11 Tips for Fantastic Family Photos this Holiday Season

This is a family photo for one of our Tennessee State Representatives to send out on Christmas Cards. Taken at one of the beautiful overlooks of the Foothills Parkway in Cosby, TN.  

Thanksgiving is past and with Christmas will be here before you know it. That means lots of family get-togethers for most people and a great opportunity to make some photos that will be treasured by future generations. It’s not always easy to get those great photos, so here are some tips to help you get going. 

 1.   Go Outside: Just to be honest, flash sucks. One of the reasons people often look weird when flash is used is that we are used to seeing people with overhead light. When you light them up from in front, it can give an odd appearance (think flashlight under your chins to tell ghost stories). So, if you can get folks together outside for a few moments, weather permitting, of course, your photos will be much better than with flash indoors. Also, at Thanksgiving there might be a bit of fall color left and that almost always makes for beautiful backdrops.  

Window light is nice, especially the soft light from a North facing window. It won’t work for large groups (unless you have a really big window), but individuals or small groups work wonderfully well.  

2.   Find a Sentimental Background: With the backdrop idea in mind, comes this tip. Try to find an area that will be significant years from now, a place that means home. An excellent idea is a front porch or part of the house where the festivities are taking place. Some of my favorite old family photos were taken with houses in the background that aren’t there anymore. The photos are all I have left.

3.   Keep Little Ones Moving: Nothing says family fun like a screaming, red-faced, tantrum, and the toddlers do it, too! Just kidding! Little ones, especially with the excitement of the holidays find it torturous to have to be still for photos. I’ve found that having mom, dad, or someone they want to carry them around or lift them up to see things (think Christmas tree or stockings) makes for much better photos than trying to wrestle them long enough for a photo. They will appreciate it, and so will everyone else within earshot.

4.   Play with the Kids: Be sure to get some shots where you are on their level. Fill the frame with those adorable faces! Have them show you their favorite toy or hold something they have made. Incorporating some great props helps to make the memories more personal. For a cute video idea, interview them about their favorite things. These will be priceless treasures as they grow older and have families of their own.

5.   Get Great Combinations of People: Undoubtedly, after everyone has gone home, someone will say, “Oh, we should have gotten a photo of ...” A great way to make sure you get all the photos you want is to make a shot list. As a professional photographer, it is a lifesaver when working with large groups.

Keep it simple and create emotional combinations such as: the oldest and youngest family members; grandparents with all of their grandchildren; all of the “chefs” in the kitchen; fathers and sons; mothers and daughters; and you get the idea. You can get so much more feeling in these type images. Make the big group photo for prosperity, but don’t neglect the smaller combinations.  

This is a personal favorite photo of the youngest and oldest of five generations, taken outdoors, in natural light, and neither of them even knew I was taking this photo. I took several posed photos for this five-generation family, but none were as touching as this candid shot.  

6.   Be Sneaky: The previous tip can be expanded into this one. Find those special candid moments of people interacting. The photos that look the most like the person you want to capture are most often when they don’t know you are even there. Grab the zoom lens and wander around the gathering. Find sisters talking, kids playing, anyone sharing a warm moment.  

7.   Include the Pets: Our pets are part of our immediate families, after all, we see them more than we do our extended families. Don’t forget to snap some photos of them during the festivities. Remember we are capturing warm memories, and pets provide the “fuzzy” part of the “warm and fuzzy” feelings we are trying to achieve.  

8.   Be Ready: The best moments come and go at lightning speed. One of the moments I try to capture doing wedding photos is the groom’s reaction to his first view of the bride walking down the aisle. It’s real and it’s usually very moving. In that same vein, capturing expressions of family to arrivals of those who have been away can be a warm and wonderful moment to treasure. Reuniting of loved ones is what the holidays are all about.

  

Kids expressions are always great because they are the real deal. Kids don’t fake it, so it’s worth the effort to be ready for that reaction to that gift they have been begging for all year, or that first taste of a new food. Have your finger on the shutter when these moments come your way.  

9.   Get photos of the Table(s) and Decorations: Years from now, someone will ask, “Do you remember that Nativity Scene that Grandma had?” and it will be really nice to have that photo, even if the Nativity Scene is long since broken and gone. Photos of that homemade pumpkin pie that Great-Aunt Sally used to bring every year will be a treasure some years from now. Take a few moments to capture the details. These photos also come in handy if you want to create a photo book of the occasion. Details make great background pages!  

10.   Don’t Forget to Have Fun: Above all, remember, they are your family, and this is a fun time, a once in a life-time. Be sure you don’t miss all the fun because you are taking photos. Hand the camera off to others and get the kids in on things with a few disposable or cheap cameras. Keep things light and enjoy yourself, don’t make it hard work, make it fun!  

11.   Details: Once you have all these great photos, be sure to tag and date them. Also, add captions if a great story goes with the image. Over the years you may forget or someone might be looking at the photos and want to know. Do these things while they are fresh in your memory.  

I hope you and yours have a wonderful holiday season, and that these tips help you capture the wonder and warmth, joy and laughter, all through the holidays and in the years to come, so that you may treasure them for many generations!