10 Tips on capturing magical Christmas memories!
Christmas morning is such an exciting time of year to photograph! There is a lot of excitement that happens in the morning which is why you need to plan the night before!
Tip 1
Have your camera out and ready to go and remember to charge your battery the night before! Go ahead and gift yourself an extra battery or even a battery grip as an early Christmas present. If you have a tripod, make sure its set up and ready to go so you can easily attach your camera and be ready to get into the frame!
Tip 2
Tidy up! Now I am not talking about scrubbing the floors and dusting to white glove perfection! Ain’t no one have time for that! What I mean by tidy up is to get rid of as much unneeded “stuff” that would be distracting in the photos come Christmas morning. Shoes, stacks of magazines laying around, random toys and all the Amazon prime boxes you received last minute! Straighten up the throw pillow, blankets and furniture before you go to bed.
Tip 3
Take photos on Christmas Eve! Don’t forget the capture the detailed photos of the night before. Take pictures of Santa’s cookies, the tree before the kids wake up, your children’s stockings full hanging on the mantle.
Don’t forget to capture those special traditions. Before my kids get ready for bed they open their Christmas Eve present which is brand new pair of Christmas Pajamas! Giving jammies on Christmas Eve also allows time for a few posed photos that I might not get come Christmas morning! What ever your Christmas Eve tradition is, capture it!
Tip 4
Get in front of the camera! I know this is hard for us Mom-tographers! We forget to hand the camera off, and also tend to be a little self-conscious! Well my friend! When you look back at these photos forty-years from now will you just focus on your messy hair, fuzzy robe, tired eyes or will you see a photo of yourself hugging your babies, snuggling on the couch as you and your child watch someone else opening gifts? Just remember when your babies are grown, you will always have that image of you holding them on Christmas morning! With that being said, no more excuses for not being in the photo! Focus on your kids and the moment and not the camera! If you don’t have someone to hand the camera off to, place it on your tripod and set the timer to take photos every couple of mins.
Camera Talk
Tip 5
If possible turn off the lights in the room and open up the shades! Get as much natural light coming through as you can. Try to keep the flash off. If there are windows behind your tree move to the side or look for a better angle to take the photo. If you point the camera directly at the windows your photo will come out dark.
Tip 6
Be sure to stand by the tree when the kiddos come around the corner. You want to make sure you capture their faces when they see everything and not be walking behind them.
Tip 7
If you are shooting in manual mode make sure you keep your shutter speed at least at 1/125. This will ensure that your photo doesn’t come out blurry. As a general rule, your shutter speed should never go below 1/60s (though, 1/100s or faster is optimal for catching moving kids).
{HINT: the higher the number, the faster the shutter speed: 1/100s is faster than 1/60s}. If you have no idea what I am talking about set your camera on P (Programmed mode)}
Tip 8
Raise your ISO! Most likely your room will not have a enough light early the morning. Don’t be afraid to raise your ISO!
Tip 9
To capture the natural reaction on their faces when they discover Santa delivered their favorite toy, be ready to push the shutter at a moments notice. Get down on the ground with them while they are opening presents and shoot quickly and often. You can always delete the unwanted photos later on!
Tip 10
After you have captured the photos you want to tell your story, putt the camera down and enjoy the day!