1. Move in close. Especially when you centre your subject but even when you off-

centre it, moving in close is the one thing that will make the biggest difference

in the success of your picture-taking. The simple fact is the audiences are always

more impressed when the subject is huge and impossible to miss.

2. Shoot First, Ask Questions Later

Especially if your subject is a child opening a gift – or playing with a gift for the

first time – you know that, within a split second, the scene can change. There is

often just a few brief moments when that “magic spark” appears.

3. Before and After Shots

Speaking of shots before the party starts, why not set up some before and after

shots both of the place you’re holding your party and what it looks like afterwards.

Make sure you take the shots from the same position.

4. The Unusual

Look for unusual subjects. Is the dog wearing antlers? Put yourself at her eye level

and capture it. Photograph your children or grandchildren in action. Perhaps they are

wrapping presents with WAY too much tape, baking cookies and getting it all over

the counter, or jumping in the leaf pile you just created.

5. It’s all in the detail

It’s not just the people in your family that are part of the holidays – it’s things like

the food, decorations, and the venue too. So take some close-up shots of these to at

least serve as a record of all the effort that went into the big day.

6. Don’t forget to include yourself

A common mistake made by the family picture taker is to never include themselves

in the photos. Take a look back through your previous holiday shots – how many

times do you appear in them? Make sure that other family members take a few

pictures that include you, or even better, use the self-timer or smile shutter function

on your camera so that you can join in the fun.