The holidays are fast approaching and soon family and friends will be gathering to celebrate the season. So this week’s Digital Tutorial is all about capturing the magic of the holidays with some picture taking pointers.
-
Play with the Depth of Field – Instead of snapping a picture in front of the tree, place your subject in the background, increase the aperture on your camera to the lowest setting (like around f/5.6 to f/1.4). Focus on your subject in the background and the tree in the foreground will be twinkling and blurry.
-
Be an observer – Some of the most memorable photos are candids. Stand back away from the holiday festivities for a few moments and capture those un-rehearsed moments.
-
Accessorize - Clever props are a great way to spice up photos during the holidays. Think Santa Hats, wrapped presents and even large ornaments.
-
Capture the Action – Gift opening can be hectic enough without worrying if you got the shot or not. To take the stress out of the moment, put your camera into “auto-mode” or better yet “Continuous mode” and just start snapping away.
-
Avoid the red eye – Whenever you use your flash you’re more than likely to get that evil red eye. Use the “red-eye reduction” mode on your camera. And some cameras even offer a “Auto Red Eye Correction” mode these days.
-
Embrace the darkness – To get a sharp photo of twinkling tree lights or candles, turn off the house lights and turn up the ISO setting on your camera. An ISO of 800-1600 should do the trick. You’ll need to hold the camera steady so your photos don’t come out fuzzy. Either use a tripod and your cameras timer function or try setting your camera down on a solid surface.
-
Stepping outside – To get crisp photos at night, set up your tripod, up the ISO setting and lower your aperture to let in as much light as possible. And don’t forget to turn off the flash. A word of caution if its really cold outside. Cold temps tend to drain the juice out of your batteries rather quickly. Make sure your camera is fully charged. And if you are going to be outside for a while, be sure to keep your camera warm. Hold your camera close to your body as this will keep it warm and then pull it out when you are ready to take the photo.
-
Let there be peace – Don’t forget to photograph the quiet moments this holiday season. Nothing is more precious than watching a child’s face as a beloved grandparents reads, “Twas the night before Christmas”.
-
Know when to use the flash – Sometimes you just need to use your camera’s flash. To avoid your subject appearing washed out or blinded my the flash, position yourself about 10-15 feet away from your subject.
-
Photograph the holiday preparations – Don’t forget to capture all the moments that go into preparing for the holiday celebrations. Do include the baking of the treats, shopping for gifts, decking the halls and the wrapping of the presents.
-
Try a new angle when taking photos – Stand off to the side and zoom in to capture the moment.
-
Get in the picture – If you’re like me and your always behind the camera, hand the camera off to someone else and enjoy the holidays with your family. Remember your family won’t care how you looked but they will remember you were there, not only in their memories but in the photos as well.