9 Tips for Successful Christmas or End-Of-The-Year Photos

As the cold bites our fingers and the streets are adorned with pretty bright decorations, it’s time to revise the classics of Christmas photography with its winter atmosphere, but also its festive moments. Let’s review some good practices to immortalize these moments rich in emotions.

1- The right white balance and RAW

Whether you are indoors or outdoors, it is important to maintain the Christmas atmosphere with generally warm lighting. Sometimes the lighting can turn out to be a little “too” hot. First, think about shooting in RAW – if your camera allows it -, which will allow you to easily compensate or correct the white balance of your image in post-production on a computer. Then you can also perform manual white balance to better control your surroundings with a single sheet of paper. Sometimes a manual balance can cool your image too much, then you can add a little warmth by choosing the right value by manually adjusting the white balance on your camera. 

2- Avoid the flash or use it wisely

In winter, light quickly runs out in homes or outdoors, and you are often tempted to use a fill flash whether it is built into your smartphone or in addition to your camera. However, and always to maintain a warm atmosphere, it is more than recommended not to use your flash which would crush the scene by bringing in a light that is often far too cold. You can certainly use colored filters, but the easiest and do without.

Depending on the lighting environment, the exposure time may turn out to be too long for a handheld shot (remember the rule of thumb that requires a pause time at least equivalent to the inverse of the focal length for limit the effects of blur). If your subject is not moving, you can use a stand or tripod for bulb exposure. If you want to capture motion, you will have no other recourse than increasing the ISO sensitivity to keep exposure time high. In these specific cases, the larger your sensor, the more efficient the electronic noise management will be. 

If you absolutely have to bring light with your flash, then think about directing it against a wall or the ceiling in order to have indirect light. You can also use a diffuser or softbox to “break” a light that is too harsh. Be careful, the flash is not to be avoided completely and can also serve your creativity, and in particular freeze moments of celebration.

3- Try light painting

If you have a tripod – a great idea for a Christmas present, right? -, think about making long exposures in order to “engrave” in your images the movements of the lights. The effect is often guaranteed. You can even learn the technique of light painting and enjoy the long nights (unfortunately too cold), create very personal images with a torch or your smartphone and “decorate” your images as you wish. It is also a great opportunity to involve children in an amazing photographic experience for them.

4- Work on the famous bokeh

With the fairy lights, candles and all the decorations, you can create pretty bokeh effects. It is also necessary to be equipped with adequate equipment such as a large sensor or bright optics (f / 2.8 or less). Shoot in A mode and use the widest possible aperture. You can also play on the focus distance. By shortening it, you decrease the depth of field.

5- Vary the angles and use the macro mode

This is advice that could apply for many photographic themes, but it is all the more important if there are children. So do not hesitate to put yourself up to them to have their vision of the event. You can also take the height to capture all the decoration of a table or on the contrary get closer to take pictures of specific details of the Christmas party such as garlands or balls hanging on the tree. You can also “play” with macro optics, capture details and create even more bokeh. 

6- Do not neglect the preparations

If opening the presents remains the highlight of Christmas, consider writing it into a story. Narration is an important thing to consider when taking photos – you need to tell a story and translate it into pictures. So remember to take a photo of all the preparations for the party, from the kitchen to the wrapping of the gifts to the installation of the decorations, to capture all these moments of joy – or despair – to recall the atmosphere of these moments . It will also make it easier for you to create a scrapbook for years to come. You can also try to make a time lapse of the preparations, which can always amaze your guests.

7- Prepare the opening of the gifts

It is undoubtedly the most intense moment in emotion, especially for children. Joys – or disappointments – are immediately visible on the faces of children. (Too) fleeting moments that should be captured at the right time. While it is always necessary to leave a part to improvisation in this type of event, it is nevertheless necessary to prepare these moments somewhat. Make the opening of the presents closer to the Christmas tree to take advantage of the decorations in the background. Also make sure to sufficiently illuminate the room or the gift area with lighting that must remain soft to avoid the use of the flash (see point 2). When possible, use bright lenses. A zoom will naturally allow to quickly multiply the framing, but a fixed focal length of 50mm or a little longer will do the trick. A “fast” lens will both limit the increase in sensitivity and the creation of a blurred background (see point 6). These moments are brief, so be sure to be as responsive as possible by setting autofocus mode to AF tracking and using burst mode to maximize the chance of catching the right moment.

8- Set up a small photo studio

Christmas is usually a precious time when families get together and the best toilets are out. It is sometimes the unique opportunity in the year to take portraits of the various guests. If the photos of the guests around a table are a classic, take advantage of the end of the year celebrations to create a small photo studio by, for example, stretching a colored and united background for individual portraits. If you have the equipment, bring an external flash – cobra – with a small softbox. To relax the guests, you can buy some playful accessories to create a festive atmosphere. This is also the time to take some group photos with a wide-angle lens.

9- Protect your device from the cold

You can take advantage of the winter holidays for some photo outings and enjoy the frozen nature. The cold is one of the worst nightmares of your camera or smartphone batteries. It is therefore important to protect your electronic devices from low temperatures. Place your smartphone or device under your coat or jacket as close to your body as possible. Remember to recharge your batteries before going out to photograph. Nothing is more frustrating than coming back without photos due to a dead battery.