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Christmas Photography - 6 Tips For Creating Festive Photoshoots!

Christmas can be such a magical, jolly time as our surroundings become garnished with tinsel, bows, bright lights, and all manner of things that glitter and sparkle.

If you are looking for sources of inspiration when planning your seasonal shoots, the creative community on PurplePort has produced a range of beautiful festive photoshoots over the years. You can find many of these images in our fabulous Christmas photo collections and other places on our platform, including the Competitions and Games.

But what key ingredients are needed to make a Christmas photoshoot?

We've made this short list of our 6 top tips for creating gorgeous festive photoshoots to give you a few ideas of where to start.

Let's dive in!

#1. Find a festive setting for your photoshoot

The right setting could be the essential component of your Christmas photoshoot.

It could be something you set up yourself, or you may decide to use your surroundings (especially if your photoshoot is at the right time of year).

The perfect setting could include the entire ensemble, such as stockings, a cosy fire, a Christmas tree and presents.

You could venture outside and use what nature provides.

Weather permitting, and depending upon your location, you could use snow to your advantage and embrace a wintery wonderland for your photoshoot.

Perhaps you'll even get lucky and capture it snowing in your images!

If it settles, you could make snow the subject or focus of your images (and make a snowman!).

At the right time of year, many outdoor public spaces will likely be decorated to make them feel festive (such as lights, Christmas trees, decorations, Christmas markets, etc.).

It's worth exploring your local shopping mall, town square or city centre.

You might find the perfect pre-made seasonal setting ready for your photoshoot!

#2. Use props to give your images a seasonal touch

You don't necessarily need a particular background or setting to make your photos feel festive.

Props are a simple and effective way to create atmosphere in your photos and make them feel Christmasy.

Depending on the props you include in your photoshoot, a model could wear or use them.

If you have enough festive props, you could use them as a backdrop for your Christmas shoot.

Don't worry if your shoot doesn't involve a model.

You can use props as the subject or focus of your images and still create beautifully festive images.

3#. Use photography techniques to enhance your images

The perfect setting and props might be everything you need for a Christmas photoshoot, but applying photography techniques can take your photos to the next level (and even transform a simple concept into something glorious).

Depending on what you want to achieve, below are some techniques to intensify your images.

Bokeh

Bokeh is the effect of soft, out-of-focus background blur rendered by a camera lens in an image. It's the perfect technique to give photos a soft, warm and magical glow.

You will need a fast lens, lower shutter speeds, increased distance between the subject and the background, and a strong subject.

This guide by Nikon has some great tips for creating bokeh in your images using your camera.

Slow shutter speed

A slow shutter speed is a great way to capture movement. It can be used to take photos of Christmas lights (which flicker fast) or the hustle and bustle of a busy Christmas market.

You will need a tripod to avoid unwanted camera shake/blur in your images. Remember, you won't want to use flash since you are using a slow shutter speed (which allows more light to be captured).

Check out Canon's short guide for more about capturing movement in your images (including camera settings you can use).

Fast shutter speed and continuous shoot mode

There's a good chance your Christmas photoshoot could take you to an action-rich environment filled with micro-moments you want to capture.

It could be in a busy street filled with people, at a Christmas event or party, or taking photos of presents being opened by family members and friends.

Two photography techniques you can use to capture split-second action shots are:

Fast shutter speed to photograph a single moment (freeze action)
Continuous shoot mode (or burst mode) to shoot a series of images in quick succession

#4. Be innovative and stand out from the crowd

Instead of re-creating a traditional festive setting, why not ignite your imagination and try something different?

Go against the grain and make your shoot unique!

You could use a traditional Christmas photoshoot setting as a foundation and add your own creative twist to make it distinctive.

Not everyone's Christmas is cold and snowy, so why should your festive photoshoot be?

#5. Capture excitement and laughter in your images

Christmas is a joyful time of the year, filled with triumph, jubilation and enjoyment.

Capturing these emotions as part of your photoshoot will be sure to add a festive feel to your images.

#6. Get creative with lights

There is no shortage of fabulous lights at Christmas, and including these in your photoshoot is a great way to give your images a magical seasonal touch.

As with most props, they can held or worn by a model.

Try experimenting with lights by using them inside an object to give a mysterious magical touch to your images or in the foreground of your image to create a gorgeous glow.

We hope this inspires you to create beautiful, festive images (and have fun!)

There are so many options you can try to create a Christmas photoshoot, and you can put your own twist on the shoot to produce unique images.

Make sure you add relevant keyword tags to any fabulously festive images you upload to PurplePort so your gorgeous photos can be easily found using our Image search feature (which is used by Penelope to find images to be featured on The Purple Blog and our social media platforms).

Enjoy the creative process, and have fun!

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