The Costco Connection - December 2015

several more photos. All of this ensures that you’ll have plenty of options to choose from later when editing the photos.

If people complain about the length of time,

explain to them that shooting multiple images is a great way to ensure that everyone’s efforts don’t go to waste. Also, be sure to remind your subjects to look directly at the camera lens; some people have a tendency to get distracted and stop looking at the camera after a couple of shots.

When and when not to go candid

Not every picture has to be a posed portrait. Capturing simple moments—kids baking cookies, people wrapping gifts, everyone decorating the house—can make wonderful photos and give the viewer a better sense of being there. When doing this kind of photography, it’s best to take a quiet approach and work with what is there, rather than directing people; save that for more formal, posed shots.

When to avoid candid shots? At mealtimes—it’s best to put the camera away while people are eating.

Use the photos

When you’re all done and the holiday is over, don’t forget about your pictures. First, get them off your camera card and back them up. Then, make sure you share, print, make photo albums and have fun with them.

Good luck! C

Daniel Johnson ( foxhillphoto.com) is a professional pet photographer and the author of several animal and photography books.

thing (a shirt, sweater, hair ribbon, etc.) that is the same color. At the holidays, red is a great choice. It’s fun, and it can also give the portrait some additional cohesiveness.

Don’t forget holiday-themed props, which can be as simple as a couple of wrapped gifts or another holiday item. The idea with props is to not go overboard; let them add to, not overwhelm, your image.

Clean background

As with all photography, clean, non-dis-tracting backgrounds are a key for creating excellent holiday images. However, you’ll still want to create a holiday feeling or theme, and incorporating things like holiday decorations or clothing is a great way to get across a subtle “this is a holiday photo” message while still keeping the main subjects (your family) as the stars of the photo.

For instance, you can utilize something like a Christmas tree, but you don’t need to show the entire tree—include just enough of it off to the side or behind your subjects to give that hint of a holiday theme.

Take enough pictures

Try not to rush your holiday photo ses-
sion. You’re set up for the photo, you’ve found
a nice backdrop, you’ve considered the props
and everybody’s dressed neatly and nicely.
Don’t just take one picture and let everyone go.
Yes, this is exactly what many people expect.
They may think, “You took a picture—hey,
you took two Let’s be done with this.”
Here’s the problem: The more people you
have in your portrait, the more likely it is that
someone blinked, or had an odd expression,
or was talking (some people won’t stop talk-
ing, even when having their picture taken),
or wasn’t looking directly at the camera.

The solution is to take more photos than you think you’ll need, and then rearrange things. Move Uncle Bob over here; put little Hunter on the other side of his mom. Then repeat the process and shoot

Holiday-themed props can be great as long as you don’t overdo it. It’s usually better to emphasize one prop rather than multiple ones. Props can help add interest to your photos.

MANY HIGHER-END point-and-shoot
cameras and all DSLRs allow you to
adjust the aperture of the lens; these set-
tings are called “f-stops”—e.g., f4, f5.6,
f8, f11. The higher the f-stop, the more
area in the photo is in sharp focus. This
is known as the “depth of field.”
For group family shots of four or
more people, it is important to use a high
f-stop. One good rule of thumb is that
you should use an f-stop equal to or
greater than the number of people in
your picture; for instance, for a group
shot of seven people, you should use an
f-stop no less than f8. It’s also important
to try to keep everyone’s faces roughly
the same distance from the camera; you
don’t want Aunt Lillian standing four or
five feet behind everyone else—she
probably won’t be in sharp focus.

Also, consider natural light. Using a flash is sometimes necessary in dark conditions but can have a detrimental effect on the quality of the photo. So experiment with turning your flash off and use natural light whenever possible, especially if you’re trying to incorporate things like Christmas lights into the photo (they might be overwhelmed by a flash).