this post I’m sharing a few tips on how to make this process easier and get the best shot!
Pick the crew.
When I do holiday photos myself I know it will be much easier if it’s just the kids. Full family photos should be left up to the professionals, IMO. It’s nearly impossible to scream look at the camera while also posing and looking presentable in the photo.
Location. Location. Location.
Next figure out where you will take your photo. Will it be indoor or outdoor? What’s the best time of day to take your photo? For example I took pictures in my living room this year. I know the sun casts a bad shadow in the room towards the middle of the day so it was important to take the photos earlier in the day.
Outfits and background decor.
Once I figured out the location and that the girls would be sitting on our couch, I started planning ways to “dress” up the area to make it look more festive. I bought Christmas pillows and a festive blanket. Make sure whatever you adding to the picture doesn’t take away from the focal point, the people in it! Once I picked all of that out I found outfits for the girls. While they were holiday-ish, I kept it simple by sticking with neutral colors – white, black, gray – and a touch of red.
Stage the location.
Once you have everything settled set it up and see how it looks. Is it how you imagined? With little kids I know I only have so much time (sometimes seconds!) when the camera comes out so I can’t be wasting it fiddling with decor or swapping things out.
Bribe.
Your children, or at least my children, don’t respond as well to me taking the photo as they do to another adult taking it. So bribing is a tool I recommend in these situations. 🙂 Should they sit perfectly still with big smiles? Sure. Will they? Only you know.
Take the picture.
No advice here. Hope for the best.
Post photo.
Once you have your pictures try not to criticize every little detail, things you see others will probably not. If the reason you aren’t 100% on the photo is a simple fix like lighting, there are plenty of apps that will brighten up your photo.
Well there you have it! I hope these steps were useful!