Five tips to Photograph the Holidays

Ask Elizabeth: How do capture such great Christmasy moments? I always forget to take photos until after we finished opening gifts. Every year you have so much fun content and you are already showing off great photos of Hilde looking festive! Tell me all the secrets!! 

YAY! This is such a fun Ask Elizabeth! The holidays are one of my favorite times to take pictures and I may be going a bit overboard with photos of Hilde’s first Christmas! HAHA! I’d love to share some quick tips with you!

Have the Camera Out

Keep your camera charged and ready to go! I love to have it sitting around near where we are hanging out. So that when Bruce is making funny faces with Hilde or I’m hanging new ornaments, the camera is right there. I upload those photos at night after Hilde is in bed and get it ready to go again. Having the camera with a memory card, charged, and set out makes capturing those moments so much easier.

Bring your Camera with You

I also throw my camera in our bag when we are heading out the door. Not only did I bring it to the Christmas tree farm, but also Christmas parties, walks, and traditions. Don’t worry about the perfect lighting or if you think it will look good on your Instagram, take the photo! I love this silly group photo we took with self timer at my annual cookie exchange! Photographing the holidays well is all about just capturing the moments!

Tell a Story

Take photos that help tell a story. Often times these are the detail shots. Show the final product, take photos during your holiday craft, capture the “I’m so tired from being in all moms photos” snuggle. While photos Christmas morning showing off gifts are fun, try to also capture all the presents unopened, the passing of gifts, and the unwrapping. Tell the whole story with photos.

Get Outside

My goal is to get outside whenever it snows and take photos. Something about a snowy scene SCREAMS Christmas to me! haha. If you don’t have snow, tree farms and other places with evergreens feel really Chrsitmasy too.

Change your Perspective

Think outside of the box. Take photos from your child’s perspective or from the angle you see your kids at. Try getting close or backing up. Practice taking photos of the moment from all kinds of angles to get the best shot.

The moral of the story is just take the photos! You’ll be surprised by how many fun photos you’ll get from this Christmas when you just start taking the photos. Not every photo will be perfect but that is not the point. It’s about making memories. Happy photos!