As tempting as it is to click, click, click away either with your digital camera or your cell phone, here are a few suggestions that won’t take much effort and just might create some great photos of your crew this holiday season. 

1)       Show the personalities of your family members.  Get some photos of them as a group, but also zoom in for some close ups too making one person the hero of the photo.

2)       Show them having fun – it will bring a smile to everyone’s face when they look back on these.

3)       Capture them when they are just being themselves, i.e., not posing; and remember that some photos where they aren’t smiling are often more meaningful. 

4)       If possible, try to compose your family with a solid or not busy background so they don’t get lost in whatever is going on behind them.

5)       And along with that, put some distance between them and the background which will also help them stand out. 

6)       Avoid standing them up against a wall - so they don’t look like they are in a police lineup!  Again, put some distance between them and the background.

7)       Ask someone else to take a photo of all of you occasionally- so you can be in a few pictures too!!!

8)       Be sure and download them and save them in whatever format works for you - but prints are always good and they are a tangible way to preserve those precious memories!

And bonus tip -

While you have the family together - schedule a family portrait session with a professional photographer!  This will enable whoever is usually taking the photos in the family to actually be in the photo and you will have proper lighting and increase the chances of capturing everyone looking at the camera and looking their best!