Take great family photos at holiday celebrations

High-end cameras or smartphones
are all good for taking photos.

Many people visit relatives or have guests during the holiday season. When the clan gets together is the perfect time for family photos. There’s usually one person who likes to be the designated photographer, but with these tips, anyone with even a simple camera or smartphone can take frame-worthy pictures.

Tickle their funny bones. Don’t ask everyone to say cheese—you’ll end up with a bunch of fake, plastered smiles (or some crazy faces from mischievous kids). Instead tell a joke or burst out with your own belly laugh. That should get people laughing honestly—or at least cracking a smile.

Early morning is a good time for outdoor photos.

Avoid bright sun.  Shadows—they’re the bane of people pictures and especially hard to avoid with groups. Opt for photo sessions early in the morning or late afternoon, if you’re shooting outdoors. Clouds can be your friends as they provide more even lighting and eliminate harsh shadows. Using fill flash can also dim the shadows.

Stay indoors. If the weather isn’t right for outdoor pictures, stay indoors—but be wary of backgrounds that are too “busy.” A good way to solve the problem of “where should we stand?” is to purchase a white foam board at a craft store or tape white butcher paper on a wall or door for a backdrop. White reflects and diffuses light, which is helpful in rooms without natural light.

Choose any type of camera for
recording family get togethers.

Get down low. Posed (is that possible?), squirming kids don’t make good photo subjects, so try to capture a moment in time when they are unaware of your photographic intents. Find them at play and aim for images that show them having fun. Getting down on their level often improves the angle and makes a better photo than shooting downwards.

Move in. When you’ve finished taking the inevitable group shots, try focusing tight shots on one or two subjects. Get close with the camera to snap cute expressions. Close-ups are often the best and most memorable images, even if the subject isn’t perfectly centered or part of the subject is slightly cut off--techniques even professional photographers often use. Notice bright colors, interesting faces, and good lighting--then zoom in.

Does your family look like this when they all get together?

Play the numbers game.  Take lots of pictures! You never know when specific family members may be together again, and you’ll want plenty of images to choose from when sharing the best holiday memories later. And who wouldn’t like a framed remembrance of good times for the next gift-giving occasion.

Photos from free sources.