Sometimes when it’s still sunny and warm out and the leaves are red in the trees I start talking about holiday photos and gifts and people look at me a bit funny. But believe me when I say it’s never too early to start the planning for taking your own holiday photos! With the holidays just around the corner here are some of my favourite tips for capturing your own holiday photos of your babies and children.
Earlier is always better than later!
Even when the leaves are still falling and the temperatures are above zero it’s not too early to take your holiday photos. If you’re hoping for photos of your children outside, I would encourage you to do it sooner rather than later. While freshly fallen snow might make a lovely backdrop for photos, you never know when the snow will fall or whether or not it will even last. Instead, look for an area with evergreen trees and consider bringing your own festive blanket to put on the ground. Taking your holiday photos before the weather gets cold also means you’ll have more time for a back-up plan if your vision doesn’t come to fruition!
Keep it simple
While Pinterest can be a wonderful source of inspiration for holiday photos, oftentimes simple is best (and less stressful!). A holiday themed outfit, a few non-breakable ornaments, throw pillows, or a festive blanket or garland all make beautiful accessories to add in to your own DIY holiday photos. Rather than buying something new, have a look through your bin of holiday decorations and see what you can use for your photos.
Don’t let your kids grow up to be jpegs.
There is no better time of year than the holidays to print photos of your children to give to family and friends. In order to get the best results, do your best to send your gifts to be printed as soon as possible. As we get closer to the holidays, the print vendors get busier and you’ll often notice that the quality of printed images and gifts decreases. Sending your images to be printed early also means you have time to have them re-printed if there are any issues and that you’re able to ship them to family and friends without the additional costs of last minute postage.
Cards and canvases and calendars, oh my!
There are endless possibilities when it comes to printed holiday gifts using the photos you take. A calendar, with photos of the child(ren) throughout the year, is one of my favourite gifts to give. Other favourites include: photo ornaments for the tree, mugs, small photo books, and framed photos. Buying an undecorated frame that your children can paint or colour makes a great gift for a family member who loves to display crafts and photos in their home.
Safe & seasonal
When planning for your photos make sure that the props you’ve chosen to use are safe. Avoid all glass ornaments and glassware and if you want to incorporate holiday lights into your photos, make sure they are out of your young child’s reach. If you want to sit your child on or inside a prop (e.g., box with wrapping paper on it, sled, etc.), make sure the prop is on the floor or ground and that there is someone nearby in case they lose their balance or try to climb off or out of it.
Marking the holidays with special holiday photos of your baby or child(ren) is a fun and wonderful tradition that you will love to share with your family and also look back over as your children grow up.
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