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What to consider when shooting images for your holiday cards. |
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| AF18-200mm
F/3.5-6.3 XR Di II
by Jennifer Gidman Zumpano |
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Gone are the days of holiday cards with a generic stock photo on the
front and an impersonal message typed inside. This holiday season you'll
likely find your mailbox teaming with personalized photo cards, with
images shot by the family photographer and sometimes even assembled at
home. |
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If you've already sent out your prepackaged Hallmarks this year, never
fear-a little preplanning and a versatile lens can ensure you'll have
one of the more creative holiday greetings in 2007. "The 18-200mm XR Di
II lens is the perfect lens for taking pictures for family holiday
cards," says Tamron's Ken Hubbard. "When you're working with a family
and there are kids involved, you don't want to be concerned with having
multiple lenses. Trying to switch back and forth to get the right focal
length may slow you down, and you'll risk missing the perfect shot. With
the ultrawide 18mm, you'll be able to shoot a large family; if you're in
tight quarters, you'll still be able to capture everything in the frame
that you want. With the telephoto end, you can capture the more
spontaneous moments without having the distraction of being up close to
your subjects." |
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The Setup |
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First, mark your calendar now for your planned photo session next year.
"Plan your shoot for around the third week of November," says Hubbard.
"This will allow you enough buffer time-if you don't like the image in
your first shoot, you'll still have time to shoot again. It will also
give you enough time to work with your images and play with different
ideas."
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There are many factors that go into the perfect holiday card, including
what clothes your family members should wear, what props to use, and
where to shoot. Consider all these factors in tandem. "You want to use
complementary colors that will go together well," says Hubbard. "If your
image is very colorful and you have a lot going on in the image itself,
you may want to keep the actual card simple in terms of props and
clothing. Use small accents to enhance the card so that the overall
result is not too busy-that will only take away from the image itself."
Resolve all lighting issues as well. "When shooting in front of a
Christmas tree or menorah, be aware of the amount of light that is
available," says Hubbard. "Using available light can produce a more
dramatic look to your image, but you'll also be shooting at very low
shutter speeds."
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Use a tripod to prevent camera shake, and keep your subjects as still as
possible to minimize movement blur-a task that may be easier said than
done with cranky kids dressed up in the itchy reindeer sweaters Grandma
made just for the occasion. "If you're shooting younger children, you
may choose to use a flash," says Hubbard. "I recommend not using the
camera's flash, since it may be too direct and wash out the lights of
your subject. If you can, use a flash that mounts to your camera and has
tilt control for the strobe. If you tilt your flash at a 45-degree angle
and bounce it off the ceiling, it will cast a softer light and retain
detail in the subjects." |
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Leave Room for Your Message |
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Framing images for cards can sometimes be tricky. First, determine
whether you're going to go for a traditional vertical or horizontal
card, or if you want to do a panorama. "If you're doing a traditional
folded card, either vertically or horizontally, you have to think about
how you will put your holiday greetings on the front," says Hubbard. "In
other words, you'll need some empty space for the copy. Be very aware
when shooting not to have an image that's so busy that copy would be
difficult to read." |
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Shooting the image with this in mind may look incorrect to you when
you're framing your shot through the viewfinder, but the end result will
allow you to place whatever copy you want on the card without
distractions. "The shot I took of the two girls and the fishing pole is
a good example," says Hubbard. "The center of this shot would normally
be too much dead space and not make for a very interesting shot.
However, knowing that there was going to be a greeting on the front, I
allowed for that."
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If you're planning for a card that features a panoramic style, like
Hubbard's card of the two girls frolicking on the sand dunes), fill the
frame completely, and don't worry where the copy will be placed on the
card. "You'll have plenty of room to work with, either to the left or
right of the image," he says. "I suggest shooting your image in
landscape format to fill a good portion of the card. This will also
prevent any difficulties in cropping-a vertical image may have to be
shrunk down too far, leaving too much dead white space to work with." |
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Tip Box Post-Shoot Options After you've obtained the perfect family shot, there are a few routes you can take to create your holiday card. Do it yourself using greeting-card software, such as Hallmark's Holiday Card Studio, which includes clip art, fonts, and everything else you need to create your own cards. Or upload your photo and order cards from popular online services such as Snapfish.com, Shutterfly, or Kodak's EasyShare Gallery. Many brick-and-mortar retailers like Target, Walgreen's and Costco allow you to upload the photos to their online service center and then pick up your cards in-store. Local camera stores will gladly merge your photo with your holiday message as well. |
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