Holiday Photo Tips

It’s now T-Xmas (read: “T-minus Christmas”), and as we’re now in the holiday season for so many people of so many faiths, it’s time to share some holiday photo tips! Before I get too far I want to apologise for laying down last week’s #TravelTuesday post on what was, as a one-off, #TravelMonday— thanks to everyone who pointed it out, and I’m firmly blaming the jet lag, having just arrived back from Canada!

So, on the whole, we want our holiday shots to be light and airy, but as always, there are exceptions to the rules, so don’t think of them as hard and fast! I’ve been aided in this post with some fabulous images by some fabulous photographers, so be sure to check out their links to see more!

I’m Dave Williams, let’s do this! Go tips, go!

Crank your ISO!

We tend to have some atmospheric light going on around the holidays, with fairy lights and candles and all kinds of contrasts going on, and it’s a good idea to bump our ISO to let the light flood the sensor, giving our images a light and airy feel. What I mean by this is knowing the ISO limitations of your camera and pushing those limits to give a nice, bright, festive photo, without causing any damaging highlights. A good benchmark on a newer, higher-level mirrorless or DSLR is pushing to 6400 ISO, and with something like a Canon Rebel or Nikon 5300, try somewhere around the 1600 ISO range.

By Cathy Baitson

Throw some props around!

Santa hats, mistletoe, that weird little elf thing, it all adds up to setting the scene and making it crystal-clear when our shot was taken, acting as a souvenir shot for us or our customer. These little props really go a long way.

By Gilmar Smith

Get creative with composites!

Beautiful starry skies, flying snowmen, steam-puffing trains, and a ton of other things lend themselves nicely to a festive composite. Throw in the odd starburst, and check out some KelbyOne courses about how to create seamless composite images to really add some punch to your holiday image.

By Stephanie Richer

Get tight!

No, I don’t mean skimping on gifts, I mean getting in close to the details! The details of all the things that come out at the festive time of year are special, and it’s often in the little details themselves where the real meanings and feelings come out. Keep your aperture low and your focus on-point to make your image really special.

Think about the light!

Off-camera flash is way cooler than on-camera flash, so make the most of all the light sources around you at this time of year (including natural light). Take advantage of beautiful, bokehlicious backgrounds by making that aperture nice and wide to knock focus out and keep the attention on your subject in all its festive glory.

By Stephanie Richer

Tell a story!

This time of year, no matter your faith or creed, is packed with awesome, meaningful stories. So, bring that to your photography and tell a story of your own, while making some awesome memories of the 2019 holiday season!

These images, in order of appearance, have kindly been provided by Cathy Baitson, Gilmar Smith, and Stephanie Richer, with thanks!

Much love

Dave

Total
0
Shares
Leave a Reply
Previous Post

It’s Here! My Annual Holiday Gear Guide!

Next Post

Guest Blog: Designer Extraordinaire Dave Clayton