Setting the Stage for a Successful Holiday Portrait Shoot

It’s that time of the year, you guys: holiday cards!

If you’re anything like us and don’t have kids or a pup yet, Christmas cards can be a bit of a challenge. We’re past the engagement photos stage (been there, done that), and can’t reuse wedding photos. So, we decided to shoot at our home in front of our festive Christmas tree. Here are a few tips to nailing your portrait shoot this year:

1. Find good lighting.

Determine whether you’re going to shoot indoors or out. Lighting is especially important if you’re taking your photos outdoors. If you’re venturing out, make sure you’re taking the photos early enough in the day so that you have plenty of natural light. Early morning or at dusk are two of the best times to shoot.

We opted to shoot indoors this time around. We had a pretty good idea of which nook might work best for our photos, since we shoot for Magnolia quite a bit.

2. Set the stage.

Take some time to figure out how you’re going to style your shoot. What’s going to be in the background? Take a few photos with your cell phone. Make sure you’ve eliminated clutter and checked all angles in and around the frame.

Add or eliminate what you need to. We took our photos right after Thanksgiving weekend, so we added a few presents (some are real, some aren’t) to round out the shot a bit so that our tree wasn’t bare.

Pay attention to the details in the background. In our case, we looked at the ornaments that were going to be in our shot and picked a few of our favorites. The gold ribbon and gold picks on our tree picked up a good amount of light, too, creating a pretty glow.

3. Prep yourselves.

Choose your colors wisely. Make sure that what you’re wearing coordinates well both together and in the space you’ve staged. Pay attention to powdering your nose. I’m a huge fan of tinted moisturizer most days. When I’m shooting, I reach for HD makeup. Dior’s Airflash is my go-to. MAC’s Studio Fix powder is also a good one.

(Wearing Carlisle silk wrap dress – actually still available here and here, similar here)

4. Laugh.

My secret to getting the best, most natural photos? Laugh! A lot. I took a few modeling classes when I was younger and one of my biggest takeaways was to laugh, then relax your face and let your natural smile appear. It’s much more genuine and you’re pictures will be a lot more vibrant and fun than if you try to force a fake smile.

Most importantly, have fun, y’all! Whether you’re taking these with your significant other, little ones, furry friend, or roommates, if you’re having fun, that’s what’s going to shine through.