{"id":11025,"date":"2016-10-13T14:25:58","date_gmt":"2016-10-13T14:25:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/snapfishusblog.azurewebsites.net\/?p=2023"},"modified":"2024-02-27T08:59:50","modified_gmt":"2024-02-27T08:59:50","slug":"10-timesaving-tips-for-taking-holiday-card-photos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.snapfish.com\/blog\/10-timesaving-tips-for-taking-holiday-card-photos\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Timesaving Tips for Taking Holiday Card Photos"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cIt\u2019s that time! Ready, everyone? Kids! Over here. No, here! Smile! I said, SMILE!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ah, the annual family holiday card photo. Sometimes gathering everyone together to get that one \u201cperfect\u201d picture is a bit more like herding cats. We\u2019ve been there, we survived, and we\u2019re sharing our lessons learned. We looked to our Snapfish family\u2014and all-time favorite celeb families\u2014to spill the most on-point photo tips that make \u2018em click.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Tip 1: Keep it simple.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"10<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Keep your photo plan simple. Less is more and keeps the focus on the subjects \u2013 you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cWe had a great day at the beach and we were all in a great mood. We saw a nice sunset and decided to take advantage of the beautiful light \u2014a family member snapped this photo of us. Great smiles make for easy pictures!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 Dwayne, Designer<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Tip 2: Get Fido in the picture.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"10<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Get your furry counterparts in the photo, too. Sit them front and center in some of your shots. For a real treat, make sure they get in a good session of play beforehand, so that they\u2019ll be more cooperative and sit still for extended periods of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tip 3: Scout your location.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"10<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Planning ahead helps you keep the photoshoot simple and easy. If you already have a location in mind, take a short tour of the area. This will give you time to pinpoint important factors like crowd-free seating, great vantage points, good lighting, and if you\u2019ll need a tripod. We love this beautiful setting that the Royal Family chose for their 2015 Christmas card\u2014proof that planning ahead for great lighting and good focus can make all the difference! \/ Photo: Kensington Royal \/ Chris Jelf<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tip 4: Wear coordinating outfits.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"10<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Take a cue from ABC\u2019s beloved “Modern Family<\/em>.” Follow suit and choose similar themes or tones to outfit the whole family (e.g. cool shades of blue, or everyone in plaid.) Best advice\u2013keep it simple; avoid clothes that look too branded or display busy graphics. \/ Photo: ABC.go.com<\/a> \/ Television Promos<\/a> (YouTube)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tip 5: Put yourself in the photos!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"10<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s easy taking tons of photos while you\u2019re enjoying family time together\u2014but getting yourself in some of them is another story! Don\u2019t forget to make some time for yourself on the other side of the lens, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cAs the primary photographer for the family, I\u2019ve found that I\u2019m sometimes rarely in photos. So take this as a reminder to put yourself in the pictures! Don\u2019t be shy! Ask a friend, other family member, or even a stranger to snap a few shots with you in it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 Tish, Site Producer<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Tip 6: Show the love.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"10<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re a family, show it! Huddle together and relax. Take this adorable photo of the First Family of the United States for example\u2014all the feels! \/ Photo: whitehouse.gov<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tip 7: Match your card to the scenery.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"10<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Snapfish offers a variety of card designs to match your family photo ops! Once you\u2019ve narrowed down which shots you want to feature, look for a card design that mimics any patterns or colors in your photos. Shop Cards<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cEvery summer, my family visits Laguna Beach to get our sun, surf, and sand on. We all dress up on the last night and hit the town \u2013 but before we go, we make sure to squeeze in a photo sesh. When it\u2019s time to create our holiday cards, we like to choose a photo card design that complements the scenery in the photo. In this case, we\u2019re all about the florals!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 Elysa, Digital Marketing Manager<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Tip 8: Use your laugh reel (a.k.a. outtakes are the best.)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"10<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Gone are the days when everyone needs to be so stiff and posed that you can\u2019t see any of the fun happening on the other side of the lens. There\u2019s something to be said for candid moments. Catch a whole roll (er, memory card) of your family in between posed photos. Those silly moments can make the best photos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cI take multiple photos of my kids. It\u2019s fun to see all of them together in a card design that features lots of images!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 Elaina, Brand Art Director<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Tip 9: Plan for anything (a.k.a. an emergency kit is your BFF.)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"10<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Every photoshoot can get tiring, especially for kids, pets, and hangry family members. It\u2019s a great idea to bring an \u201cemergency kit\u201d for anything that might come up. Pack snacks, water, and music or simple games to keep everyone satisfied. Don\u2019t forget to give kids breaks between sets (and that goes for pets, too!) Also important: batteries. Charge the camera\u2019s batteries. And bring extras!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tip 10: Make it fun (and capture the magic!)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"10<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Photo taking goes fast when everyone\u2019s having fun. Take advantage of down time to play between serious shots, or make the giggles your focus! Whatever you do, have a good time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cAs a writer I always like to come up with a line and shoot it in a funny way. Last year we did “From our house to yours” and all jammed in the girls’ tiny playhouse they had when they were toddlers. Any excuse to take a silly photo.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 Anne, Copy Director<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

We love seeing what you come up with! Please tag us @SnapfishUS and #snapfish on Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0Instagram\u00a0<\/a>& Pinterest<\/a>. Check out the Snapfish site<\/a> for even more custom gift ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cIt\u2019s that time! Ready, everyone? Kids! Over here. No, here! Smile! I said, SMILE!\u201d Ah, the annual family holiday card photo. Sometimes gathering everyone together to get that one \u201cperfect\u201d picture is a bit more like herding cats. We\u2019ve been there, we survived, and we\u2019re sharing our lessons learned. We looked to our Snapfish family\u2014and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":2053,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2119],"tags":[2245,1151,1374,1419],"class_list":["post-11025","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-photo-gifts-us","tag-christmas-cards-us","tag-holiday-cards","tag-photo-cards-us","tag-tips-us"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.snapfish.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11025","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.snapfish.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.snapfish.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snapfish.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snapfish.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11025"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.snapfish.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11025\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":51550,"href":"https:\/\/www.snapfish.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11025\/revisions\/51550"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snapfish.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2053"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.snapfish.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11025"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snapfish.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11025"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snapfish.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11025"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}