5 Secrets to make STELLAR Christmas photos (with nothing but your phone!)
Ho Ho Hoooo, it's Christmas !!
Yay, it's that time of the year!!
That time of the year where everything slows down and you can enjoy some relaxed family moments...
-Well... in theory that is... If you are anything like me, you're probably running to buy last minute presents, get your groceries in time, cook like your life depends on it, praying your guests will run a bit late... but let's keep the dream alive shall we? ๐-
A Christmas tree with sparkling lights, a beautifully decorated table, loved ones mingling, looking happy and jolly... Christmas indeed is a special time of year. But how to capture those special moments, so you will have something beautiful to look back on?
*Hint: take your phone out of your pocket*
Hey-ho, hey-ho, here you go, a little X-mas gift from me to you... ๐๐;
5 secrets with plenty of tips to make STELLAR Christmas photos with nothing but your smartphone!
Let me know how you got along in telling this year's Christmas story in pictures.
Wishing you Happy Holidays!!
With love,
Christmas Secret 1: Keep it warm and cosy - don't flash!
Christmas is all about warm and cosy moments in front of the fireplace (mine is playing on my tele, with a jazzy 'dreaming of a White Christmas'... thank you YouTube ๐). Candle light and sparkly Christmas lights everywhere. You don't want to ruin that cosy ambiance with an ugly flash or harsh white light!
Shooting with low light means longer exposure times on your phone camera and therefore more chance of blurry photos.
If you master the manual settings, you go and up your ISO's, but if you are not expert enough to master this, this is not the time to start going manual. A better way would be to stay on auto and use a tripod.
If you combine that with using a bluetooth remote control (your headset with the volume up/down button works also!), you are sure to not have any movement when taking the photo.
If you don't have a tripod, try to pose your phone against something sturdy and block it with a little something in front (be careful though to not drop it!) or stabilize yourself against a wall or lean your elbows on a table.
Bonus tip# Use a self timer (or you put voice control on and you say 'cheese' if your phone camera has that option), so you can be in your family portraits.
Christmas Secret 2: Tell a story - documentary-style
Tell a story with your photos. A nice way to do that is to make a photo collage. You can make a photo collage in Canva or install a collage app on your phone (there are so many, just pick one you like).
When telling a story with your photos, it is important to have a plan and a good balance between the images.
Think of taking at least the following photos;
- overall shots (where you see the entire room, entire person, entire Christmas table, pile of presents)
- close ups (candles, christmas tree decoration, your loved one, food, don't be afraid to get really up close and personal)
- outside (light decoration in your town, snow if you are one of the lucky people who has a white Christmas)
- preparations (decorating, cooking, ...)
- family/friends (don't forget yourself!)
- actions (someone cooking, serving, unwrapping a present)
Bonus tip# Make a list of shots you really want to have -keeping the above in mind- and make an inspiration board (like a mood board) in Canva to find inspiration for the kind of photos you like to make. You can fill the inspiration board with the stock photos you find in the left column 'photos' in Canva, so you can look at those for inspiration when you are taking yours.
Christmas Secret 3: Think like a stylist - look for detail
There is a reason why pro photographers often work with a stylist.
Stylists know how to make an image come to life in a way that is pleasant to the eye. They also scan the scene for disturbing elements that are so quickly overlooked.
Think of ugly cables running along the wall behind your Christmas tree, dishes in your kitchen, a PC screen in the background or a bin.
When you force yourself to look at a scene with the eye of a stylist, you will all of the sudden see what is out of place.
Some things you can simply get out of the way for a shot, sometimes you just need to change your angle a bit to avoid uglyness in your photo and sometimes you have to be creative to hide things (how about putting your pile of presents in front of those cables...!). The main thing is that you take time to check your environment/background, before taking the photo.
A stylist also makes things match up.
Decoration-wise, but also for your clothes for example. Let everyone wear the traditional ugly Christmas sweater, or ask them to go for glamourous.
But match things up.
Bonus tip# take a morning family picture of all of you in your pyama's!
Christmas Secret 4: Be creative - look for original angles & shots
Being creative, can you do that on command?
Well, yes! You have to take the time and put yourself to it, you will see that the creative juices start to flow. And if ever you find it hard to be creative, have a look on the web. So much inspiration to be found!
I have put some examples in the caroussel below.
One lovely idea is Peek through's.
Photograph a loved one through the branches of your Christmas tree, when he or she is admiring the decoration. Or hold some led lights around your phone lens, giving you a frame with funny light effects.
You can cut out a heart or use a tube. Experiment with all sorts of frames, options are endless.
As you hold them close to your phone lens, it will give a lovely blurry effect.
Also photographing an object very close up and having something interesting (lights?) in the background creates depth in your picture (see in caroussel below). Flip your phone upside down, so the ground/table surface becomes an important part of your picture.
Go outside when it's dark and find some Christmas lights to play with (see photos number 4 + up in the caroussel).
Bonus tip# Did you know that you can edit the blurry lights with an editing app (to make it look more professional camera alike). For instance Lens Distortions has beautiful light effects, both in the paid as in the free version.
Christmas Secret 5: Strike that pose - the natural way
Do you know that feeling...?
Someone is aiming his camera on you and hop, you freeze. All of the sudden you're very aware of that camera pointing in your direction. More often than not the result is a stiff pose or a weird smile.
Why is it that we react that way? Well, a better question is, how do we get over that?
As a pro-photographer I had a fews secrets that I'm gladly sharing with you now... ;
#1.
Trick them... I often told my wedding couples or families that I wasn't really photographing them, but that I was just checking the light. Or I said 'OK, I got it!' and captured the moment they relaxed.
#2.
Chat and joke and make people sincerely laugh. Be part of the group instead of the photographer (and in the mean time, click away!).
#3.
If you need to make a close up of someone, have them close their eyes and open them on the count of 3 when you take your photo. That way their look remains natural.
#4.
A great angle for a close up is shooting them slightly from above. That way eyes look bigger (and a possible double chin doesn't show anymore... your subject will thank you ๐). And whilst doing this, don't forget tip #2!
#5.
Have children show their present or candy to you, stretching out their hand towards your phone camera. Put your camera app on Portrait mode and focus on the object. The object will be sharp and the child becomes a bit blurry (with the newer phones you can adapt the amount of blurryness). Make sure you have the entire child's face in your picture though!
Be invisible...
The best spontaneous photos you get when someone doesn't know you are shooting him or her.
But sometimes you need to take a posed family portrait and in that case you have to find a way to make it work.
To start with;
#1.
Don't let people stand in a line but bring depth in the picture by building up the poses.
Have someone seated. Let someone else stand behind that person and bend down to hug him or her. Let the other persons find positions in which they are comfortable. A hand on the shoulder of the seated person, the other hand in a pocket. Someone turned slightly, with their arms crossed...
#2.
Make them do something, this is the easiest way to make a good family portrait.
See the examples in the caroussel below.
There are a million more things to say on posing with confidence, enough to make an entire course on this, but for now I'm leaving you with these tips and the examples below for some inspiration!
โ Christmas magic is silent. You don't hear it - you feel it. You know it. You believe it.โ
โ Kevin Alan Milne
Some last quick tips :
- Put on the grid in your phone camera settings, to help you compose better according to the grid lines of the rule of thirds (if you don't know what that is, join my Facebook group here to see some tutorials on it!)
- Use Portrait mode for people photography (be careful with older iPhones, they are less accurate with the background blurryness).
- When low light, think of using your tripod or lean against something to avoid movement
- Think before you click, to get from snap to stellar photo.
- And last but not least... have FUN and enjoy your Christmas!!!
Petra van der Wal
Grab your free guides:
Learn how to become Confidently Visible and Elevate your Business to Grow your Sales with Pro-looking Brand-aligned images you take with just your phone. We will work on Mindset (empowering you to SHINE as your true self) - true CONNECTION with your Dream Clients and working with EASE & FLOW, Batch Planning your photo shoots.
Grab your free Confidence Booster to help you Shine and Stand out as the face of your business, so you can build authority and trust and attract your dream clients into your business.
Grab your free 8 settings Guide to immediately improve your Phone photos.
Hi there, I'm Petra van der Wal!
I'm a Brand Photography Teacher and Confidence Coach, helping business owners elevate their business and make more sales by empowering them to shine as the face of their business and teaching them how to stand out and TRULY connect with their dream clients with amazing photos they take with nothing but their phone.
With 14+ years experience as a wedding-, product- and brand photographer, plus 12+ years as a marketing expert, I instantly know what kind of business photos my clients need to connect with their dream clients and grow their income quickly.
My experience with mindset work allows me to help them build their confidence to proudly be the face of their business, with photos that make them look professional and trustworthy.
Teaching & coaching is one of the things that truly makes me happy and I love for my clients to feel all excited too when they see those a-ma-zing and authentic pictures they managed to take themselves with nothing but their phone, knowing that they will feel free to shine and stand out and elevate their business.
I see wonder in my every day world,
I inspire my clients to be mindful photographers. โจ
Want to know how (else) you can work with me?
Any questions? I would love to chat with you!
Send me an email at petra@instantsacademy.com
or contact me on Social Media:
Get Free Tips, Tutorials and Feedback. Share & Learn