Wednesday, December 15, 2010

12 Days of Better Christmas Photography - Day 3 - 25 things to shoot at Christmas time

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Today's tip is all about the details.

Sure, everyone has pics of their kids opening their gifts on Christmas morning, or maybe everyone sitting around eating dinner, but you're doing a disservice to your holiday memories. Are you going to be able to remember the hat that grandma wore to church? You'll soon forget that your little boy absolutely swam in those pajamas 2 years ago, that you threw away last week because they are now 2 sizes to small.

I've always made a point of taking a photo of my kids with their gifts on Christmas morning. Why? Because my favorite photo of me as a child on Christmas, I was sitting in a corner holding 2 toys I received that Christmas day. I likely would have forgotten those toys and the hours of entertainment had mom not taken that photo of me. I want my kids to have a memory prompt 30 years from now, about their Christmas in 2010.

Earlier this week we talked about getting in close, cropping in camera to get better shots. I want you to use that lesson to get pics of the little details of what makes Christmas special for your family.

In case you get a little stage fright, here's a list of prompts that might help you remember your camera!

25 Things this Christmas you don't want to forget to Photograph!

  1. The gifts wrapped under the tree
  2. Cookies and Milk for Santa
  3. The stockings on the mantle
  4. The weather outside that morning
  5. The tree lit the night before
  6. Kids sleeping on Christmas eve
  7. Reading Christmas stories
  8. What you made for breakfast on Christmas morning
  9. Christmas morning pajamas
  10. Your pets and any gifts they get
  11. Your kid (or you!) posed with your gifts received
  12. The look on their faces as they see the tree on Christmas morning
  13. Special baked goodies
  14. Gifts that you handmade, or special gifts you received
  15. Decorating the tree and hanging the lights
  16. Your house lit up
  17. Your church at Christmas eve services
  18. Wrapping gifts
  19. Your favorite ornaments
  20. Your fuzzy slippers - or your kids - or both!
  21. Letters to santa - and letters back
  22. The table filled with all the good eats for dinner - cue Norman Rockwell
  23. Class parties - office parties
  24. Your special Christmas outfits (parties, church, etc)
  25. A Group shot, even if that means doing the duck face, with no makeup and messy hair

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{"Baking" Christmas treats}


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{Left: Breakfast on Christmas morning, Right: Some of my decor}


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{Homemade pancake mix jars that I gave as gifts}

Only one of these photos looks like a "Christmas" photo. Don't feel like every image you create needs to include some holly leaves or the Christmas tree. There are hundreds of memories happening, that have no specific holiday "feel" to them. Does that mean they are not holiday memories??


Merry Christmas, and please share your photo links with me!

1 comment:

BCraftie said...

Thank you! Sometimes its hard to remember all these little details when you're doing them and to remember to 'capture' them for ever! Happy Holidays!

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