Well, it’s the most wonderful time of the year and you know what that means? There will be many, many moments that we will be eager to capture on film, or well, on our phones! So, I thought this would be the perfect time to discuss some very important photography skills to ensure that you are always capturing that perfect moment. You don’t have to be a professional photographer to get great shots, you just need to know these five key tips!
1. Never let your subjects know you are going to photography them: If you do, they will start to pose or shy away and although a nice little pose can be cute, these types of pictures aren’t always the best or most natural. If you want to get some good shots, don’t let your subjects know you are about to photograph them. Make sure your phone or camera’s shutter noise is turned off (there is usually a way to stifle it in your settings) and summon all your ninja skills to keep your subjects unaware of your presence and the presence of the camera. This is one of those times when using a nice fancy DSLR may actually not be to your benefit because that sort of camera is obvious. Using your phone, however, may be a good option to get in all those sneaky photos. Just pretend you’re using an app or checking messages!
2. Wait for your subjects to interact: If you wait for your subjects to interact with something like an object or another person, you will get a much nicer scene to photograph. Great moments to catch are conversations, children (and adults) playing with presents, and special embraces.
3. Look for movement and gesture: Some of the best moments to capture are ones where you subjects are in action. Unwrapping presents, talking with their hands, and cooking all make for really special candid shots!
4. Zoom into the little details: One of the differences between good photography and great photography is attention to the little details. I’m talking hands, feet, accessories, eyes, smiles and much more. I think a lot of amateur photographers are always a little scared to get too close to their subjects (especially if you’re trying to keep the pictures candid) but you can always use your cameras zoom to catch the little details that really show emotion. If your taking pictures and find that you feel like there is “something missing” from your images, try retaking the pictures a little closer or zoomed in to a nice close crop!
5. Tell a story: The best images always tell a story and when it comes to holiday photos, that is exactly what we are trying to capture. If you’re just starting out with photography, this may be the most difficult concept to master because it’s quite a bit more abstract. The best way for a beginner to master this is to ask yourself with every shot “what is this picture saying?” If you are always asking yourself what a certain composition or shot conveys to the audience, you will be well on your way to telling a great story with your pictures.
So, those are my five best tips for capturing that perfect moment with your holiday pictures or any pictures for that matter! I hope this helps you to take awesome pictures of your friends and families that will help to make this season a memorable one!
xoxo,
This article was first published on Strange & Charmed on December 4th, 2014 and is being reposted as part of my Holiday Prep Hiatus! For the months of November & December I will be recycling some vintage S&C content that you may have missed in order to give myself some extra time to finalize projects and spend time with my family during the holiday season. All reposted content will be marked as such. I hope you enjoy this blast from the past blog post!
NEVER let them know you are taking their picture, unless you want them to pose, in which case it’s alright, ha. I like to let my Mr. pose, simply because he always does an eyebrow raise, and it’s hilarious. But with getting good pictures of life, don’t let him know.
Same with the pups…as soon as they think I’m paying attention to them, the cute laying that they were doing together is gone and the picture (that I don’t have yet!) is lost, ha!