Are you tired of the same old ho-hum holiday snapshots? Would you like more predictable results when capturing those special moments? You’re not alone! Get a handle on your holiday photos this year with the following 14 tips and techniques.

 

Plan ahead

Spontaneity is the spice of life and you never know when the magical moment is going to happen, but you’ll be better prepared to capture those fleeting moments if you plan ahead.

• Make a list. List all the photo opportunities you can think of prior to taking out your camera. For example, kids in front of the Christmas tree, the Menorah in the window, Grandma serving her famous turkey dressing, close-up shots of Santa’s cookies or a loved one opening a present. You’ll be thankful you planned ahead when you’re in the midst of the holiday hubbub. All you need to do is pull out your list and check it twice to make sure you don’t forget anything important.

 

• Bring supplies. No power means no pictures, so be prepared and charge your camera batteries ahead of time. Bring one extra camera battery with you at all times, and don’t forget to pack extra memory cards too.

 

Keep it real

Capture the real moment this holiday. Don’t insist that every shot be highly posed. “Slices of life” images where your loved ones are opening gifts, telling bedtime stories or making cookies may result in a favorite holiday photograph. You as the photographer need to decide when that moment occurs, whether it’s a glance, an emotion or a gesture that you think is important. You can find that moment by observing what’s going on around you.

• Capture the action.  When an emotion or reaction occurs, capture every second by using the Continuous Mode or Sports Mode setting on your camera (see “select the right settings” at the end of this feature). Hold your finger down on the shutter button to capture multiple frames in quick succession.

 

• Look for candid moments. Successful candid images capture a moment in time that is not rehearsed, posed or planned. They occur when people are not aware of the camera or when their awareness of the camera has momentarily disappeared. Sometimes the candid moment happens in between the planned shots, so you need to be ready.

 

Consider the light

What is “good light?” For portraits, it’s typically any light that makes your subject look attractive—most of the time this will be soft, even light.

• Indoors. If you are shooting indoors during the day, position your subjects near a window or door instead of relying on the flash. Don’t point your camera towards the window; instead, position yourself between your subject and the window to ensure a proper exposure.

 

• Outdoors. If you’re having a problem lighting everyone’s face indoors, just step outside to take advantage of beautiful, natural light. Late afternoon, wintertime light provides soft, even lighting on faces. If you’re seeing harsh shadows or squinty eyes, move your subjects under the open shade of a tree or building.

 

• To flash or not to flash? The warm glow of lamps, candles and outdoor lights are often blasted into darkness with an on-camera flash. Here are two ways to remedy the problem.

 

          1. Turn off your flash and raise your ISO to let in more light and
          reduce blur (see diagram at the end of the feature).
          One of the many advantages to shooting with a digital camera is the
          ability to adjust your ISO, also known as your digital camera’s
          sensitivity to the light. Raising your ISO allows your camera to use
          a faster shutter speed, which in turn reduces image blur. 

          Keep in mind that a higher ISO often translates to discolored
          pixels appearing in your image, also known as “noise.”
          For the optimum image quality, I recommend setting your ISO to
          100 or 200, but if you’re shooting in a lowlight situation without flash
          and without a tripod, raising your ISO may be a necessity. As the
          photographer, this is your creative choice—
          would you rather have a little blur or a little noise? When shooting in
          low light, I prefer to deal with a little noise in some of my images
          as opposed to missing the moment entirely due to image blur.

 

          2. Use your camera’s Night Flash or Slow Synch setting to illuminate
          your scene. This setting uses a slower shutter speed that captures the
          ambient light in the background while still flashing your subject.
          Hold the camera very still or use a tripod to reduce blur.

 

• Low-light without flash. For a more interesting photograph that displays the subtle nuances of light falling upon your subject, or the ambiance of the room, turn off your flash. Avoid blurry images by stabilizing your camera on a tripod or solid surface. Another way to reduce camera shake and the resulting blurred images is to use your camera’s self-timer and set it to 2 seconds (see “select the right settings” ). This setting helps avoid camera wiggle from pressing the shutter button with your finger. I turned off the flash and used a tripod to capture this image of the tree. If I had used a flash or turned on all the indoor lights, I would have missed the beautiful glow of the lights.

 

• Low-light with flash. The Night Scene camera setting (see “select the right settings” ) allowed me to capture the glow of the tree lights while the flash illuminated everyone’s faces.

 

Compose the shot

The difference between a snapshot and a compelling image begins with thoughtful consideration as to what’s in front of your lens.

• Change your point of view. For every photo situation, think about all the angles you might try. Shoot from up above, down below, eye-level, from behind, far away and close-up. If you’re photographing kids, get down on their level and zoom in to fill the frame and capture their personality.

 

• Watch the background. Don’t dilute the focus of your image with a busy background. You can choose something holiday related, but think, “less is more.” Take the time to remove unwanted objects, reposition the camera, or use your camera’s lens to zoom in and fill the frame.

 

• Don’t forget the details. Tell a story with your images by getting in close and capturing the details. Incorporate a wide shot, a medium shot and a close-up shot within every picture moment and you’ll have a more compelling slideshow or photo album for your friends and family to “wow” over later.

 

Get people together

A different dynamic is present when more than one person is in front of the lens. A good group photo captures the relationship between people in the image.

• Be candid. Both formal and casual portraits offer opportunities for candid images. It could be the emotion shared between people before or after a formal pose is struck, or the natural reaction to something funny that occurred during the casual pose. Be sure to give direction, motivate your group and take a lot of pictures to compensate for people’s natural inclination to blink.

 

• Do something active and have fun! Stay away from those police line-up “cheese” poses. If you’ve rounded up people for a group shot, don’t let them just stand there. Suggest a little action to add some visual interest, “group hug” or “kick up a leg” always works for me. Break out of the conventional approach and open yourself up to news ways of looking at things. It’s ok to be silly and experiment.

 

Fa-la-la-la-la! May your pictures be jolly and your holidays filled with joy.

 

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Select the right settings

The settings available to you will depend on the type of camera you have. Learn to use them to take the perfect picture! To get you started, here are a few common ones used for this feature:

 

   Night Scene: captures ambient light in the scene while flashing your subject. Great for candle light or other low-light situations.

 

   No Flash: turns off the flash.

 

   Self-timer: sets a delay on taking a picture.

 

   Sports Mode: captures the action and provides the best results in bright light. Some cameras also include continuous shooting while in Sports Mode, which allows you to capture multiple frames in quick succession when depressing the shutter button.

 

 

Raising your ISO: increases your camera's sensitivity to the light, allowing you to use a faster shutter speed when shooting in low light.