Christmas at Everleaf
A few simple ways to photograph the people and traditions that make Christmas yours.
Some Christmas photographs bring back the whole room. You remember who was there, what made everyone laugh and whose jumper sleeves kept needing to be rolled up.
A baby’s first Christmas is a lovely reason to take photographs, but there’s something to remember at every age. A missing front tooth. A new sibling. The child who now has very firm opinions about where the decorations should go.
Here are a few ideas for taking those pictures, with plenty of time to put the camera down and join in.
Start with something familiar
A favourite story on the sofa, a well-loved toy or the annual attempt to untangle the decorations can give you a place to start. Pick something your family would be doing anyway.
For a baby, that might simply be a cuddle in their Christmas outfit. With an older child, ask them to show you their favourite decoration. Have the camera ready when they turn round to tell you why they chose it.
Take one close up and one a little further back
Get down to your child’s eye level for the first picture. If they’re hanging a decoration, you might catch the look of concentration as they try to slip the loop over the branch. Then step back. The second picture might show Grandad lifting them up to reach it. Those two photographs tell a little story together.
If you’re indoors during the day, try a spot near a window. On a phone, tap your child’s face on the screen to help the camera focus. There’s usually no need to tidy the whole room. Sometimes moving a step to the side is enough to take the laundry basket out of the picture.
Leave room for their personalities
If matching pyjamas are your family’s thing, enjoy them. If someone would rather wear their favourite jumper, that works too. Years from now, that might be exactly how you remember them.
Let siblings chat or make each other laugh. If they’ve had enough, stop there. You can always try another time.
Take a turn in front of the camera
If you’re usually the one taking pictures, hand your phone to someone else before you settle down with the Christmas story. Ask them to take a couple while you read. That way you’ll have a photograph of the two of you with your heads bent over the same page.
There’s room in that picture for the half-finished cup of tea and the wrapping paper on the floor.
Choose a quieter day
The photographs don’t all need to happen on Christmas Day. A Saturday in November when the decorations come down from the loft might suit everyone better.
When you look through them afterwards, pick a few favourites. Print one, send one to someone who couldn’t be there, or add a page to the family album. If your child told you why they chose that decoration, jot their words down beside the picture. One day you’ll be glad you kept their explanation.
Christmas mini sessions · Cheshunt
Be in the picture with them this Christmas
Come and join your children in our Cheshunt studio. Choose from three festive set-ups and we’ll take care of the photographs, whether it’s your baby’s first Christmas or the year the whole family finally gets in the frame.
November and December sessions are open to children from two months old, siblings and parents.
See prices & book your Christmas sessionUnsure which session suits your family? Ask us at the studio.
