All your family photo collections won’t help you much if you don’t have holiday photo cards for showing them off. It requires a bit of experience to put together amazing family photo cards.
1. Set the Stage
Start by devising a plan before you start dragging everyone into your frame. Ensure your furniture is correctly positioned and your family are at different levels such as one person sitting while others are standing and a few kneeling.
2. Dress Well for Success
Avoid the crazy patterns and prints as they are distracting to the eye. Also, don’t wear the black or white as they make your body appear bigger than you actually are. In case you are intending to do a full family photo, ensure there is coordination. Pick clothes that are neat, comfortable, and classic.
3. Ensure There Are Happy Smiles
Kids always have a short attention span when taking photos and the same goes for your pet. Therefore, ensure you have a plan to tempt them to make them smile and can reward them afterwards once the photo is taken.
4. Ensure There Is Ample Lighting
The light source should be ideal whether you are doing the photo shoot indoors or outdoors. Preferably, you should shoot during daylight to give your photo a softer and more natural feel. However, avoid middays as the sun is brightest. You can decide to take them early in the day after the kids are well rested or simply go for a late afternoon.
Avoid red eyes by ensuring that your family or friends look directly into the source of light before taking that photo. This way, the pupil shrinks accomplishing an ideal photo shoot.
5. Get Personal and Close
To get an elegant photo, take simple images with nothing much going on in the background and ensure you are tightly cropped. Remember, people want to see your family and not your recent decorations in the room.
6. Have Fun
Enjoy yourself during the photo shoot to avoid being too posy. Alternatively, you can get a professional to take the photos. Engage your family members during the photo shoot to make them feel comfortable. A few jokes or stories can bring good laughs and avoid those fake smiles.
7. Encourage Everyone to Just Relax
Having some interaction to stop your loved ones from stiffening up. Your hands shouldn’t be dangling by your side; you can position them behind your body or in front of you.
8. Always Look Your Best
Don’t be too worried about your wrinkles, weight or the double chin. Small adjustments will make you look at your best. Never face the camera head-on, instead your body should be turned to the side and slightly rotate your upper body towards the camera. You can position yourself in the back to appear smaller. Avoid a double chin by watching where the camera lens is positioned. If the camera lens is at eye level, you are okay. However, if the lens is below your eye level, then reposition yourself by tipping your chin out.
9. Quality Doesn’t Come at the Expense of Quantity
If you take 30 shots, you will get one that is high quality and you like most. You only need that one special shot. The digital age is a blessing as you can take dozens of shots without worrying about the film expense.
Creativity requires watching for the unexpected. Your best shots always come when you think the photo shoot is over as you get everyone at their most natural. Creativity in a holiday card is what makes it unique and beautifully amazing.