Tis the season, Christmas card season that is. I don’t know about you, but I always stress out about taking our annual Christmas card photo. It can be hard getting everyone together and on board with my idea. Especially when there is a preschooler involved! Don’t worry though, I’ve got you covered this year with some simple photo tips to help you nail down your Christmas card photo at home, yes AT home.
Here are my top tips for you to get the perfect Christmas card photo at home…
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1. Find The Perfect Lighting Spot Whether You Choose Indoors or Outdoors
Choose a room in your home that gets the most natural light or if you are outside, choose a shady spot for even light. Whether you decide to do photos inside or out, light is always the most important element. Choose a spot that has the best natural light. There’s a reason so many photos on my instagram feed are from my bedroom. It has the BEST light.
I have two big windows near the bed. I know that the best time to shoot is around 11am because it is bright, but the sun isn’t shining directly in. You want even light for a nice photo. I always make sure the overhead lights are off too. Artificial light can give you some weird shadows and a yucky color.
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2. Clear Out The Clutter & Remove Anything That Is Distracting
You want your kids to stand out, not the mess in the background. So, check around and clear any clutter. Look for things that might distract from your adorable kiddos. I moved my husband’s nightstand and put a small tree there instead. I also cleared the top of mine and added a tree to keep things festive.
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3. Grab A Few Props To Set The Scene & Get Things Set Up
Once you’ve chosen where you want to shoot, set everything up so it’s ready to go BEFORE you bring the kids in. I grabbed a few Christmas decorations from the basement and created a little set for the girls. I got their pj’s from Old Navy, they always have the best holiday jammies. You don’t NEED props and matching pajama sets, but they can help set the scene and create a little more holiday magic in your photos.
4. Give Your Kiddos Something Fun To Do
I like to give my kids something fun to do during photos so it is not as stressful, they can actually enjoy the experience and show me genuine smiles. I used snowballs for this Christmas card photo because I knew my girls would LOVE throwing the snowballs. So I had them do a couple photos first and then I threw the snowballs at them. And I bet you can guess what they did with them after that. Make it fun, play Christmas music, sing songs, tell jokes, make funny noises. Don’t ask your kids to smile, MAKE them smile!
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5. Take LOTS of Photos
Just keep snapping the camera. Don’t be afraid to take a million photos. This way you have a bunch of photos to choose from in case some of them are blurry, have their eyes closed, aren’t smiling, etc. You know what it is like having kids and taking pictures. So take as many pictures as you can.
These are my top tips for getting your Christmas card picture from home!
Last but not least, try to let go of expectations and have fun! Maybe your kids will even start to look forward to photos every Christmas!
Make sure you hang around here for more Holiday Photo Tips & Check out my instagram for more!