As you gather your kids for a holiday photo this month, as you sigh and lose faith with the ever increasing wildness of your kids (and who can blame them with Christmas around the corner!), take heart from someone who has been there endless times.  If you got squiggly bottoms follow this fun Photo Recipe to make that holiday photo happen!

WHEN:  Plan to do your family photo early in the day.  If you need to, wait until the weekend and get everyone out in the cold, morning air.  Kids are at their best in the morning, and they are a somewhat more calm after breakfast because their tummies are full. (I love that little guy leaning in to his mama.  ADORABLE!  It’s okay if all the kids aren’t looking at the camera.  It’s more important to capture emotion and affection for each other.)

My DSLR Setting: Aperture was f/3.2, 1/500th of a second Shutter Speed and 25o ISO

PREP:  Choose their outfits the day before.  What to wear?  Mom, you first find something to wear that you feel beautiful in–no matter how casual or dolled up.  The only thing that matters is you feel super comfy and beautiful.  Once you have your outfit figured out, have everyone else wear something that compliments YOU!  (Court, you are glowing in this photo!  I love it!)

My DSLR Setting: Aperture was f/3.2, 1/500th of a second Shutter Speed and 25o ISO

Right after breakfast have the kids run and change into their outfits.  Think of yourself as a ring leader, raise your voice to a higher, fun tone and rally them, getting their energy going while you are the one who is obviously steering this ship.  Make sure you smile a lot and really take the kids by surprise in how excited you are (not stressed) to do this.

Consider your location.  Your backyard will work great, but prep before so there isn’t any distracting objects in the background.  Ask your neighbor to take the photo after you’ve set it up.  If you want to drive to a fun location, make sure it’s within five to ten minutes of your home.  Since this is a holiday photo that you are taking and not a photo shoot that has been set up and paid for, the kids’ motivation to cooperate is going to be shorter.  We want to take advantage of their initial excitement and make this photo happen as fast as possible.

FOR P&S USERS (point and shoot users): Turn off your flash and get down at eye level with the kids so you are shooting straight on.  Set your camera to Continuous Shooting Mode so you can capture ALL the action.

FOR DSLR USERS:  Put your camera in Aperture Priority mode so that you can pick your lowest f-stop (for the most buttery, blurry backgrounds possible) and your DLSR will automatically figure out your shutter speed.  If you are outside, you will have plenty of natural light for a fast enough shutter speed with minimal motion blur.  But if you are getting motion blur you don’t have enough light for your shutter to move fast enough to capture a crisp shot.  Easy fix; raise your ISO one or two notches for my light and sharper photos with action.   Make sure your DSLR is in Continuous Shooting Mode to grab ALL the action, like the ones below.

COMPOSE:  I like to start with everyone looking at the camera because that is what kids expect to do, and this is the photo that grandparents love most for the holidays.  But once we have that done, I have the kids sit close together and ask them to give each other hugs, tickles, and other little prompts to see how their personalities unfold.  Having my camera on Continuous Shooting Mode helps me capture every moment in this fun series!

It starts innocent.

My DSLR Setting: Aperture was f/3.2, 1/320th of a second Shutter Speed and 25o ISO

But boys will be boys.

My DSLR Setting: Aperture was f/3.2, 1/320th of a second Shutter Speed and 25o ISO

Here it comes!

My DSLR Setting: Aperture was f/3.2, 1/320th of a second Shutter Speed and 25o ISO

And there it is before you know it…

My DSLR Setting: Aperture was f/3.2, 1/320th of a second Shutter Speed and 25o ISO

I know mom won’t use this photo as her holiday card, but I still have to shoot it because this will be hilarious to look back on someday–like their wedding reception slideshows!

Reign in all those rascally moves by putting baby sister in there.  I loved how the dynamics instantly changed!

My DSLR Setting: Aperture was f/3.2, 1/320th of a second Shutter Speed and 25o ISO

CAPTURE:  When taking a photo with multiple people, who do you focus on?  I look to who the story is most about.  If the story is about the boys, and they are lined up with each other, I can focus on either one and they will both be in focus.

My DSLR Setting: Aperture was f/4.0, 1/250th of a second Shutter Speed and 25o ISO

But if the story is about everyone (being a family), I often step back a little so that everyone will be sharp.  The closer you get, with a low f-stop, the harder it is to get multiple people in focus.  You can raise your f-stop or you can take a few steps back and zoom in with your lens.  For more help with understanding f-stops and getting buttery, blurry backgrounds, check out our Award Winning DVD series!

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I want to thank Court and her beautiful, fun family.  I had the most wonderful time working with your boys.  Your baby girl was such a doll through the whole thing, and your boys kept me on my toes and laughing.  I LOVE the series of photos we did of just the two of them.  I think we captured their personalities pretty well.    Wait till you see all the rest!  They are coming today!

If you have any questions, feel free to post them on my FB page or in the comments of today’s post!  And post your family holiday photos on my FB page!  I would LOVE to see what results you cooked up with this Photo Recipe!!

For 40 more Photo Recipes, check out my bestselling (woohoo!) book, “Your Baby in Pictures”!

xo,

m

p.s.  New Daily Contest on FB starts at 10am today!

p.s.s.  ONE spot left in Tampa CONFIDENCE Workshop for this February, and a few still left for Seattle’s and Orange County/LA CONFIDENCE Workshops!