I don’t know about you, but I like to send pictures of my kids with my Christmas cards. It’s even better when I can make the picture as part of the Christmas card. That is why I thought I’d pass along some tips I’ve learned over the years:
1. Take a camera where ever you go. Sometimes you can get a great picture without even trying!
2. Start early. Don’t try to take the picture the day before you need to upload it. Without fail, your kids aren’t going to cooperate.
3. Make sure everybody is fed and well rested. You have a much better shot of your kids behaving then.
4. Take a lot of pictures. With digital cameras now, you can delete the photos you aren’t going to use. However, you may end up with the best photograph ever and not realize it till you download your pictures. Those in between pictures sometimes are some of your best.
5. Bribery. Don’t be afraid to use it. ?
6. Coordinate somewhat. You don’t want everyone to dressed exactly the same. However, everyone should flow well together. Everyone wearing a different pattern is not going to make a good picture.
7. Play some Christmas music. Yes, it is October. However, it may get your kids in the mood to help you get the perfect Christmas picture.
8. Manage your expectations. I have a 4 year old and a 8 year old. My 4 year old always has to have something in his hands. Guess what? It’s not worth the fight. If our Christmas photo has Spiderman in it, so be it.
9. Make sure you are ready. There is nothing worse than having the kids ready and you have a dead battery. Or a missing photo card.
10. Relax and have fun. It will show.
Do you have any tips that help you take your Christmas Card photo? (Now, I’m off to pick what Christmas card I want from Tiny Prints this year!)
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I agree take lots of pics. I sometimes take 10 before I capture what I was hoping for 🙂
LOL, the hardset part of taking pictures of my two kids is getting them to both be looking at the camera at the same time!
Great useful and fun tips. I laughed and #5 – bribery.
Great tips! Loved them! Thanks for sharing!
I love including photos of the boys as part of our holiday cards. I start taking group shots and the random sillyness shots of the boys around October so I know I'll have plenty of photos to choose from to have "the one" to send out to friends and family that we dont get to visit with much through out the year.
Yes, take lots of pictures and make them fun not just everybody staring at the camera.
Love the tips. I usually take way too many photos but in the end it is OK because then I end up with some good ones.
i would love to see spiderman in a Christmas photo!
I'm not ashamed to say that I use bribery for photos unless I can stalk my daughter. She's allergic to cameras right now!
I could have used your tips a day earlier, especially no 9. Just found this article today and yesterday I was trying to take photos of my husband and myself using a tripod and self-timer. After I finally remembered how to set up the camera on tripod I found the battery was almost dead and had to take it apart and put in the spare. Yes I'm rather tardy with my Christmas cards but better late than never!