By now, you've either gotten your first snowfall of the season, or local shops have at least sprayed some fake snow in their windows to simulate the effect. Either way, there's no doubt that the holiday season is here, and you should be readying your camera for action. If it's chilly where you live, be sure to read about how to winterize your camera--and read on for five tips on how to get the best holiday photos this year.
1. Take Control of Tricky Lighting With White Balance
Trust the camera, and your photos might have an ugly color cast. Your best bet is to set the white balance manually by taking a reading off a white sheet of paper before you start shooting. Check your camera's user guide for details on how to do this. And remember to reset the white balance back to automatic when you're done.
2. Combine the Best Parts of a Group Portrait With Photo Fuse
Anyone who has ever tried taking a group photo at the dinner table, around the Christmas tree, or at the Festivus pole knows that you have to take a half dozen photos to get one that's barely acceptable. This year, you have a new tool: Windows Live Photo Gallery's Photo Fuse feature, which is part of Windows Live Essentials. (Read "Windows Live Photo Gallery Wave 4: Five Reasons to Try" for more about the Windows Live update.)
3. Shoot Some Candles and Decorations Up Close
As with any kind of night photography, there's no right or wrong exposure. Set your camera to manual mode, pick a midrange aperture (like f/5.6), and then try a several-second-long shutter speed. Check your results. If you want brighter, more dramatic lights, open the aperture a little. If you want the overall scene to be brighter, lengthen the exposure time. You can bracket the exposure for a variety of effects and pick the one you like best afterward.
4. Take Portraits With Holiday Lights in the Background
While you're at it, you might want to put some people in those scenes and shoot some portraits. Remember that you need to combine a slow shutter speed--which exposes the lights and decorations in the background--with a flash to illuminate your human subjects. And don't wait too long to go out: The best time to get these photos is around dusk, when there's still a little light in the sky.
5. Include Your Pets
Don't forget to include your four-legged family members in your holiday pictures. Be sure to consider these "Five Tips for Taking Photos of Animals," and introduce them into scenes you want to shoot.
Also, take a tip from the making of OK Go's dog-infested video White Knuckles. If you want your pet to look somewhere in particular, dangle food. You can have a helper hold a treat or piece of cheese near the camera to get your dog's undivided attention.
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This story, "Five Quick Tips for Better Holiday Photos" was originally published by PCWorld.