This year you have decided to send out a holiday photo card. Not only will it keep the aunties and uncles happy but it will sit well on the mantle in the houses of your friends and family. These are particularly popular if you are sending them to those you have not caught up with in a while; seeing the new baby, or how much the children have grown will bring more than your normal Christmas cheer upon the recipient.
You have a camera, check; a family, check; a token Christmas prop; check. Now how to create the perfect snap… firstly, try not to panic., if you start early enough there will be time to shoot and reshoot as many times as you wish.
Decide where you want to take your picture. It might be that you take your camera on a day out or walk in fresh outdoors and the shot just forms itself. On the other hand you may wish to pose your subjects and try to get some festive theme incorporated by using a prop (a Christmas hat) or simply using a wintery setting. If the outdoors is a little adventurous, you might want to get your family to pose in front of this year’s Christmas tree.
Your picture might look nice in black and white or a sepia hue to add to the sentimental Christmas theme. You can change the look of your photo quite easily using software (such programs usually come with the camera) alternatively some cameras have a setting for such arty effects. Similarly, take time to figure out the settings on your camera before you take it out and about. It might be that it works best on a certain setting.
There are no rules about what you should take a holiday photo of or what it should look like. Choose a subject that will be of interest to the recipient, it might be that you prefer to take a picture of a Christmas city scape or the family dog – whatever takes your fancy. Just be sure to print it on good quality paper!