Holiday Photo Tips

Wow, it's already that time of year again when I'm starting to make plans for our Christmas photos! Back in 2007 we purchased a new pre-lit Christmas tree and since then we started the tradition of taking our family photo in front of it. I start planning our outfits several weeks ahead of time so that way if I'm searching for something in particular I can usually find it with no problem. The past 2 years the guys have had matching ties which I have picked up earlier in the year online for a great price.

I have a few tips to make your Holiday photo turn out great:

•  Opt for solid colored clothing and minimal patterns. Matching ties for all the guys is a great idea!
• Take your photo in the morning when everyone is well rested to eliminate crankiness :-)
• If you attend church services, a Sunday morning is a great time to take the photo because you need to dress up anyway. Just be sure to plan ahead the night before so you can make sure you give yourself extra time to take the photos before you need to head out of the door.
• Open the window blinds slightly to allow natural light filter in. You may need to take a photo or two to adjust this and see what turns out best.
• Be sure to clear the nearby area of clutter or furniture. As you can tell I didn't move the couch over enough for our 2010 photo! (I'll just blame that on the pregnancy brain!)
• Who ever is holding the little one(s) can give them a little tickle or spin them around right before the camera takes a photo to get their best smiles.

2007 

(we just found out that day we were expecting our first baby!)

2008

2009

2010

(pregnant with our little Cole!)

After taking the photos you can use a free photo editing program such as Picasa or Picnik to adjust coloring, lighting or cropping as needed. Editing a photo can make a huge difference!

Next you get to browse online for the perfect Holiday cards to upload your photo to. I love sending out customizable photo cards at Christmas and I'm impressed with all the new styles of cards available at Tiny Prints this year. My very favorite is the new cards that look like Christmas ornaments. They even have a silk ribbon so you can hang them on the tree.

Here is our photo from last year in the Whispering Snowflake themed card. I love it!

I'm also drawn to the square shaped Holiday cards, like this China Pattern in Spanish Red.

With so many new different styles available this year I'm going to have a difficult time deciding which one I like best!  I hope my Holiday photo tips help make your family photo even better than the year before.

Tiny prints is giving me 50 complimentary Holiday Cards in exchange for this review and no other compensation was received. All thoughts and opinions are my own.