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Tips to Take Christmas Portraits at Home

Beautiful Christmas photos are easily attainable at home, especially if you have a DSLR camera.  Here are a few tips to remember when taking photos of your little ones in front of Christmas lights!

1. Daylight will be your best friend.  Open the blinds, and make sure you have daylight on your subject’s face.  Natural light is always more flattering than a camera flash.  Don’t forget to turn on the Christmas lights!

2. Set the scene, first.  You know they won’t stay there long, so setting up the scene before your child “enters the set” will be best!  You may have to move the tree out a little or take some “test shots.”  For props, have your child hold a teddy bear, Christmas ornament, sit in a rocking chair, etc.  Have it all ready, just in case!

3. Create space between the subject and the background.  Place your child about a foot or more in front of the tree or lights.  This will likely help “blur” the lights and the tree behind them.  Placing a subject against any background will keep both the subject and background in focus.  Remember, we’re going for blurry Christmas lights here!

4. Turn off the flash.  If your camera has an automatic flash, you will want to turn this off.  Flash can be useful in dark situations, but for this one, we want more “ambient” or natural light.

We would love to see your Christmas photos!  If you post any online, based on these tips, use #photogenicsonlocation.  Or, if you want to learn how to use your DSLR camera better, check out our DSLR Bootcamp!  

 

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