Christmas is coming soon, which means you’ll want to take the perfect Christmas photos! It’s a beautiful time that you’ll remember for a long time, which means the pictures should be great too. In today’s article, we’re going to give you some tips on how to take the best Christmas photos and what to pay special attention to.
Of course, both experienced and novice photographers need to know a lot about post-processing. You can read on Skylum’s blog, how to make a flyer in Photoshop, how to fix brightness and contrast, and many other useful things.
Top 7 Best Photo Ideas For Christmas Photos
So, here we go. First, we’ll tell you what ideas you can use, and then we’ll move on to tips for choosing equipment and camera settings.
1. Outdoor photos
Nature looks amazing in winter. Even the light seems to change and the air is much cleaner. In short, it’s a great time to take great pictures. If you’re wondering exactly what to shoot outside, here are some ideas:
- Snow-covered streets with little trampled paths;
- Houses decorated with Christmas lights;
- Children playing snowballs or sledding.
2. Christmas lights and decorations
We know for a fact that no Christmas is without lights and decorations. Even though they have become commonplace, they can still look original.
One of the most interesting effects that professional photographers use is bokeh. In order to create the perfect composition you need to use a blurred or soft part of the focus. Also, photos where the light behind your subject is turned off look original. Turn it on on the other side of the room. It will create an unusual effect.
3. Photos with beloved relatives
Christmas is a family holiday, so your relatives will be at the center of the photo. Try to capture their sincere emotions. It won’t be hard, because everyone is excited about the holiday atmosphere or receiving gifts. We suggest you turn on the continuous shooting mode and enjoy these amazing moments.
4. Don’t forget to take a picture of the preparations
Holiday photos will be great, but pictures of the family getting ready for Christmas are just as good. Their main advantage is candidness because when a person is decorating a Christmas tree, they can act naturally without paying attention to the camera. Also, the shots where someone opens a box with a Christmas present will be beautiful, because the emotions of happiness and pleasant surprise are very difficult to imitate.
5. Focus on the eyes
Many say that the eyes are the mirror of the soul. It’s hard to argue with that. Imagine how great photos would look if the eyes were accentuated. We recommend not using flash for such pictures. There’s enough light from the lights and decorations to make a nice Christmas atmosphere.
6. Don’t forget the daytime photos
Of course, pictures of the evening holiday dinner will leave a few people indifferent. However, the morning of this holiday will look no worse. Take pictures of your loved ones decorating the Christmas tree or passersby walking through snow-covered streets to shop.
7. Take photos of food.
Agree that Christmas is one of the holidays when you can see real culinary masterpieces. Why not try your hand at being a food photographer? At best, you’ll get great pictures that you can publish on social media and earn yourself a good reputation. At worst, the memorable photos of the holiday will stay with you forever.
What Equipment Will You Need?
- To take good group portraits or other large-scale shots, consider a fast zoom lens. A 28 to 80 mm would be optimal.
- A tripod will help you take crisp group photos. It can be used with or without a timer.
- A corded flash or a flash with a tilt/swivel head will allow you to shoot without annoying flare that you will have to remove later in a photo editor.
A little bit about camera settings
Well, without the right settings, you can’t expect to get good pictures. Here are a few tips:
- Use the right aperture. A small f-number is optimal.
- Don’t set the ISO to a high value. Even if you shoot indoors, there will be plenty of light from the lights of the garland. Too high ISO will definitely result in too much noise. Stay between 100 and 200.
Feel free to use photo editors. Believe me, it will only benefit you!
Final words
So, Christmas is a great holiday, and we’re sure you’ll be able to take some stunning photos. Take your camera and give it a try!
And if you want to learn more about post-processing pictures, be sure to visit Skylum’s blog. There, professional photographers just talk about the hard stuff. You’ll learn how to make a flyer in Photoshop, how to apply filters correctly, and which photo poses are best for a particular event.
Additional:
