Natural Holiday Portraits

Parents often want to shoot perfect holiday photos of their children and pets,but such expectations can contribute to pressure. A child constantly told to smile often will revolt, and pets can sense your stress. Personally, I think grip and grin "portraits" in general are overrated. I like images that capture small moments. And when it comes to photographing your kids or your pets, you need to let their personalities, flaws and goofiness shine through.

For children there are a few tips I have before you begin shooting. First, you take their photo instead of having a stranger do it. Decide on a place in your house where you want to shoot, and bring extra lights into the room if you need them. Have the whole set-up done before you bring your kids into the picture.

Decide on a plan that involves the kids acting out something they enjoy; avoid having the main activity involve just your camera. Remember, you want the kids to act naturally and be happy. Don't worry too much about them looking into the camera, sitting up straight or giving you that perfect smile. Think of an activity they like and incorporate it into the shoot. Some great ideas include turning on their favorite music and letting them dance, or at least wiggle around as they are seated.

These two sisters were both a bit shy in front of the camera and were giving off stressed "fake" smiles. So we put on some music and sang together as we did the photos. The resulting image let their personalities shine through.

 

Another great holiday photo idea is to give them fun props. One of my favorite ideas is to give children wrapped gifts. Allow them to shake the presents and try to guess what's inside. Play 20 questions and at the end allow them to open the gifts while you are shooting. This almost always churns out festive looking and "keeper" shots.

 

For pets, you have a bit of a battle ahead. Some great ways to trick pets into looking at the camera is by having someone else help you do the photographs with their sole purpose to run after the pet when they run away and to be behind you with the camera trying to get the
attention of the animal. Some tips include using objects that make strange sounds or produce light (a cell phone, squeaky toys, a horn, a laser pointer, flashlights, keys). Of course one plan of action is to always have treats on hand. If the pet is particularly hyper or
young, tire them out before the shoot. For quiet animals it's best to prep them with love.

 

A nervous boy and an older dog were having trouble sitting still, so I told the young boy that he was in charge of the dog. This gave the boy a different role. It was his job to keep the Santa hat on the dog, and have the dog looking up. The result was a nice interactive photo. Also, I had a dog bone and a brightly colored and squeaky toy to help.

 

Got any tips of your own or classic holiday portraits? Let us know and send us a link!

 

- Cassandra