This is How You Take More Exciting Holiday Photos

Holiday photos are always fun, but they often repeat the same pose – standing up and smiling “cheese” in front of the Christmas tree or behind the Hannukkah menorah or alongside platters of food at Eid al-Fitr. With a little DIY ingenuity and easy photo skills, you can create a stunning slideshow or video. 

Look Beyond People

We tend to focus on people in our photos. It’s logical and traditional approach. To break out of this habit, consider other subjects, such as food, related to the season: steeping Easter eggs; just dipped apples and honey on Jewish New Year; and frying paneer fritters on Ramadan. Outdoors pics are also great when the natural setting connects with the holiday like autumn leaves for Halloween and snow-scapes at Christmastime.

Define a Theme

Choose a defined theme for your photos, which can be inspired by a personal cause or hobby. Digital Photography School has a nice list of creative ideas to use as a starting point.

Tell a Story or Sing a Song

Most celebrations have a narrative: the dreams, hard work, flubs, fixes and big moments. Make a series of pictures that illustrate the prep, execution and clean-up of a holiday, along with the associated activities. For example, does your family make its own Christmas tree decorations and gift tags? Show the process through a series of four to 10 photos that you can collect in an online slideshow. 

Make a Collective Collage

Today’s smartphone cameras are so easy to use, even kids have them. That’s why a simple but memorable holiday photo project can be to recruit friends and family (keeping the number reasonable, of course) in making a collective collage. 

Turn that Photo into a Statement or a Gift

Taking the picture is often only part of the fun. Todays cameras often include a range of interesting visual effects that will put a new spin on that seasonal photo. You can experiment with different looks on the same image by cropping and filtering the pictures in your collection. Black and white is always great for a dramatic effect, but it’s worthwhile to experiment with numerous filters. 

Don’t Forget the Presentation

Consider using a special type of presentation for your holiday images. Mounting your photos onto various materials like wood, glass, wax and other textures is easier than you think, and creates a really cool effect, as shown here.