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The time for friends and family to gather and enjoy the holidays is upon us. So this week’s digital photography tips are all about capturing the magic of the holidays with some picture taking pointers.

1. Play with the Depth of Field – Instead of snapping a picture in front of the tree, place your subject in the background, increase the aperture on your camera to the lowest setting (like around f/5.6 to F/1.4).If you keep your subject in focus the tree and lights in the foreground will be blurry and twinkling.
2. Be an observer – Some of the most memorable photos are candids.Stand back from the group and record the natural moments.
3. Accessories - Use props, clothing and other items to jazz up your holiday pictures.  Think Santa Hats, wrapped presents and even large ornaments.
4. Catch all the Action - Little kids tearing open gifts is a crazy time, shoot pictures like crazy to make sure you get the shots.  To take the stress out of the moment, put your camera into “auto-mode” or better yet “Continuous mode” and just start snapping away.
5. Avoid the red eye – Whenever you use your flash you’re more than likely to get that evil red eye.  Use the “red-eye reduction” mode on your camera.  And some cameras even offer a “Auto Red Eye Correction” mode these days.
6. Embrace the darkness – To get a sharp photo of twinkling tree lights or candles, turn off the house lights and turn up the ISO setting on your camera.  An ISO of 800-1600 should do the trick.You will have to steady the camera so that your pictures aren’t blurry.  Either use a tripod and your cameras timer function or try setting your camera down on a solid surface.
7. Stepping outside – To get crisp photos at night, set up your tripod, up the ISO setting and lower your aperture to let in as much light as possible.Remember to set the flash to "Off".  A word of caution if its really cold outside.  Cold temps tend to drain the juice out of your batteries rather quickly.Be sure that you charge up your batteries.  And if you are going to be outside for a while, be sure to keep your camera warm.Try to keep the camera warm inside your coat while setting up for the picture, and take it out when you are ready to start shooting.
8. Let there be peace – Don’t forget to photograph the quiet moments this holiday season.  Nothing is more precious than watching a child’s face as a beloved grandparents reads, “Twas the night before Christmas”.
9. Learn how to use the flash – Sometimes you can’t avoid using the flash.  To avoid your subject appearing washed out or blinded my the flash, position yourself about 10-15 feet away from your subject.
10. Capture the preperations – We sometimes forget to record the experience of everything behind the scenes while preparing for the festivities.Be sure to capture family baking, group shopping trips, decorating, and wrapping up gifts.
11. Find a different angle - Try standing off to the side, zoom in, and use the rule of thirds.
12. Be in the pictures too! – Many photographers end up not being in any of the pictures, give your camera to others and let them take some snapshots also.Just keep in mind that family members don't care about how you think you look, they want the pictures to help keep the memories alive for years to come.

I hope these tips will go a long way to helping you improve your photos and getting the most out of your camera!

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