Friday, December 5, 2003

Making great holiday photos

The holiday season is here, and many families find the holiday memories captured in photos are almost as much fun as the holiday itself. Here are some tips for making your photos great.

• Get down on the kids’ level. Sit or kneel on the floor to accomplish this.

• Turn the camera to vertical position sometimes, instead of using only the usual horizontal. This gives variety and a different perspective.

• Use the sun. Early morning and late afternoon offer beautiful golden light. Backlighting can be used for silhouettes.

• Put the subject off center rather than using the viewfinder as a target.

• Use a polarizing filter. A polarizer eliminates glare and tones down the light, giving more vivid color in the photos.

• Use longer shutter speeds to create a sense of motion, but be sure you don’t move or you’ll blur the photo. You may want to use a tripod or set the camera on a solid surface.

• If you have a separate (rather than a built-in) flash, try “bouncing” your

flash by aiming it towards the ceiling or at the wall above or to the side of the

subject. This can give a softer, more natural light, but be aware that bouncing can throw off your light meter.

• Try using flash with slow shutter speeds to brighten your backgrounds at night or in the late evening.

• Use your flash during the daytime (“fill-flash”) to soften shadows, especially

under hats or caps.

• Watch your backgrounds! One primary cause for bad pictures is having the background cluttered or having lines run through people, such as power lines, telephone poles, or plants that grow out of people's heads. If you have a manual camera, you can use a shallower depth of field or lower f-stop number to make the background less focused.

• Finally, for a really memorable picture, be willing to wait for it. Try resisting the urge to take only photos where people pose and smile. By waiting you may be able to take a more candid or natural picture that really expresses the subject’s personality.

— Stephen Grote

Photographic Imaging Faculty

The Art Institute of Atlanta