Camera Settings
1. Indoors
ISO 1250, f/2.8, 1/80 sec, 24mm
ISO 1000, f/2.8, 1/60 sec, 24mm
ISO 1000, f/2.8, 1/60 sec, 50mm
ISO 1000, f/2.8, 1/80 sec, 45mm
ISO 2000, f/2.8, 1/80 sec, 70mm
ISO 1250, f/2.8, 1/80 sec, 24mm
ISO 1250, f/2.8, 1/80 sec, 70mm
ISO 1250, f/2.8, 1/80 sec, 70mm
ISO 1250, f/2.8, 1/80 sec, 62mm
ISO 1250, f/2.8, 1/80 sec, 32mm
2. Holiday Lights
ISO 1600, f/3.2, 1/80 sec, 70mm
ISO 1250, f/2.8, 1/80 sec, 70mm
ISO 400, f/1.8, 1/30 sec, 50mm
ISO 640, f/1.8, 1/60 sec, 50mm
ISO 800, f/1.8, 1/80 sec, 50mm
ISO 400, f/2.0, 1/50 sec, 50mm
3. Outdoors
ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/800 sec, 70mm
ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/500 sec, 70mm
ISO 200, f/4.0, 1/640 sec, 70mm
ISO 400, f/4.5, 1/640 sec, 70mm
Basic Flash Tips
Direct flash, ew! Let’s fix that…
Set your exposure
- Set your shutter speed between 1/160th and 1/200th of a second
- Set the aperture to around f/2.8-f/3.5
- Adjust the ISO until you can’t see any ambient light in your image
Set the flash
- Set your flash on TTL auto mode. You may need to dial the flash down to keep it from being too harsh. I usually have the flash compensation set to -1.3 to -0.3.
- Turn your flash so it’s bouncing over your shoulder.
Shoot away!
Tips on Getting Photos of Siblings
1. Ask them to squish their cheeks together
2. Sing a song with the wrong lyrics
3. Get their heads close together
4. Tickling!
5. Silly faces
6. Fake laugh
7. Dance party
8. Bum wiggling
9. Let them do the things they like doing together
Ideas for Documentary Style Holiday Photos
- Baking cookies together or other holiday traditions
- Have your kids capture what the adults are doing
- Take photos incognito
- Don’t forget the detail shots
- Be patient and watch for moments and laughter
This Month’s Assignment: Twinkle Lights
Capture a photo or series of photos that incorporate holiday lights in an abstract or “thinking-outside-the-box” way. Bonus points for having a composition with interesting layers of foreground, middle ground, and background. Good luck and have fun!