‘Tis the Season to get snap happy. Christmas is coming and the party season (office, family, friends, friends of friends) will soon be upon us so get your camera kit ready, study our tips to help you capture album worthy shots and make sure you don’t miss any of the festive cheer. We will help you capture your fondest moments (with you and your friends looking your best) and let these wonderful memories last a lifetime.

 

Shoot Early

Everyone will be brighter and wider-eyed in the early hours of the party so this is the best time to take your group shots and get the most flattering images of everyone. When taking group shots take a few in quick succession, then you will hopefully find one where everyone has their eyes open and is looking the right way.

Be a little sneaky and always be at the ready

Snap away when people don’t know you are shooting them. By taking people by surprise you can get some beautiful candid moments. Always keep your camera handy for these instances!

Lighting

Parties and night out pictures usually fail because of bad lighting. Either it is too dark and dingy or it is harsh lighting with unflattering consequences.

A good LED light is your best weapon against this complaint; the continuous light is flattering, won’t blind your subjects and is great for video too. The Manfrotto KLYP for your iPhone is the perfect partner for you on your night out (link) as it is the first pro-quality LED light unit for iPhones 4/4S.

Just keep shooting

Sequence photos help tell the story of the night, for instance someone throwing shapes on the dance floor, opening a present or a mistletoe kiss. Make sure you have the memory space on your camera before you leave the house though.

Edit, edit, edit 

Carefully edit your selection before uploading them to Facebook or unhappy friends may quickly undo all your careful tagging. Edit the selection down (be kind, think what others would want uploading) and then do a simple fix of any red eye or flaws. The results will be worth this little extra effort and your friends/family will be both impressed with you results and happy with the images of themselves.  The perfect Christmas present!

 

After all your partying don’t forget to post your best Christmas party pictures on our Facebook page so we can add them to our ‘Best Festivities of 2012’ album later in the week!