Day 8 - Christmas Photo Countdown

Day 8: Mr. & Mrs. Clause

Photo info:

50mm, ISO 640, f/2.0, 1/20th no flash. (never a flash. :) )

This little pine cone couple was passed down to me by my Mom and Dad. I LOVED these little guys when I was growing up. I looked forward to seeing them come out of the Christmas boxes each year. Santa's beard is so soft and I use to touch it again and again. Now Maddie and Lyndon love to look at them. They are intrigued just as much as I was.

Photo tip #1:
My first tip is in answer to one of my dear readers, Shannon. She said, "Hello, I'd love to take a picture of my daughter in front of the tree with the tree lights on and the room darkened and still be able to see her and her face."
Okay, Shannon, what you need to do is to bring in some light in front of your daughter in order to illuminate her face but not over-power your photo. So I suggest pulling a lamp just in front and to the side of her. The light will be warm and match the light's coming from the tree. That's what I did to light up the Santa's without turning on any overhead lights. Here is my set-up:

Photo Tip #2:
I'm sure you've seen this all over pinterest but I was really interested in trying out the cool shapes in the Christmas tree lights. Did you notice, the hearts in Mr. & Mrs. Clause's picture? It's so easy to make! Here is a picture of mine:

You can cut out your own shape or use a shape punch (like the ones people use to scrapbook) for the center. The way to use it is to slip it on over the lens. Get as far away from the tree as you can. (The further away you get the bigger the shapes will be.) Then I like to get as close to my subject as my lens will allow and shoot away!

Here's another fun tutorial about making shapes in the lights...