There is no doubt that Christmas is a magical time of year for everyone but I think it’s especially magical for parents of young children. It’s so fun to see the magic through your child’s eyes. And I know that every Mama wants to document those moments. I’ve put together a few tricks and tips that I use to help document our holiday season.
Capture the moments:
This photo is from last Christmas and was a spur of the moment photo to document how my daughter would always run to look out the window at the Christmas lights as soon as we got home. It’s so special to me because it brings me right back to a memory that I otherwise would have forgotten. While this was a candid photo, I still took the time to make sure it was photographed in a beautiful way. I positioned myself in a way that could have the window sill be a leading line into her (which required me to be crouching in with our winter jackets). I lucked out that her favourite activity had her facing some good light which made the photo even better.
The photo below is one that I quickly captured while my girls picked out a Christmas treat at a bakery. Almost everywhere is absolutely beautiful this time of year which is both magical for your children and pretty for your photos. So take that camera out with you and document the season. When you are documenting moments out in public make sure you look at the scene from all points of view. If you can have a Christmas Tree or twinkling lights behind your subject that would be a great option. If there is an angle that tells the story best then go with that!
Capture the Traditions:
Christmas is filled with so many traditions. The best thing about traditions it that you know they are coming so it gives you a chance to plan ahead for how you want to document those moments. Do you always take photos decorating the tree? Have your camera ready before the tree comes out and have all the toys and furniture out of the way so that it’s easy to snap a quick photo or two and then get back to enjoying the moment. We did our Santa letters the other night and I turned a small Ikea book shelf sideways in our kitchen for the kids to write on. This was a way for them to have a surface to write on and still have the Christmas tree Bokeh in the background (it’s the same location as the photo with the advent calendar below). I plan on doing all of our Christmas cookie baking in this space as well and that way it is easy to take a beautiful photo documenting those traditions. So here are my tips for capturing those traditions:
- Pick the best space if at all possible. Pick an area of your house that has good light and ideally different Christmas aspects such as the tree in the background.
- Plan ahead. Have clutter cleared out of the way, have your location chosen and do your tradition at an ideal time for photos if possible.
- Dress accordingly. Again the best part of traditions is that you know they are coming. A beautiful Christmas baking photo can only be so beautiful if the child is wearing a huge character shirt. Dress your children in Christmas Jammies or a neutral outfit before your tradition so that they are photo ready. I promise it will make a large difference in the end result of your photo.
- Enjoy the tradition. All of the planning ahead will mean that you can get great photos in one to two minutes. And then you can get back to enjoying those precious family memories rather than trying to capture them from behind a phone or camera.
Capture the Bokeh:
Christmas Tree bokeh is one of the best parts of Christmas photos. To achieve this look you will need to place your subject away from the tree and have yourself as close to the subject as possible. You will be able to achieve slight bokeh with a phone but ideally you will need a DSLR camera for these photos. The majority of my Christmas photos are taken with my Canon 85mm lens. This lens allows me to have the space I need to take the photo while still creating stunning bokeh. If you look at the two photos below you can tell that they both have bokeh but the top photo has larger bokeh. The subjects were equal distances from the trees and the only difference was how close I was to my subject.
Capture the tree:
I love capturing Christmas Trees (so much in fact that I have entire sessions dedicated to this!) . I think that the most magical part of Christmas is sitting in a room with the only light being the glow of the Christmas Tree. So this is the feeling I try to portray with my Christmas tree photos. A few tips:
- Turn off all other lights in the home.
- Have lots of lights on your tree. Seriously lots. If you think you have enough, add more.
- Have your subjects facing the tree in a way that the tree lights up their faces.
- Pay attention to the reflections. This can be on the floor with hardwood (pull back that rug!) and on the window. The Christmas Tree reflection in windows is my favourite. However, sometimes there are also other reflections in the windows such as hundreds of your neighbours colourful Christmas lights at which point it may be necessary to close the blinds.
- Don’t forget about under the tree! Add presents – lots and lots of presents. And add decorations too. If you have Christmas signs or decorations that light up around your house then place those surrounding the tree. It will add so much to the photo!
- Move furniture out of the way. I have to move couches or tables out of the way for every single Christmas Tree photo session that I do. Slide those things out of the way so that your photo can focus on your kids and the tree.
Enjoy the Day:
I don’t take a single photo on Christmas day aside from maybe a quick Iphone shot. I feel confident that I have documented our Christmas so I don’t bother and instead focus on being fully present and enjoying the day. Don’t miss out on the moments that are so special to take photos!
