Tips For Taking Great Holiday Family Portraits

Family photos are not the sort of thing many families have the time or energy to do more than once each year. So once you get everyone in their coordinated outfits, find the perfect weather and can get everyone to hold still for the pictures, you want to make sure you have all the right equipment to get the job done in just one go. This holiday season, make sure you don’t turn picture day into Grinchmas with these simple tips for great holiday family portraits.

How To Take Great Holiday Family Portraits

Holiday family portraits are a wonderful way to capture the joy and togetherness of the season, creating cherished memories that can be shared for years to come. They allow families to document growth, celebrate milestones, and reflect on each year’s unique moments. To make the most of a holiday portrait session, plan ahead by coordinating outfits in complementary colors, choosing a location with good natural light, and bringing along meaningful props or seasonal decor for a festive touch. Relaxed poses and candid shots often bring out the best in everyone, capturing genuine smiles and interactions that make the photos feel warm and timeless.

Portrait Props

Incorporating a prop or small activity can be a great way to give your photos a fun theme beyond just a traditional Merry Christmas. While props can give the picture a theme, they can also give something for unruly children to focus on while you’re arranging your shots or waiting for the perfect light with an outdoor photo shoot.

Props can take many forms, but if you’re going to work them into your photo try to make sure they have some meaning to your family. If one of the kids has a recent obsession with trains, think about having the family sit on the floor inside a train track. If you have special new deck chairs, show off the chairs. Just remember to let your props accent the photo, not become their focus. Be sure not to force reluctant family members into weird sweaters or fuzzy antlers. You want a family photo that friends will share on their refrigerator, not on the Internet.

Camera Accessories

Having the right accessories for your camera can mean the difference between decent family photos and great holiday portraits. While it is sometimes simpler to rely on the camera’s flash or to try setting the shutter timer as you run back towards your family as you all hold your smiles and try not to blink, there is a better way. Even regular point-and-shoot cameras have a ton of options to enhance your photos. Here are a few of the digital camera accessories that can have a big impact on your holiday photo sessions:

• Light reflectors can make sure there are no random shadows in certain parts of the shots.
• If you don’t want to set up big light reflectors around your subjects, a lens hood can create some of the same effect. It will direct light from the flash directly at your family for better exposure.
• A tripod should be an essential addition if you plan on taking any family photographs. Tripods will make sure your photos stay level and minimize blur from squirmy children in low-light situations. Here is my affiliate link to my favorite on Amazon.
• A remote shutter trigger can be a lifesaver (and a cheek-saver) during a long portrait shoot. Rather than running back and forth, setting the timer for different shots, remote triggers let you take the photo exactly when you want. So there’s no waiting and clenching of smiles!

Bribes

Sure, bribing your portrait subjects seems like cheating, but that’s only because it is! But rewards can be effective, especially for impatient kids and dads who might rather be watching football. It doesn’t take much to calm down subjects down for a bit. Rewarding your kids for good behavior is an easy way to get smiling faces in your photo. You can even cleverly work your bribery into the picture! Try taking some cute family photos around the kitchen with some freshly baked holiday treats, and letting your family sample their bribes.

Photo Editing Software

Once you have the shots taken, you can improve them a lot with some simple editing. You don’t necessarily need Photoshop to touch up your photos. There are a number of good free photo editing alternatives available online. Programs like Picmonkey or even Google Picasa can provide fairly robust imaging editing at no cost, and with little expertise needed. Simple touches like closely cropping your photos or playing with exposure and saturation settings can make your family photos shine.

Holiday Family Portrait Ideas

Here’s a list of holiday family portrait ideas to inspire a variety of fun and festive photos:

1. Cozy Indoor Fireplace Scene – Gather around a decorated fireplace with stockings and twinkling lights.
2. Matching Pajamas by the Tree – Capture a relaxed, cozy look in matching holiday pajamas by the Christmas tree.
3. Outdoor Snowy Scene – If you live where it snows, take advantage of a beautiful winter landscape.
4. Festive Kitchen Baking Session – Candid shots of the family baking cookies together, capturing a warm holiday activity.
5. Classic Formal Portrait – Dress up in holiday attire for a traditional and elegant family photo.
6. Plaid and Flannel Cozy Scene – Go for a warm, cabin-like look with coordinated flannels in a wintery setting.
7. Ornament Decorating Moment – Capture a candid shot of the family decorating the tree with favorite ornaments.
8. Ugly Sweater Theme – Have fun with a lighthearted, humorous photo of the family in matching ugly holiday sweaters.
9. Storytime with Holiday Books – Take a cozy, candid photo of everyone gathered around reading a holiday story.
10. Front Porch Christmas Display – Pose on the decorated front porch for a festive outdoor family portrait.

Conclusion

Taking family holiday photos is more than just a seasonal tradition; it’s an opportunity to capture the essence of togetherness and celebrate the memories that shape each passing year. These photos become keepsakes, connecting the past with the future and allowing families to relive cherished moments. Whether they’re shared with loved ones, displayed at home, or saved in family albums, holiday portraits remind us of the warmth, love, and joy that make the season special. Embrace the process, enjoy the laughter, and let these images serve as a timeless reminder of the beautiful bond you share as a family.

I hope these tips help you take the best holiday family portraits yet!

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