We are very few hours before Christmas Eve and Christmas begin and as always happens in these times, cities, streets and trees, houses and people in them, acquire the Christmas spirit. The family together, the climate of hope, the smiles of the children, the decorations and the particular lighting that everything has at this time of the year, make it ideal to get some good pictures. In today's article I will leave you a series of photo tips so you can portray this Christmas as you never had.
- Prepare your equipment
- Plan your pictures
- Tells a story
- Photography all
- A different Christmas tree
- Focus on the details
- Watch out for the flash
- do not stay at home
- Cheer up black and white
- Stay simple and focus the interest
- The same people, different portraits
- Let your imagination fly
- The key moment: open gifts
- And to close: fireworks
PREPARE YOUR EQUIPMENT
Christmas happens only once a year so stopping to portray it for not having prepared your equipment would be an avoidable shame. Remember that not only is it enough to have the camera at hand and the battery charged, you should also keep in mind that, to take full advantage of all the opportunities that this era offers, you should not forget to prepare your memory cards, to avoid loss of photos , have on hand a tripod and an extra battery if possible, and important: completely clean all equipment .PLAN YOUR PICTURES
If you are already able to achieve spectacular photos through improvisation, imagine how beautiful your photos would be if you spend even a few moments planning the entire photo shoot. Take your time to think about the final photographic product you want to get at the end of the holidays, imagine the final photos and then think about how you would do to obtain them. A good way to get inspiration is to observe the work of others. In fact, right now it is taking place the weekly Christmas challenge , check it out. Others can inspire you.TELLS A STORY
Once you have defined what moments you would like to portray and how you are going to do it, try not to capture photos but stories. When you teach all your "little stories", they will not only be able to appreciate each photo individually, but also the message of all of them. As they told me a few years ago: "The stories are easier to remember . "PHOTOGRAPHY ALL
Christmas Eve and Christmas are not just sitting down to eat, provide and open gifts: there is a whole process behind preparation that deserves to be photographed. Photographing from the preparations for the big night until the opening of the gifts will help you tell the story of family Christmas .A DIFFERENT CHRISTMAS TREE
There are thousands and thousands of photographs of Christmas trees circling the Internet and almost all have something in common: they are almost identical. Try to make some good pictures of your tree but not be boring. You can play with the Bokeh (blur) or look for unusual views, but avoid falling into the typical photographs that turn out to be very boring.FOCUS ON THE DETAILS
Try to pay attention to the small details that we all overlook . The center of the table, candles and all Christmas arrangements can be excellent allies when it comes to telling your photographic Christmas story. Generally we usually overlook the details, so these types of photographs are so surprising.WATCH OUT FOR THE FLASH
Even if you are tempted to shoot the flash constantly due to mediocre light conditions, beware of ruining your photographs due to an excess of flash (as in the example). The following articles are almost mandatory reading for these holidays: How to beat your worst enemy: Darkness and Tricks for a better use of the flash . If you cannot avoid its use, try bouncing it or dissipating it. If you only have the built-in flash of your camera, try placing a sheet of paper in front of it. The sheet of paper will blur the light and make it much softer.DO NOT STAY AT HOME
Christmas does not only take place in the living room of your house. Cheer up! Go take pictures in your neighborhood, your city, your neighbors, your family playing in the snow, etc. Snow, trees and decorated houses are an excellent reason to take advantage of these holidays. Go for a walk to the market in your neighborhood or town, portray the vendor stalls, the "Santa Claus" that fill the square, or the lights installed in the streets.CHEER UP BLACK AND WHITE
You might think that taking black and white photos at this colorful time of the year is a waste. Maybe you are right. Transmitting Christmas feeling in black and white is a bit more complicated, but I recommend you try it. Consider it as a challenge or exercise. Remember that the photos are not only what they show but also what they convey.STAY SIMPLE
Between lights, ornaments and decorations, this time of year is usually saturated with details that, after all, one does not quite appreciate. Do not try to put a lot of details in a single photograph, try to find a single point of interest for photography in order not to saturate them. Think about what you want to highlight in each of your photographs .THE SAME PEOPLE, DIFFERENT PORTRAITS
At the end of the year parties you will surely meet with your loved ones, friends and family. It is a good occasion to get excellent portraits of them. Prepare a place in the house where you can comfortably portray them all. Avoid boring and already seen poses , encourage innovation. (To do this, I recommend you read the following articles: A trick to revolutionize your portraits and 11 tips and tricks to achieve stunning portraits ).LET YOUR IMAGINATION FLY
In addition to portraying Christmas with the photos we all take, be encouraged to break the limits and make those photos that nobody imagined. Innovate! In the Photographer's Blog there are many techniques that you can carry out at these parties, but for the large number of lights that abound at this time I especially recommend the tutorials related to «Painting with Light». In this article we explain how to: Getting started guide: how to make your first photo "lightpainting" . Take a look and be encouraged to carry it out.THE KEY MOMENT: OPEN GIFTS
One of the most anticipated Christmas moments is the time to open presents, and not to mention if there are children at home. Make the toast, greet everyone quickly, and take your camera to be ready for the peak moment. Try to find a good location where you can capture the faces and their expressions by gathering around the Christmas tree and opening the presents.AND TO CLOSE: FIREWORKS
Few things are more impressive than fireworks shows that dye the skies of colors at the end of the year parties. Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve are good times to practice this type of photography. If you're interested, here's an article about firework photography: 11 simple steps and tricks to portray fireworks . Finally, for lovers of video articles, I leave you with one of Diego Galilea with tips to photograph Christmas:These parties have an excellent opportunity to put into practice all the advice that you have been acquiring throughout the year of the Photographer's Blog . I hope you liked the article and I wish you much peace and congratulations for these holidays.
