Christmas is a magical time of year especially when you have young children. Nothing compares to seeing Christmas through the eyes of a child. I want to soak in every moment before I blink and they are grown up. One way I do that is by taking photos of them experiencing the magic of the holidays. You can use these photos to display online or throughout your home. Another option is to make DIY photo coasters. Taking photos of your kids in front of the Christmas tree is doable with these simple tips.
Let me start off by saying I am NOT a professional photographer, but rather a mom who is learning how to use her DSLR to the fullest potential. There are so many things to learn! Don’t let your camera scare you from trying new things. If I can do it, you can do it!
How to take Christmas Tree photos with your iPhone
Don’t have a DSLR? No problem! You can take beautiful photos with your iPhone using these tips.
How to Take Photos of Your Kids in Front of The Christmas Tree
Here’s how you can take the same photos with a DSLR. If you can use a lens other than the lens kit, the better. I used two different lenses: a 50 mm 1.4 lens and Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro Lens. The EF 50 1.8 mm lens also does the job just fine and it’s budget-friendly.
Settings
I forgot to turn on the RAW setting. You can leave it on JPEG like I did and still get great photos. RAW will allow you to edit more in Photoshop if you are advanced. I did not do that so don’t feel bad if you don’t know how to edit in RAW.
Turn off the AUTO setting and don’t look back: Put your camera on manual mode.
ISO: Boost ISO as much as you can.
Shutter Speed: Don’t go below 1/200 shutter speed unless you use a tripod.
Aperture: Keep aperture between 1.2-2.2
White balance: Auto or kelvin.
Exposure: Meter off your child’s face.
Lighting
Turn off all the lights except for the tree. If you can put more lights on your tree, the better. I did not have time to do that but it still turned out great.
Editing
I uploaded these photos to Photoshop and sharpened them a tad. I didn’t want to mess with the Exposure too much. I added a touch of vibrancy and clarity to each photo.
Helping hands
If you can get the help of your spouse or friend to stage the kids it can make all the difference. He was there to move them and keep them engaged while I snapped away.
Attire
Dress your kids in the cutest matching Christmas pajamas or keep them in what they already have on.
Take these photos year-to-year to watch your children (or pets) grow until they won’t let you anymore!
Enjoy! Be sure to share them because they are so cute and need to be seen! Feel free to tag us in! I would love to see them.
Practice, Practice, Practice: Don’t get discouraged if your photos are perfect because this is not what this is about. It’s about seeing the magic of Christmas right in front of your face. The more you shoot with your camera and play with it the more comfortable you will get.
I hope this tutorial was helpful! I am certain I am missing a few expert photography tips in this post, but I am just a mom standing in front of her kids with a DSLR trying to figure it out.
Enjoy this time and capture every moment you can. Merry Christmas!
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Lauren Martin says
You’re absolutely right, it’s best to turn off the lights to make the colors of the tree pop out! Thanks for sharing your tips. Now, I can’t wait for Christmas to come sooner so I can take our kids’ photos.