DIY Holiday Family Photos

Did you miss your window to hire a professional photographer to capture your cherished holiday moments? The holiday season is a peak time for us, and due to high demand, we often have fully booked schedules. If you’re in a bind and need to DIY holiday family photos this season, I have some great tips to ensure that you can document this time in an aesthetic way AND be included in them! 

With a bit of planning and creativity, you can nail that family photo that captures the essence of your holiday season using just your smartphone and some basic accessories.

Plan Your Theme, Location & Wardrobe

• Decide on the overall theme or vibe you want for your photo. It could be a traditional holiday theme, a cozy winter scene, or a more casual, candid style. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can even style the scene: add holiday decorations and/or props (wreaths, fairy lights, or ornaments) to enhance the festive atmosphere and create a visually appealing backdrop.
• Pick a suitable location that complements your chosen theme. Consider your home, a local park, or even a scenic spot in your neighborhood with festive decorations.
• Opt for a cohesive color palette that complements your chosen theme. Avoid overly busy patterns; instead, focus on complementary colors and fun textures.
• If you plan an outdoor shoot, ensure everyone is dressed appropriately for the weather. Remember, freezing cold subjects are unhappy subjects, and red, runny noses are never a good look.

Gather Your Gear

• Smartphone: Ensure your smartphone has a capable camera. Modern smartphones often have advanced cameras with features like portrait mode and manual settings. Make sure your lens is clean! Wipe your phone’s camera lens to ensure clear and sharp images. Smudges or dirt can negatively impact photo quality.

• Tripod: To avoid shaky shots, stabilize your smartphone on a tripod or any stable surface. This is crucial for group shots or if you want to be in the photo yourself. I love these two options from Amazon: this simple selfie stick/tripod combo (with remote trigger), and one with the ring light having the added bonus of lighting. If you don’t have a tripod, improvise with books, tables, or other stationary objects.

Consider Your Lighting Scenario

• Natural light is usually the best. If shooting indoors, position yourself near a natural light source, like a window, to ensure well-lit photos. Avoid harsh overhead lighting to prevent unflattering shadows. Experiment with household lamps or LED lights (see Amazon ring light recommendation here), ensuring they don’t create overly harsh shadows.

• If outdoors, plan to shoot during the golden hour, shortly after sunrise or before sunset. Look for open shade under trees or next to a building, and avoid dappled shadows.

Posing & Composition

• Get creative and use elements in your environment to frame the shot. This could be a doorway, window, or holiday decorations. Make sure the background doesn’t have any distracting elements and eliminate anything in the frame that doesn’t add to the scene (like clearing dirty dishes from the coffee table or moving the dog toys off the floor).

• For a more interesting and creative subject grouping, try to place your subjects’ heads at different levels, not simply in a straight line. Try having some people sit on a couch, some on the couch arms, and others standing behind and sitting in front of the couch – this helps the eye travel through the scene. 

• Get as close as possible, and avoid leaving large gaps between people. Determine where the picture taker will be in the grouping so they can easily get into position once they hit the timer.

Set Up Your Smartphone

Explore your smartphone’s camera settings and select the most suitable orientation and mode for your scenario (I generally utilize my iPhone’s native photo mode at a 4:3 orientation). If available, enable grid lines for better composition and consider using the manual mode for more control over exposure. Focus on the right spot – touch the screen where you want the camera to focus. Ensure the focus is sharp on the face of the primary subject (typically the person in the front middle).

Turn on the Self-Timer

Use the timer function on your smartphone camera to give yourself time to get into position. Typically, a 5 or 10-second timer works well. RELAX, squeeze your family together and smile!

Editing & Final Touches

Review your photos and choose the best ones. Look for sharp focus, good lighting, and natural expressions. Utilize free editing apps available on your smartphone. Apps like Snapseed, VSCO, or Adobe Lightroom offer basic editing tools for adjusting brightness, contrast, and color.

DIY Holiday Family Photos & HAVE FUN!

The point of this whole thing is to capture your family memories and document your traditions so that you can look back on them in years to come (hopefully with a smile and a laugh). It’s not about the technical perfection, I promise, it’s about the authentic moment.

I hope this step-by-step guide has given you some great tips to improve your DIY family pictures this holiday season! And next year, make sure to book your family photographer EARLY 😉

🎓 P.S. Are you looking for a senior photographer for your upcoming high school graduate? You should know that springtime books up incredibly fast and it’s actually a WAY BUSIER time than the holidays. Don’t wait until the last minute – inquire for more info and book your grad session TODAY!