Taking Perfect Photos for Your Photo Christmas Cards
By: Seo Majesty
Submitted: 2011-01-11 06:03:34 | Word Count: 527
If you’re tired of sending the same mass-produced Christmas cards year after year, give custom photo Christmas cards a go this holiday season. They’re a great way to express your creativity, showcase your family (even the furry ones), and share memories with relatives and friends. Because the centerpiece of any photo Christmas card is the photo, taking a great one is important. You don’t have to be a professional photographer or have thousands of dollars in equipment to do so either. Just follow these simple tips.
Get a little closer. Most people take photos from too far away, resulting in a subject surrounded by a lot of unnecessary space. Don’t be afraid to move in and really fill the frame with your subject. You can also use a zoom lens, but walking closer will often result in the discovering of more interesting angles or framing.
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Spontaneity is key. Don’t pose every photo. Keep your camera with you and ready on weekends, on family fun night and at special family gatherings. Great moments can happen at any time, and most can never be reproduced authentically. Kids and animals in particular are fabulous spontaneous photo subjects, so keep your camera out, turned on and ready to aim whenever they’re around.
Work the angles. Don’t hesitate to move around your subject and look for a better angle. Don’t shoot everything from standing height or straight on. Crouch down, stand on a chair, or lie on the floor and look up at your subject. If you’re photographing a child or animal, get on their eye level. If you want to see more of the background, put yourself up higher.
Find lovely illumination. Where there is great light, there are great photos just waiting to be taken. Consider soft light from a window, or outdoor shots taken at dawn or dusk. Midday is actually just about the worst time to photograph anyone outdoors. The harsh overhead light creates dark shadows and emphasizes harsh angles.
Use high quality settings. Set your digital camera to the largest file size possible with the least amount of file compression and the lowest possible sensitivity. Sure, your camera may take a little longer to “process” each shot, but the results will be at a high enough resolution and size for you to create a large print should you desire to do so.
Take multiple shots. Never take just one photo. Get used to hitting the button multiple times in quick succession. When photographing people, the reaction after the initial “click” is often better than the first. Don’t put the camera down; wait to see what else may happen.
Once you have a great shot for your photo Christmas card, log on to a website such as postcardsandinvitations.com and create a personalized design. They have easy to use online design software and hundreds of templates you can choose from to get you started. Their photo Christmas cards very affordable, and they’ll save you time addressing, stamping and mailing the cards for you if you so desire. So what are you waiting for? Now is the perfect time to start snapping photos and creating memorable Christmas cards your friends and family will cherish.
