The holidays are fast approaching and soon family and friends will be gathering to celebrate the season. The tips today are about recording the memories that fill the holidays.

1. Play with the Depth of Field – Instead of snapping a picture in front of the tree, place your subject in the background, increase the aperture on your camera to the lowest setting (like around f/5.6 to F/1.4).If you keep your subject in focus the tree and lights in the foreground will be blurry and twinkling.
2. Work in the background - Candid shots are more natural and can be amazing.  Stand back away from the holiday festivities for a few moments and capture those un-rehearsed moments.
3. Accessorize -  Clever props are a great way to spice up photos during the holidays.  Think Santa Hats, wrapped presents and even large ornaments.
4. Catch all the Action - Little kids tearing open gifts is a crazy time, shoot pictures like crazy to make sure you get the shots.To make the whole experience smoother put the camera in “Auto” mode or even “Burst” mode and just start taking dozens of shots.
5. Avoid the red eye – Whenever you use your flash you’re more than likely to get that evil red eye.Try using the red eye reduction setting for the flash.Some cameras do have automatic red eye correction which is nice.
6. Embrace the darkness – To get a sharp photo of twinkling tree lights or candles, turn off the house lights and turn up the ISO setting on your camera.  An ISO of 800-1600 should do the trick.You will have to steady the camera so that your pictures aren’t blurry.  Either use a tripod and your cameras timer function or try setting your camera down on a solid surface.
7. Stepping outside – To get crisp photos at night, set up your tripod, up the ISO setting and lower your aperture to let in as much light as possible.  And don’t forget to turn off the flash.A word to the wise; if it’s extremely cold outdoors.The chilly temperture outside can quickly drain the charge from your battery.  Make sure your camera is fully charged.  And if you are going to be outside for a while, be sure to keep your camera warm.  Hold your camera close to your body as this will keep it warm and then pull it out when you are ready to take the photo.
8. Let there be peace – Don’t forget to photograph the quiet moments this holiday season.  Nothing is more precious than watching a child’s face as a beloved grandparents reads, “Twas the night before Christmas”.
9. Know when to use the flash – Sometimes you just need to use your camera’s flash.Try to stand about 12 ft from the subjects of your photo so that the flash is bright enough but not so bright that they are blinded by it or overexposed.
10. Capture the preperations - We sometimes forget to record the experience of everything behind the scenes while preparing for the festivities.  Do include the baking of the treats, shopping for gifts, decking the halls and the wrapping of the presents.
11. Try a new angle when taking photos – Stand off to the side and zoom in to capture the moment.
12. Be in the pictures too! - Many photographers end up not being in any of the pictures, give your camera to others and let them take some snapshots also.  Remember your family won’t care how you looked but they will remember you were there, not only in their memories but in the photos as well.

I hope these tips will go a long way to helping you improve your photos and getting the most out of your camera!

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