It is that time of year again, ladies and gentlemen.  It's Christmas time!!!  It is probably not a shock that I love sending photo Christmas Cards and receiving them.  (I get super excited if I get a card that I also took the photo for, but I am a photography nerd.)  In case you do not share in my jubilation and have not done your card or even thought about what to do, let me help you out with a few photo ideas!

Idea number one:

I love that this photo features the "reason for the season."   That phrase gets bounced around a lot, but it is important.  I think keeping the focus is a goal that we all strive for with our children.  In addition to the message, this particular set up does not require your children to be looking at the camera.  My daughter was actually going over all the names of the figurines with my son when I took this photo.  So, if your little ones do not like looking at the camera, this might be the photo idea for you.

Idea number two:

This idea is also a good choice for kids who do not like to look into the camera.  This one will also probably work on the anti-picture crowd too.  Dress them up in their Christmas jammies, add a cute elf hat, and tell them to write their Christmas List.    Most kids only need to be told once to work on their Christmas List, and then they are off and running. 

Also, a few other things to keep in mind when taking your own Christmas photo: have your space set up and ready to go.  Your kids will only sit for so long. Remember that they are kids!  Also, have your kids ready to go.  Do not start taking pictures and then realize you want to brush their hair.  We took these at the end of the day and my kids' hair was a mess (hence the hats.)  In our house we do a Christmas count down of activities. Some days we do little things like singing "Jingle Bells", and other times we have bigger activities.  One of the activities is to take Christmas pictures. This helps get the kids in a more cooperative mood if this activity is in the mix of lots of Christmas activities.

The last thing to keep in mind is to make this fun.  If your picture does not look just like mine, that is OK.  I probably have nicer gear than you and have spent a lot of time learning how to use it.  This activity is about getting the best picture you can.  If you want more technical specs on these photos, please contact me, and I will be happy to share.  I generally keep this forum more about ideas that anyone can use with a point-and-shoot camera.  If you live in the Downers Grove area, I would be happy to come to your home to take similar photos of your little ones. Have a joyous holiday season