Tips for Taking the Best Family Holiday Photo with Your Cell Phone | BU Today

 08/09/2024
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      korona

Our dos and don’ts will help you avoid common mistakes

‘Tis the holiday season, and this means everyone will soon be whipping out their phones to take pictures of family and friends gathered round food-laden tables, in front of the Christmas tree, or outdoors with the new puppy. And while cell phone cameras make it easier than ever to capture treasured moments, there’s still plenty that can go wrong. Sun glare, distracted infants, uncooperative pets. You get the idea.

So to help ensure that you’ll want to treasure, not delete, the photos you took this holiday season, we reached out to a pro for some advice—Cydney Scott, senior photojournalist with BU Photography. Her award-winning photography appears in BU Today daily.

With the help of some willing Marketing & Communications staff and interns, Cydney offers some tips to keep in mind.

Tip #1: Pay attention to where your natural light is coming from

Avoid placing people in front of windows since this creates uneven light.

Photo: A diverse group of people pose in front of a large window and appear shadowy as a result. From left to right: a young white woman wearing a gray sweater and jeans, a young Black woman wearing an oatmeal-colored sweater and khaki pants, a young white man wearing a pink and blue striped collared shirt, a white man with curly hair holding a small dog wearing a holiday sweater, and an older white man wearing glasses, a light blue collared shirt, navy blue blazer, and jeans.

Tip #2: Get closer

Create some visual interest by having people at different levels instead of all in a row.

Get physically closer to the people you’re photographing rather than using the phone to zoom in. Zooming in causes pixelation.

Photo: A diverse group of people pose in front of an unlit fireplace in a brightly sunlit room. In the center sits a young Black woman wearing an oatmeal-colored sweater and khaki pants. Sitting on the armchair to her right is a white man with curly hair. A small dog sits in his lap. To her left, sitting on the other armrest is a young white woman wearing a gray sweater and jeans. Behind her stands an older white man wearing glasses, a light blue collared shirt, navy blue blazer, and jeans. To the far right stands a young white man wearing a pink and blue striped collared shirt. They all smile and pose together.

Tip #3: Change your perspective

When looking to capture some candid moments, play with perspective by getting up high or snapping from a lower angle. This makes for a more interesting visual.

Photo: A Black woman with hair tied up in an afro puff and wearing an oatmeal-covered sweater and tan pants sites to the left of a young white woman with long brown hair and wearing a gray sweater and jeans. They both sit on a muted green couch and play a game of Jenga.

Tip #4: Be a fly on the wall

Candid photos make for great storytelling memories. Having a game night? Bring your camera down low so faces are visible and wait for the moment to happen.

Photo: A Black woman with hair tied up in an afro puff and wearing an oatmeal-covered sweater and tan pants sites to the left of a young white woman with long brown hair and wearing a gray sweater and jeans. They both sit on a muted green couch. Leaning on the back of the couch and watching the game is a young white man wearing a pink and blue striped collared shirt. All three look happy and surprised as the Jenga game on the table in front of them collapses.

Tip #5: No antlers, please!

When taking portraits, keep an eye out for things in the background that could make it look like a lamp or a plant is growing out of your subject’s head. A small step to your left or right will usually solve the problem.

Photo: A white man with curly hair and wearing a black sweater holds a small dog wearing a holiday sweater and poses in front of a fireplace. Behind him, 2 candle holders appear to look like antlers coming from his head.

Tip #6: Pay attention to camera height

When taking a group photo, like this one, hold your camera slightly lower than chin-height to minimize distortion.

Photo: A diverse group of people pose in front of an unlit fireplace in a brightly sunlit room. In the center sits a white man with curly hair on a red chair. A small dog sits in his lap. To his right is a young Black woman wearing an oatmeal-colored sweater and khaki pants. To his left, sitting on the floor next to the chair, is a young white woman wearing a gray sweater and jeans. Behind her stands an older white man wearing glasses, a light blue collared shirt, navy blue blazer, and jeans. To his right stands a young white man wearing a pink and blue striped collared shirt. They all smile and pose together.

Tip #7: Guard against sun flares

When taking pictures outdoors, be aware of where the sunlight is coming from. Otherwise you’ll get glare. To avoid lens flare (seen at left), shade your lens from the sun with your free hand (see below for visual proof).

Photo: A diverse group of people pose in an outdoor setting. From left to right: a young white man wearing a pink and blue striped collared shirt, a young Black woman wearing an oatmeal-colored sweater and khaki pants, an older white man wearing glasses, a light blue collared shirt, a navy blue blazer, and jeans, and a young white woman wearing a gray sweater and jeans. A large sun flare is shown going across the photo.
Photo: A diverse group of people pose in an outdoor setting. From left to right: a young white man wearing a pink and blue striped collared shirt, a young Black woman wearing an oatmeal-colored sweater and khaki pants, an older white man wearing glasses, a light blue collared shirt, a navy blue blazer, and jeans, and a young white woman wearing a gray sweater and jeans.

Tip #8: Look for shade

To avoid squinting faces and your own shadow in the photo (left) your subjects should be in shade for even light (right).

Photo: Two people stand and pose outside for a photo. On the left, a young white woman wearing a gray sweater, Christmas light necklace, and jeans poses with right arm over the shoulders of a white man with curly hair and wearing a black sweater and pants and holding a small dog wearing a holiday sweater. They both squint towards the camera and smile.
Photo: Two people stand and pose outside for a photo. On the left, a white man with curly hair and wearing a black sweater and pants and holding a small dog wearing a holiday sweater poses with right arm over the shoulders of a young white woman wearing a gray sweater, Christmas light necklace, and jeans. They both look towards the camera and smile.

A few more things to consider…

If your group photos include babies or pets, ask everyone else in the photo to pay attention to the camera, not to the child, dog, cat, etc. This allows the photographer to get the attention of the child or animal being photographed and gives the best chance of getting a picture where everyone’s looking at the camera.

Always use the front-facing camera on your phone rather than selfie mode, since you lose image quality when using the back-facing lens.

Want to share photos with friends and family? If you’re sending just a few emails, don’t text them. When you text your photos, the resolution size is reduced and the image loses quality.

Lastly, capturing those fun holiday moments is great, but don’t forget to put the camera down at some point and join the fun, too!

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