Take Better Holiday Photos

By: Kristin Matori

1) Usingthe sun to light your photosThinking of enjoying the beautiful outdoors during the holidays? Keep this tipin mind, as the winter sun can be blindingly bright! Natural sunlight providessome of the best lighting for great shots with more detail and vivid colors. Becareful:

  • Really bright sunlight casts harsh shadows
  • Overhead sunlight can wash out detail in faces

Tip: For best results, avoid takingphotos when the sun is directly overhead. This can cause harsh shadows. Also,try to shoot with the sun behind you. This prevents loss of detail caused bybright light.

2)Capture breathtaking evening photos of the twinkling holiday lights ?The key to great night photos is turning off your flash! Who would havethought? ?Just follow these simpleguidelines to capture the beautiful holiday lights:

  • Set shutter speed slower to let in enough light
  • Stay steady, slow shutter speeds blur photos
  • Use a tripod or place camera on stationary surface

Tip: Place yourcamera on a tripod and set its shot timer so there's no risk of your cameramoving when you press the trigger.

3)Keep annoying "red-eye" out of your family photosNothing can throw off a family photo like a set of red glowing eyes! The flashreflecting off the retina of your subject's eyes is what causes the commonproblem of red-eye. Reduce red-eye by following these guidelines:

  • Move outdoors or into brighter light
  • Have your subject avoid looking directly into the lens

Tip:Many HPcameras offer in camera automatic red-eye removal.

4)The right background can make the perfect holiday photoBackgrounds can play a huge role in how interesting your photo is. Do you havea great tree to show off? How about a festive yard full of snow and lights? ?Consider these points when choosing abackground:

  • Watch for clutter and other distracting elements
  • Don't use a busy or competing background
  • Remove objects that connect to the subject

Tip: Watch out foritems in the background that might look odd when photographedFree Articles, like a lamp poststicking out behind someone's head or antlers from the passing reindeer!

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