With the holidays upon us and our social media feeds being bombarded with baubles and bokeh, we thought it would be fitting to share a few of our tips for taking better festive photographs. ‘Tis the season for all types of cameras, from point and shoots, smartphones and bridge cameras to mirrorless and DSLR cameras! So, we thought we’d cover a few basics that will be of benefit to everyone snapping festive memories this holiday season.
1. The scouts knew a thing or two- always be prepared.
When it comes to capturing great festive moments, the most important piece of advice would have to be to come prepared. Keep your camera along with a spare fully-charged battery and extra memory card easily accessible. Things can get quite rushed at this time of year so being organised, when it comes to your photographic preparedness, can go a very long way indeed. Then, before you begin to shoot, spend some time thinking about the shots you’d like to capture. Again, this gives you time to set up and prepare. Before and after shots of the tree, the set table or even the children pre and post gifting can all make for wonderful additions to your festive albums.
2. Choose the right subject – time to focus.
When it comes to the silly season, there is just so much going on in a particular scene, so many different potential subjects to choose from, that many photographers are tempted to “try and get it all in”. Take a breath and before rushing from spot to spot to try and find the best angle, take a second to look at the event and the setting and, for a while, have one subject per shot instead. Start snapping early as preparation and in-action shots can be quite wonderful, i.e. photos of family members cooking up a storm in the kitchen, wrapping gifts, greeting guests and setting the table. Try using the burst or continuous shooting mode on your camera as timing is always tricky when shooting candidly and this mode will result in a fun series of photos that tell a story and give you the perfect opportunity to pick and choose the very best one.
3. Let there be light!
As a general rule, always try to work with the natural light in a space before turning to your flash for assistance. Built-in camera flashes provide relatively stark lighting, washing out colours and casting a harsh shadow behind your subjects. Sometimes, a bit of low-light can add interesting moods to a photograph, especially around this time of year when Christmas lights, sparklers and candles seem to be the preferred light source.
4. Make it or break it with the background
Very busy backgrounds can be very distracting. When taking a snap, pay special attention to the space around your subject and, if it is quite busy, consider throwing it slightly out of focus. Of course, keeping festive elements/atmosphere in the background, particularly at family events, will give your photos of the occasion a wonderful feel of continuity.
5. Posed vs. Candid
It’s usually a good idea to get the posed portraits done as early as possible when taking photos at any event. After the initial portraits, try to simply just capture the moments candidly, with the aid of your burst/continuous shooting mode, as they happen. When gift giving is involved, remember to get a few snaps of the giver as well, as their expression is often priceless while watching the recipient open their gift.
6. Less is more – a little macro magic
While festive portraits are wonderful, don’t forget about the details. These are striking standalone shots and also make albums a lot more interesting when used to enhance the overall story of the event. Practise your macro photography skills by really getting up close and personal with various little details such as baubles, tree décor, table décor or a drinks glass for example. This is an excellent exercise that will also help you change the way you look at potential scenes in the future, i.e. learning what works well for macro.
7. Don’t forget about yourself.
And finally, you’re a part of the festivities too so don’t forget to use your camera’s self-timer to make sure you get a few shots of yourself as well. Time-lapse sequences are quite trendy this season so, if your camera has the functionality, why not set it up and go ahead and enjoy yourself knowing that, at the end of the day, you’ll have a rather interesting reportage-style photographic story to compliment your album.
