Photographic Memory : It’s Holiday Photo Time

Article by Suzanne VanDeGrift

Once we start decorating for fall, we fast move into Halloween, move quickly over Thanksgiving, which shares the stage with the Christmas decorations. But all of these holidays are great opportunities for making photographic memories. The fall season gives us spectacular colors we can enjoy outdoors and inside our homes. We can enjoy these beautiful, vibrant colors in floral arrangements, candles, and garlands. We can also take to the road, with a packed camera bag, and take fantastic photos of nature’s beautiful colors.

Thanksgiving is a holiday that sometimes gets skimmed over or squeezed into just one day, the fourth Thursday of November. Then we move right on to the mad rush of Christmas shopping and Santa Claus the day after. But Thanksgiving is meant to be a warm, family holiday. One that deserves to be captured on film and memorialized. Our family has a long-standing Thanksgiving Day tradition. Every child in the family, small enough to fit on the family turkey platter, has their picture taken in it, before the turkey takes its place of honor. I cherish these photographs and the memories they recall. So this year, take your camera bag with you to Grandma’s house and make some memories of Turkey Day.

That brings us to the holiday season of parties, lights, school programs, and church events. Make sure you’re prepared. If you don’t have enough memory cards, get what you need. If you have enough, but you also have a lot of pictures on the majority of them, now is the time to sort through them, transferring the ones you want to keep onto your computer and deleting the others. Check your batteries. If you use disposables, make sure you have an adequate supply. If you use rechargeables, make sure they’re charged. Know your camera. Have the battery supply, either disposable or rechargeable, to see you through whatever function or outing you plan.

If you are planning a large family holiday gathering that you really want to have photographic treasures of at the end of the day, handle it similar to the way you would a wedding. No, I don’t mean you have to hire a pricey photographer and pay hundreds of dollars for a photo album. But, consider designating one, or two if it’s really a large function, to take all the photographs. With a large family, you’ll probably have people jump at the opportunity. Ask the volunteer to bring their camera case early, so you can discuss the must-have photos. It will also give you a chance to get photographs of the decorations, food table, and anything else you’d like before it’s enjoyed by your guests.

And, then we move on to one of the most enchanting aspects of the holiday season, beginning with Halloween, clear through Christmas. The lights. There are ghosts, pumpkins and witch lights; turkey and harvest lights; leading up to the height of the season with sparkle and glitter everywhere. There are lights inside and outside our homes, in the stores, in the streets. Almost everywhere you go there is a display of holiday lights of some magnitude. Getting good photographs of these wonderful displays can sometimes be difficult.

As with many things, timing is key. Many people wait until it’s completely dark before they take their camera bags out and set up to take those treasured annual pictures. And, when they get to see the results, they’re often disappointed, but not sure how to get a better shot. The answer is to photograph those outdoor holiday displays before it becomes dark.

The time of day to get the best quality photograph of holiday lights is just before it gets completely dark. If you start taking your shots when the sun is just starting to set and continue taking pictures until it is almost totally dark, you will get some amazing photographs. Nearly every community has at least one neighborhood that goes all out decorating with thousands of lights during the holiday season. If they don’t already, talk to the homeowners and ask them to turn their lights on before dark just one day during the season, to allow you, and perhaps others, to come and photograph their displays. Offer to provide them with a print of their lights in appreciation.

Once you’ve set the date with the homeowners, pack your camera bag with your camera, lenses, memory cards, and batteries. Take a tripod, since you need the camera to be as steady as possible, and using a tripod would be the best way to accomplish that. You’ll want to take as many shots as you can, since you have a short period of time to work in. You’ll be amazed at the wonderful results you’ll see in these images by using this simple technique.

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