Christmas, Thanksgiving, the 4th of July, these are all holidays that you spend with your family and loved ones. These special holidays are filled with food, laughter, games and love, which is why it’s the perfect time to take some beautiful photos that you can print and display in your home or in an album. 

Below are a few tips to help you take great shots at your next family gathering. 

1. Make your photos interesting

Straight lines make for boring photos, especially when it comes to people. If you’re shooting a large group, try using a staircase to break up a large group of adults. Children can stand in front of the adults in order to make it easier to fit everyone into the shot. You can also bring some color and fun to your photos by incorporating holiday-themed props such as a backdrop in green, red and white for Christmas, flags and hats for 4^th of July or Thanksgiving themed photo booth props such as beards or turkey drumsticks. 

1. Don’t forget to incorporate candid and natural looking shots too

The best photos are the ones that come to life when you look at them. You can capture such photos by simply allowing individual personalities to shine through by taking candid and natural looking photos along with your posed shots. Get everyone to loosen up by taking a few funny shots of people jumping or making funny faces, both kids and adults always enjoy this. 

You should also have your camera ready to take shots of people busy in the kitchen, laughing at the dinner table or kids kicking a ball around outside. These photos are great because they’re truly capturing a moment in time. 

1. Wait until the Golden Hour to take outdoor photos

The Golden Hour refers to the time of day when the sun is at its lowest point. It starts around 20 minutes before sunset and lasts up until about 20 minutes after sunset.

This golden lighting offers a softer light, which means: 

• It creates softer looking skin, brighter eyes, and sparkling smiles

• It adds more dimension to your photos

• There won’t be any squinting eyes because it’s too bright outside

Photographing your family and friends during Golden Hour also makes everything seem a lot warmer, which emphasizes the warmth and love you have for each other. 

Holidays are the one time that it’s easy to get your family and friends in one place and it’s a time when people are relaxed and joyful so take this opportunity to capture some amazing photos that you can treasure for years to come.