Do you have a DSLR camera but are sometimes stumped on how to take the best pictures? Read on for nine DSLR tips for capturing the best memories on Christmas morning!
- Open up the blinds, throw back the curtains and let that gorgeous natural light in! If your children are too excited or are early risers and decide to wake up before dawn, turn on as many lights in the room as you can – including the lights on the tree. More light = better photographs.
- Set up your camera as close to the settings needed for your room and the available light you expect ahead of time. Do this either sometime before you finally get to bed on Christmas Eve or with enough time before your kids are up so that you don’t miss out on their reactions when they first see the presents and tree. And don’t forget to charge your battery the night before as well!
- For a room with little or no natural light, but lots of artificial light (lamps, lit decorations, overhead lights) set your ISO from 200 to 400. For a room with a lot of natural light, set it to 100 or 200. If you don’t have a lot of light available (natural or artificial) you should have your ISO at 800 or higher.
- Wide apertures (low #) are great for bringing in as much light as possible, but keep in mind that a wide aperture will also have a narrow focus area. To open up the focus area so that more of your scene is in focus (or if you’re photographing multiple people, ensuring everyone is crisp and clear), you’ll need to narrow the aperture a bit (higher #). For my 50mm lens, I try and keep my aperture no wider than 2.0 in this case, adjusting it for the lighting as needed.
- If your lighting is really dim, use a tripod and set your shutter speed at a slow speed, such as 1/125 or slower. Stabilization is key to preventing camera shake and the best tool for this is a tripod.
- Change your position and don’t be afraid to get a little silly! Stand on a chair to get an overhead shot of the chaos or lay on the floor to capture a new perspective on opening presents. Kids love it when photographers do unexpected things and I often get my best shots when I look a little crazy!
- Use your photographs to tell a story. I can probably guess exactly how most of your childhood Christmas photos look: someone took dozens of photos where the child is looking down at what they’re opening, there is a blur of wrapping paper and you can just barely see the present because they’re holding it upside down or something is covering half of it. Photograph the details instead of staying in one spot and shooting every gift opening. Get close to the presents and capture a gift tag with Santa’s handwriting. Shoot a photo of Dad’s coffee mug surrounded by wrapping paper. These detail shots come together with the typical gift opening photos to tell a complete story of the morning.
- Hand the camera off to your spouse, partner or an older child for a while so that YOU can be in some of the photos. Sure, your hair is messy, you’re in your pajamas and all of those holiday parties have added to your waistline – but don’t avoid the camera. Your children…and grandchildren will appreciate being able to see you in this moment of time someday. They won’t notice the out of place hair or your grungy slippers, they’ll be focusing in on your magical smile and the sparkle in your eyes!
- Once you have about 20 great photos to document the day, PUT YOUR CAMERA DOWN. Enjoy the moment. Soak it all in. Kids grow so quickly and their childhood is so fleeting.
