Outdoor Pictures Holiday Decorating Ideas
For some, taking holiday pictures is a time-honored tradition. For others, it can become something to dread as the photographer fusses over the best location. That best location often ends up being outdoors. Many people like to take photographs of the outside of their decorated homes during the holidays. Others choose to gather their families in an outdoor location for a family photo simply because the lighting is better. Whatever your reason for your outdoor photograph, you can make sure your photo turns out stunning. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
-
Location
-
Choose your location carefully. While the tree in the background may be beautifully covered with lights, the ground itself may be sloping, causing some of the family members to appear much taller than others in a family photo. Make sure there are no branches or other objects that will throw shadows on people's faces. If you are taking a picture of your home and not of people, choose a location for the shot that best shows off your home. This could be far down the road or even on your neighbor's roof across the street.
Clutter
-
Remove clutter from the picture. The best-decorated outdoor shots are simply staged. Too many blow-up Santas on a porch just looks silly. One large, stunning wreath on the door, however, makes an elegant statement. One or two pumpkins under a fall-colored tree adds just the right touch, but seven carved jack-o-lanterns will distract from the main subject or subjects of the photo.
-
Colors
-
Choose vibrant colors for your outdoor pictures. Don't go overboard, however. Try to stick with a theme. For a Thanksgiving holiday photo, use oranges, reds, yellows and browns. A Christmas photo might feature red and green predominantly. A Hanukkah photo looks terrific when the decor and people in it are dressed in blue, silver and white. Too many colors will take away from the holiday feel of the picture.
Design
-
Design the decor of your photo carefully. Try to choose a theme. For example, snowflakes could be the theme of a winter holidays picture. The decorations could consist of snowflake lights hanging from a tree in the yard, a fake or real snowman under the tree, and children dressed in snow-friendly clothing gathered around the snowman. For a fall photo, rake a pile of colorful leaves under the tree, and take an action shot of the family members (dressed in fall colors, of course) playfully throwing leaves at each other.
Lighting
-
Decorate with lighting in mind. While Christmas lights are very popular outdoor decorations, they can make the faces of people look pale, green and sickly. Try turning off the lights when you take the picture. Or, if you are taking a photo specifically of the lights, take the photo before it gets completely dark. Dusk is perfect. Set your camera's settings as if you are taking a photo indoors with no flash. Then, test a few shutter speeds until you get one that looks good. The light will change rapidly, so take as many photos as you can as the light fades. At least one of them will most likely look terrific.
-
References
Resources
- Photo Credit erinmpayne: sxc.hu
