Five Tips For Taking Great Holiday Photos

It is nearly holiday photos time! As the holiday season approaches

, we all want to capture each and every magical moment. But, Christmas morning chaos can put any photographer's skills to the test.

So, what are the secrets to taking clean, crisp holiday photos that you can treasure for a lifetime? Here are five secrets to taking great holiday photos:

1) Select the proper camera settings: When shooting holiday photos of large groups indoors, set your camera for fast action and low light. If you have plenty of natural light, turn off the flash. Then, increase the ISO setting (which controls the sensitivity of the image sensor), switch to Aperture Priority and set the F-Stop at a low number. This will increase your camera's shutter speed, avoiding overexposure in your holiday photos.

If you are shooting in a large room at night, turn on the flash and leave the ISO setting on high (fully illuminating the photo). To avoid blurriness, steady yourself and press the shutter button gently.

2) Take a series of holiday photos: If your camera has an interval timer or continuous shooting setting, take a series of candid shots (some of which are sure to be classics). By remotely positioning the camera and utilizing these features, you can capture the emotion of the moment while actually appearing in the holiday photos yourself. Just remember to turn off the flash since it will use up the battery more quickly.

3) Consider the size of the group when focusing: If you are shooting one or two people in your photos, select Aperture Priority on your digital camera and use a small F-Stop number. This will bring sharp focus to the holiday photo's subjects while gently blurring the surroundings and background. Be sure to avoid distracting backgrounds (e.g. coat racks appearing to extend from the subject's head or people in the background who are not actually part of the photo) when framing the shot. Increase the F-stop number when photographing a large group so your "depth of field" is sufficient to keep everyone in focus.

4) Factor in the background light: When shooting in front of sunlit windows, set the Exposure Compensation dial to at least +1. This will offset the camera's tendency to underexpose the subjects as it compensates for the daylight streaming in the back of the shot.

5) Factor in snow when you are outdoors: The same approach applies for shooting holiday photos in snowy landscapes. You need to overexpose the photo somewhat (by setting the Exposure Compensation dial to at least +1) to counteract the glare off the snow. Also, remember that batteries wear out more quickly in low temperatures, which is a good argument for using rechargeable batteries in your camera.

By following these few simple pointers, you will be enjoying clear, uncluttered holiday photos for generations to come.

Copyright (c) 2010 Julia Rostin

by: Julia Rostin

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