Holiday Card Photography Tips

Entry No. 46

'Tis the season to send & receive holiday & Christmas cards in the mail. When a Christmas card is thoughtfully designed, photographed & assembled into a festive envelope, it can be a real joy to receive.

However, I have received holiday cards where I am left thinking, was there any thought put into this? Normally, when it comes to 'bad execution' of Christmas cards it is due to cheap cardstock & poor lighting in the actual photos.

Luckily, you don't have to be a professional photographer or even own an expensive camera to design & photograph beautiful Christmas/holiday cards. In many cases, a recent smartphone can capture beautiful images for your next Christmas card. You just need to keep some tips/ guidelines in mind in order to capture a great Christmas card.

Tips for making & photographing your Christmas cards

Tip One:

Photographing your photos on a smartphone, you'll need to keep a few things, like lighting, & a clean camera lens in mind. While I love shooting my pictures backlit on my Sony camera, if you're shooting photos backlit on your iPhone, don't.

Your subject will come out too dark. Instead, try shooting somewhere where the light is even or can possibly sidelight your subject. If possible, always aim to photograph in natural light. If indoors, try to shoot near a wide open window, north-facing if possible.

Tip Two:

When photographing on your smartphone for Christmas photos, make sure your camera lens is clean. You'll be surprised how much better your images will look on a clean lens rather than a goopy-finger print-covered one. A simple eyeglass cleaning cloth or wipe works wonders.

Tip Three:

No matter if you're shooting on a camera or smartphone, be aware of your background & foregrounds. This tip can be more geared toward smartphone shooters. However, making sure there isn't any litter or odd objects in the images' front & background can make your Christmas photos more special & professional.

Tip Four:

Just because it is a Christmas or Hanukkah card doesn't mean you have to photograph during that time of year. Feel free to take full advantage of your favorite season & arrange a time {Golden Hour} to capture this year's seasonal greetings.

Tip Five:

Photographing with pets can be a bit hard. Don't overthink it or expect a lot from your pets. From my experience, allow your pet to get comfortable in their photograph environment. Let them settle first & then start photographing. It helps to have someone conducting the scenes behind you while you're taking the photos. But opt for fun, candid shots with your pets, those mean the most anyways.

Tip Six:

Photography accessories like a self-time and sturdy tripod can help you get in the photos too. Manfrotto makes both tripods for phones and cameras that are sturdy.

Christmas Card Making Websites

I have had my cards from Artifact Uprising for the last few years. The print quality is true to my camera/editing colors. Artifact Uprising's cardstock & Christmas card templates are modern as well as timeless & look very-high end.

Artifact Uprising gifted me the chance to make my 2022 Christmas cards.

@Katelynchef on Instagram