Festive family photos

Taylor Brady shows you how to take professional family photos with a festive theme at home – using both natural window light and flash

- Taylor Brady

THE MISSION

Learn to take some Christmas-themed portraits at home with your family and or friends

Time needed One hour

Skill level Intermediate

Kit needed

• 50mm f/1.8 lens

• Flashgun

• Reflector

• Christmas props

Christmas-themed portraits are a great way to create lovely memories of your family and friends celebrating this exciting time of year. With some key camera skills and a variety of props and decorations, your shoot can be fun for the whole family. They also make excellent gifts and Christmas cards for friends and relatives, too!

The great thing about shooting portraits with a Christmas twist is that they’re really budget-friendly. You don’t need a professional studio kitted out with loads of lights: in this project I’m going to show you two lighting methods using a basic Canon flashgun and also, for even tighter budgets, how you can achieve great results with a simple natural window light and reflector setup.

While Christmas props for your shoot can be picked up for a low cost too, you may already have some stashed away in your loft or cupboard. We used some fake Christmas trees, cosy blankets, a garland and Santa postbox as props, but don’t forget to dress your little ones up in Christmas outfits to complete the look!

So crank up the Christmas music, dig out your festive decorations and follow some of my tips to take some fun portraits your family will love and spread some Yuletide cheer.