Best Christmas Holiday Photo Ideas
It’s that time of year where we get together with friends and family, spend quality time at home, eat those yummy Christmas treats we probably shouldn’t be eating (yay panetone!), cuddle up watching Christmas movies & drinking hot cocoa or wine.
Whatever you plan to do this Christmas & New Years Eve, there are going to be amazing opportunities to take photos whether its content for your blog or Instagram or you want to put together a creative holiday photo slide show for your fam.
That’s why I am sharing with you some great Christmas holiday photo shoot ideas and tips that you can do this Christmas to get some amazing photos.
1) Take Posed & Candid Photos
Posed pictures are fine & you can be very fun & creative with them. Instead of having everyone sit on the coach, smile & say cheese, try getting everyone to wear or hold a fun Christmas prop & do some happy photos & some with everyone acting or doing something funny.
Focus more on taking candid photos of moments as they happen. Think of yourself as paparazzi/journalist trying to capture moments when you’re with your family or friends. Are there people playing a board game that is getting intense? Grab your phone & start taking photos from different angles, capture different facial expressions, use portrait mode & live mode, take photos of the game.
2) Different Moments
Capture people mid conversation, laughing, arguing, opening presents, falling asleep on the couch, cleaning, cooking, kids playing, etc. You get the idea by now. Always keep looking for different moments that are interesting to capture.
*Pro tip – the best way to capture candid moments and make sure they don’t all end up blurry is to make sure the light is good & use live mode!
3) Take Lots of Pictures of a Single Moment
The reason is because to get 1 really good photo, you can’t just take 3. Someone may blink, another may be too blurry, etc. Remember you don’t need all the photos but the more you take the more you will have to choose from.
*Pro tip – Be quick! If you’re too slow to start taking photos & taking different photos fast, the moment may be gone. That’s why I say you need to have your phone with you at all times & you need to be fast to grab it & open the camera.
4) Think About Lighting
If it’s nighttime or dark in the room, on iPhone it won’t be a very clear & good quality photo. If its evening & everyone is inside try to move a lamp or a light source in a way that illuminates your subject without using flash.
5) Christmas Lights & Bokeh Effect
You can take head shots of people in Portrait Mode with Christmas lights to create this bokeh effect where the background is blurry.
Make sure there are Christmas lights behind the person. It can be lights in the city, the Christmas tree, or you can decorate the location of where you are & set those lights up behind the person. Check out these ideas below.
6) Get Those Snowy Shots
As soon as it snows, get outside & take pictures of the snowy trees, landscape photos, or capture your subject (or have someone take photos of you) using portrait mode as the snow comes down with a beautiful white backdrop.
During the day this is a great time to take photos because the lighting is perfect for iPhone since it’s not sunny.
Take macro pictures of nature, get up close as much as you can & tap on the screen to focus on the subject.
7) Cozy Christmas Vibe
Definitely take different type of photos of that cozy indoor Christmas atmosphere. You can capture photos of someone (or yourself) decorating a tree, close up of lights or tree ornaments, candles, décor, yourself or someone sitting in-front of the fireplace drink hot cocoa or mulled wine.
8) Don’t Forget to Turn on HDR
See my last blog post 14 iPhone Photography Tips for Beginners for details on this feature and why its important.
9) Tell a Story
Think about your photos as a story in itself or a piece to a larger story. The saying is true – a picture says a thousand words. What story do you want your photos to tell?
10) Take Pictures Around Your Town or City
Whether it’s the Christmas vibe on the streets, the décor, or a cozy café, this is always a great way to get creative. Take lots of different photos then later you can choose your favourite.
11) Use The Lights of The Christmas Tree
Have someone take your photo or take a photo of a person around the Christmas tree using only the lights from the tree to create different effects. If the tree is behind your subject, it will create a cool silhouette or if the subject is beside it, the light from the tree can create a cool illumination. Play around with different poses and see what you like.
12) Take Pictures of Christmas Food
This is a great way to practice flat lay phototgraphy. Place a food item or items on a table put a few pieces of Christmas décor around one of the top or bottom corners and just practice and play around with the lay out to see what looks good.
There are so many ways to get creative and take fun photos you can use for your content as a blogger & influencer as well as just to put together a fun Christmas slide show to share with your loved ones after Christmas.
**Pro tip: Don’t forget to put your phone down in between photos to enjoy the special moments. This is not the time to quickly take a photo and post it on Instagram right away. I never post in the moment unless it’s in my stories and even then sometimes I will take the video for the story and post it hours later when I have time.
You should never post in the moment because a) you need to be strategic with you content and layout as a professional and b) you miss moments because you have start thinking about a caption, what hashtags to use, edit it quickly and slap a filter on before you post.
Take the photo & put down your phone. Post on Instagram later. Just because you don’t post it right away, doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.
I hope these tips help you with being creative with your photography around this wonderful time of year!
Don’t forget, if you apply any tips you learnt from me please tag your photo with #asyaphototips and let me know what tips you used, what works for you. I love to see the wonderful work you’re creating, and I want to give you a shout out in my IG stories!
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