Nothing ruins a holiday family portrait more than missing heads. My mom is notorious for decapitating my dad, grandparents, brothers and her grandkids in Christmas pictures. While the season is filled with hundreds of magical moments, if you are not careful when wielding a camera, you can turn festive photo ops into pictures you’d sooner forget. For example, if you are like millions of other amateur photographers out there, then you don’t pass up the opportunity to snap keepers of loved ones opening gifts on Christmas morning. The annual tradition yields an array of emotions that are highlighted in facial … Continue reading →

The holiday season is ripe with memorable photo opportunities. From the excitement of gift opening to the traditional carving of the Christmas ham, and hugs galore for visiting friends and family, now is not the time of year to be without your camera. In fact, now is the time to make the most of your picture-taking tool. I recently attended a Christmas party where the host’s camera took center stage. Rather than walk around the shindig snapping pictures of guests, my friend set-up a mock photo booth where people could shoot their own pictures. The camera sat on a tripod … Continue reading →

Are you tired of trying to get your kids to pose for a traditional family photo in front of the Christmas tree? This year, consider ditching the dull lineups, and instead, look for ways to capture candid Christmas shots. For example, rather than having your kids stand next to their stockings and smile for the camera, let them dig for treasures while you snap away. The goal is to document genuine emotion, which is hard to do when young children are forced to strike a pose and smile on cue. Other cute candid Christmas-related photos include: *Your cat playing with … Continue reading →

Okay, I’ve never actually seen a real hamster dressed up in a Santa’s hat for a Christmas card shoot, but that’s what Photoshop is for, right? Clearly, some pets are easier to deck out for a holiday photo shoot than others, but that shouldn’t stop you from adding your Fur Baby to a festive scene. Even if Fido doesn’t want to keep the reindeer antlers on his head, you can make him look merry by placing him in front of a seasonal background. Christmas trees and fireplaces are ideal backdrops for Christmas photos. Another option is to take Fluffy outside … Continue reading →

It took working at Families.com for nearly a year before I got my first taste of the term “Fur Baby.” The very first time I saw the words featured in a blog I thought the writer was referring to this. Then, I took a closer look and realized that it was “Fur Baby,” not “Furby.” It didn’t take long to deduce that the blogger loved her four-legged “kids” as much as her two-legged ones. In fact, I became friends with said writer, and the following Christmas I received a hilarious photo card with her furry kids sitting on the laps … Continue reading →

I survived the Blizzard of 2010! I didn’t get a t-shirt; rather, I was gifted with roughly 14 inches of snow and 45 mph winds that created five-foot tall snowdrifts smack in front of our garage. In my opinion, snow in excess of three inches is not pretty to look at unless you are staring at it from inside a warm house… and you have someone else shoveling it from your sidewalk. I laughed when my mom, who called from Hawaii, asked if I had taken pictures of my daughter frolicking in the winter wonderland. HA! Frolic is far from … Continue reading →

The weather outside is frightful, at least in Wisconsin. We have more than a foot of snow on the ground and relentless winds that are whipping around at 35 mph. It’s a true winter wonderland out there and would make for a gorgeous backdrop for a Christmas greeting card photo. However, braving the elements to take winter-themed pictures is not exactly high on my to-do list right now. However, in a few days I may change my tune. Frosty’s home does yield fantastic snow shots. The trick is making sure you and your equipment are protected from the harsh winter … Continue reading →

Red and green are the colors of Christmas, but no pet owner wants to photograph his dog and see the seasonal shades show up in his pooch’s eyes. To avoid turning your pup into a green or red-eyed monster, the first thing you need to do is turn off your camera’s flash. A camera’s built-in flash emits a harsh light, which typically reflects off the animal’s retina and results in a demonic appearance. Instead of shooting your pet’s holiday photo indoors, consider taking aim outdoors where you can use natural light to your advantage. If the winter weather makes shooting … Continue reading →