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Hernando Today

Photography 101 For The Holiday Season

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By BEVERLY HARVEY

Media General News Service

Published: December 14, 2008

The 2008 holiday season only comes around once, but the memories can live on through treasured photographs of family and friends.

Snapping pictures of your loved ones is easier than you might think. Keeping a few tips in mind can make a big difference in the images you create.

Even after almost eight years of working as a photographer at the Opelika-Auburn News, Cliff Williams still has to remind himself of a few key practices such as getting down at the level of his subject, if needed, and paying attention to what's behind his subjects.

"You don't want a poinsettia, fern or Christmas tree coming out of the top of a head," Williams said.

Williams also recommends filling the image frame with your subject and keeping the camera close to your subject.

"You don't want to be on the other side of the room," he said.

To catch the reactions of your loved ones as they open presents, make sure to position yourself in front of them.

"If you want to see their expressions, you're going to have to be on the other side of the presents or tree," said Johnny Lawrence, who's owned J. Lawrence Photography in Auburn since 1980.

For posed holiday photographs of family and friends, Lawrence recommends taking everyone outside and using natural light to take pictures. If it's not an overcast, cloudy day, make sure to position everyone in the shade, he said.

"You don't want people in bright sunshine if you can avoid it," Lawrence said, noting that direct sunlight creates harsh shadows. It also forces people to squint and can cause a glare in the camera lens, he said.

When taking photographs indoors, make sure you pose people away from walls to help minimize shadows and add some depth to the images, Lawrence said.

For group shots, make sure you can see everyone's face before snapping the photo, said Bob Sanders, owner of Image House in Auburn and professional photographer for more than 25 years. "Always take two shots, because somebody's going to close their eyes," Sanders said.

If you're using a digital camera, Sanders suggests setting the image quality at the highest level possible. "The higher the resolution the better," he said.

Don't forget to stop and think about how you're framing and composing your images, Sanders said. "If you want to take a good picture, you have to work at it," he said. "Those extra couple of minutes of work to get that shot are well worth it."

While you're capturing the holiday moments in pictures, don't forget to include yourself in some of those images, Lawrence said. Not only do you get to take a break, you also get the chance to have someone else's perspective of the day.

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