From our Photofocus family to yours, we wish you a very, merry Christmas. We hope you will spend time to enjoy the holiday season safely with your loved ones. And of course, with a camera in hand!
Don’t forget to share your favorite holiday photos with us, and enter to win a Platypod bundle!
To help get you started on your Christmas photos, here are some great tips:
Photographing lively images on Christmas morning - It’s Christmas morning and the excitement to see what’s under the tree vibrates with happy anticipation. Making memorable photos of the family opening presents is easy and a lot of fun, too. Put the camera at the fun level The most important tip I can offer for making photos of children opening presents is to get down on the floor. Put the camera at their level to get the very best expressions. If the camera is above them the photo will show the tops of their heads. That’s not as much fun and being on their level. Keep exposure settings simple This is fun photography, not work photography. High ISO and a fast shutter speed will do the job even with an aperture open almost all the way. I use continuous shooting to capture these moments. A quick burst of exposures ensures that joyful faces will be captured to enjoy in ensuing years. If the photo isn’t perfect because the shutter was too slow and the expressions are great, who cares? The photo shows the children’s excitement! Photograph the mess Most of the fun on Christmas morning is the ripping off the wrapping on presents. Capture that along with the bows and torn paper that surrounds each child. Christmas morning photos: ©Kevin Ames
Those amazing lights: Bokeh for the holidays - Holiday lights are such a huge part of what we associate with the holidays. And it’s easy to accentuate them with a little bokeh, or purposeful blur. I took these photos within a few minutes of each other around the house. I did all these handheld, purposely throwing much of the image out of focus to place the accent on specific areas, but with those bokehlicious lights in the background. They add so much atmosphere. I used a Pentax K-1 DSLR with a Lensbaby Edge 35 Optic for these photos. However, you can use many different cameras and lenses for photos like these. It’s more about the placing emphasis on the lights and intentionally creating out-of-focus areas in your photo. Look for lights What do you have around the house? You probably have more decorations than I do! I live in a small house. But there are still lights around. And where there are lights, there are easy opportunities to make some holiday photographs!
Shooting beautiful family portraits for the holidays - For many of us, family portraits are part of celebrating the holidays. Some prefer to do it ahead of time so they can have it printed as Christmas cards to send out to friends and family. Others do both indoor and outdoor shoots, especially if their locations are perfect for a Winter Wonderland-themed set. Whichever the case, if you’re the designated photographer of the family or are thinking of offering holiday portraits for your clients, we have some tips and inspiration ready for you! Pro photographer David Flores breaks them down in the timeless video above for B&H Photo Video. Set the scene Wherever you’re shooting, it’s important to set the scene with elements that give a “special nod to the season,” as nicely put in the video. Decorate or choose a location with all things that scream Christmas — holiday lights, evergreen trees, snow, warm colors and cozy items. This way, you’re choosing a space that “means something to you and yours” and give it a warm, personal touch. Keep it simple Don’t go overboard with the decorations, props and even wardrobe when planning for the shoot. “Avoid the temptation of adding things that you don’t need,” as mentioned in the video. No need to be strict about matching wardrobe for everyone, or make elaborate setup for the location where you’re shooting. The focus of the family portraits should be your subjects and the personal, touching moments they share as a family. Include black and white snaps Christmas and holiday scenes are the last things that come to mind when it comes to black and white photography. The season calls for festive colors and cheerful scenes, which would typically be dampened by shooting in black and white. However, we shouldn’t be underestimate the classic look of monochrome. Whether you’re doing it in camera or in post, black and white photos will add a timeless quality to your holiday snaps. Have fun! Most importantly, don’t forget to have fun! The goal is to make the experience fun for everyone and immortalize it. Plan the shoot around activities like meals, playing outdoors, decorating the home for Christmas or traditions of the family during the holidays. It doesn’t matter what time of the day you do the shoot, as long as you’re able to capture and celebrate what the season means for the family. If you found these tips helpful, make sure to check out the B&H Photo Video YouTube channel for more tips and tricks from top photographers!
Create your own handmade holiday photo cards - Sending holiday cards is a great way to let your family and friends know that they are special. Store-bought cards are fine, but you can take it up a notch by creating your own unique holiday cards that double as a tiny signed piece of art. In this article, I’ll walk you through the steps to create your own photo cards that not only look lovely, but can double as keepsake gifts for your loved ones. What you’ll need: Blank cards and envelopes 4-by-6 inch photo paper Photo printer Craft adhesive (photo safe) Silver or gold gel pen 1. Set the mood Crank up your favorite Christmas tunes to get into the holiday spirit. Don’t let anyone tell you it’s too early … you don’t need that kind of negativity in your life. 2. Select your photo(s) Pick a photo, or selection of photos you want to use for your holiday photo cards. You can opt for a family snapshot, or something more artistic that reflects the holiday season. I choose a photo I captured of my mom’s glass Christmas tree collection. 3. Print your photo(s) Print your photo(s) on 4-by-6 inch photo paper. This can be done on most home printers or you can order your prints from a photo lab if you prefer. For this project I used my Canon Pixma Pro 100 printer and Kirkland Signature 4″ X 6″ Professional Glossy Inkjet Photo Paper from Costco. 4. Gather your materials For this project, I’m using Strathmore Cards and Envelopes, Glue Dots from my local craft store and a silver gel pen to coordinate with my black and white photo print. 5. Assemble your card Apply the glue dots (or other photo-safe adhesive of your choice) to the back corners and edges of your photograph, then place the photo (adhesive side down) onto the front of your blank greeting card. I like to leave a bit of extra room along the bottom of the card for my signature. 6. Sign your artwork Sign your name with a gel pen along the bottom-right of the card as a finishing touch. Your unique holiday photo card is now ready to be sent out! Add a personal message inside and pop it in the mail. Your friends and family are bound to love getting your note, plus a piece of your one-of-a-kind handmade art!
Capturing macro details during the holidays - Christmastime is quite often full of hustle and bustle. It’s nice to slow down (even for five minutes) and capture some of the small Christmas details we often miss. I try to do this every year. So grab your macro lens and go in tight. So here are some tips for getting the most out of your holiday macro photography. Use a flash As you are quite close to your subject, your depth of field is very small and you may need to stop down your aperture to get everything in focus. While decreasing your aperture will give you the depth of field you need to get your subject in focus, it will also allow less light into your camera. So a flash or speedlight will help with your holiday macro photography. Use manual focus Try manual focus or try DMF (Digital Manual Focus), which is available on my Sony camera. Autofocus is helpful, but you need to have a movable spot focus to pinpoint your desired focus point. Does your camera have a focus magnifier? It’s worth Googling your make and model to find out. Use a tripod If you have lights on a tree, consider using a tripod and taking slightly longer exposure, to capture the twinkling lights. Or capture reflections of other ornaments on the tree. Take plenty of shots We often don’t capture the little details of Christmas, sure we might get one of the tree, but don’t move in further than that. Try for reflections, and emotional ties, as well as the family in front of the tree. What about food? Do you capture the traditional holiday fare? Stack photos in post-processing If you are going to something a little different, try focus stacking your images of ornaments to really capture them in detail. A tripod and a macro rail are essential for focus stacking in my opinion, but it can be done without. Oh, and don’t have a macro lens? It’s not too late to ask Santa for one! Want to learn more about macro photography? I have just released a self-paced online class all about macro photography — “A world in Miniature.” From my family to yours, I wish you a safe and merry holiday season!
Three tips for capturing holiday lights this season - It’s getting close to that time of year again. Everywhere I go, Christmas decorations are appearing in shops and even houses. To me, nothing quite says Christmas like twinkling lights. Some people go all out and that is so much fun for everyone, no matter the age. So, I thought I’d put together some tips for capturing those beautiful lights. Use a tripod Where ever possible, use a tripod. In high-traffic areas, that can be difficult, but if you hang around a little later, or even arrive a little later you may find the crowds have dispersed a bit. As you are often shooting at night, you will need to use low light settings. Using a tripod will allow you to capture long exposures. This is twofold. Longer exposures can eliminate or at least blur any people that may get in your shot. They will also allow you to capture the lights. Unless of course, you are going for intentional in-camera blur…and that can be fun too. Don’t forget to capture the atmosphere Just because the lights are the story, they are not the whole story. Try to capture the atmosphere as well. Christmas lights shining on children’s faces. Ornaments or individual pieces of the overall scene. Families and kids having fun. Crowds. Car lights. Is there snow (or even fake snow)? Are there festivals or Christmas carols? Capture the nuances that make up the holidays in your area. Different areas often have different customs, traditions or even fun little quirks. Don’t forget to capture them. Some settings to consider Decide what it is you wish to capture — the emotion, the lights, the blur? Then, choose your settings appropriately. Using a tripod, you can keep your ISO at 100, try an aperture of around f/11 and a 2–2.5 second shutter speed, which should be long enough to catch the twinkle, but you can always go for longer. If there is lots of ambient light, try f/9 for one second. Hand-holding your camera? You may need to raise your ISO, perhaps to 3200 or even 6400 and use a wider aperture to let in more light. An aperture of f/2.8 may be too much (depending on the ambient light), so try f/5.6–7. Try locking your elbows to your side to steady the camera. If possible, try even leaning on a fence, wall or railing to steady the camera. Don’t forget to enjoy the festivities as well as capture them. Often, we get so caught up in the technical facets of capturing the event that we miss just being there and enjoying ourselves. This especially applies to family outings. It’s worth spending time with them, as well as capturing their joy of the festivities.
Five tips for photographing during the holidays - The holidays are one of the best times to have fun with your photography. Bryan Esler wrote this article about Getting Creative on Christmas Morning. Here are a few more tips that may add something different and fun to your holiday photos. 1. Think outside of the gift-wrapped box Have you seen those cardboard glasses that make your tree lights look like mini snowmen, Santas or Christmas trees? Use them as a filter! Hold or tape them in front of your lens. The results are really fun! 2. ‘Tis the season of holiday bokeh! Is it cliché? Sure. Is it pretty? You bet! Pay attention to your Depth of Field to get the best results. Experiment with lights, ornaments and of course the glass of cheer or two. 3. Go small & see details Get out that macro lens, extension tubes or try the reverse lens mount macro method. 4. Don’t forget to get outside! The lights in combination with the snow, if you’re lucky enough to have it, can make some gorgeous results. Use a tripod for best results at night, move around for different perspectives, and get up close and personal with the snow and lights. So many options! 5. Most importantly during the holidays: Have fun & play By playing you learn, you’d be surprised but just experimenting and having fun instead of getting all caught up in the technical aspects sometimes give you surprising and amazing results. I hope you try out some of these tips. If you do, please share them with us in the Photofocus Community.
Capturing the holiday spirit through festive food photos - It’s that time of year again! All thoughts turn to the Holiday Season. Whether that’s Thanksgiving or Christmas, or something else entirely. If it’s festive, chances are there are bound to be friends, family and of course, food. Capture festive food photos with all that sparkles, glistens and shines with a few fantastic ideas below. You don’t have to bring the big guns out — mobile cameras these days are fantastic too. Sprinkling Capture the action of dusting baked treats with icing sugar. Remember to use a slower shutter speed for soft dreamy effects. Or, speed the shutter up to get more action. Sparkling Add in some pretty LED lights or holiday lights for some sparkly bokeh in your shots. Slightly darker lighting helps amplify the lights. Glistening Grab a spray bottle with water and gently spray on fruit for that just-picked, farm-fresh look. Lovely natural light works well with this too. Don’t forget — once you’ve captured all the yummy food and are happy with your festive food photos, sit back, relax and enjoy it with good friends or family.
