Soft lighting, browning foliage, Christmas presents and warm clothing: winter is a great time to get fantastic photos of your family. It’s a good idea to get variety in the shots you take so here’s a short guide to the different settings you can use for wonderful winter photography. Grab your camera, your favorite Christmas jumper, the family and get snapping!
The Garden
Get outside at every opportunity. Crisp and bright weather is the best to shoot in but snow is obviously a bonus. Set up a small fire for an interesting evening scene or use natural props such as wreaths or fire wood to get a nice looking seasonal scene.
Park
Your nearest park can be a wonderful setting for fun wintery shots. Get the kids on the playground equipment or get you and your partner in front of the seasonal trees. Such a setting is perfect for snowman fun or some snow ball fight action shots.
Fireside
Some of the best winter photography evokes the cosy feeling of being warm and indoors when the weather is doing its icy worst outside. The ultimate cosy comforter is your living room fire. Get the family gathered around with their warmest clothing on (it’s likely to get very warm!) and shoot away. If you are shooting in dim light it might be an idea to turn off your flash and use a tripod to have fun with lighting.
Riverside
An icy river or lake makes a great setting for a winter shoot. A riverside scene is a good setting to play around with perspective to get a more interesting shot. Just remember to wrap up warm and be careful around the water!
High Street
Why not combine a shopping trip with your photo shoot? Your local town’s Christmas lights and decorations will provide a wonderful back drop for your snaps. There may also be a seasonal market or choir concert to use in the mix. And the shopping bags will just add to the authenticity!
Local Church or Cathedral
Return to the true meaning of Christmas at your local cathedral or church and make the most of the candles, lights, choir and architecture.
Christmas Tree
Similar to the fireside shots, your Christmas tree provides a great opportunity to experiment with light. Your tree lights are a great way to illuminate action shots of kids opening their presents or elderly relatives falling asleep after a massive Christmas dinner. For more tips on shooting in low light read this.
…Or Hire a Professional!
Portrait photos with Venture Photography or other high street experts can bring out the best in your family’s Christmas spirit. Book in for a shoot to create wonderful reminders of a great festive period.
Photo Credits
All photos from Shutterstock
Guest Author Bio
Brett Janes
Brett Janes is an MA writing student at LJMU, UK, founder of the literary organization, King Yeti, and a member of The Wild Writers, a collective which runs events and exhibitions throughout the Northwest. He doesn’t have spare time, but he’s somehow writing a novel focusing on rural living, relationships and giant cannibal rats. A lot of his writing is speculative.
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