With Christmas just around the corner, there are so many things to see. It doesn’t matter if you’re a budding photographer or if you’ve never picked up a camera before!
We’ve created a photo-a-day challenge following the countdown to Christmas! Alongside tips and tricks on how to capture the perfect Christmassy moments.
Day one- Christmas trees! With all the colourful lights and beautiful decorations, how could it not be number one? Consider your angles for this one, get low and shoot up to include all the presents under the tree.
Day two- A hot festive drink! With the weather so cold, everyone will be snuggled up with their favourite Christmas drink. Whether it’s a gingerbread latte or hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows, create your favourite drink and capture it in its beauty. When getting this shot, check out your background- clean up the mess you made and add some festive decorations! Does it look like a Christmas advertisement yet?
Day three- Baking Christmas treats. Homemade cookies and mince pies are the best way to go! You can document the messy-making process or take it one step further and photograph your finished products in a professional manner! This means working with the food placement under the lights and placing festive objects around your plate.
Day four- If you haven’t got all your shopping done head to the shopping centres and take a camera with you! This is your opportunity to capture chaos in action- set a fast shutter speed so you don’t capture any motion blur. Or if that doesn’t appeal to you- focus on the gift Christmas-themed lunches in the food court.
Day Five- Twenty days to go! Now that you’ve done your Christmas shopping it’s time to wrap them up. Place them under the tree and let the shiny patterned paper be your model.
Day Six- Family and friends. We try to see our loved ones most around the holiday, so whilst you’ve got them why not get a portrait together? We recommend setting up a tripod and a timer to make sure to include everyone and have no camera shake blur! Or if everyone is too busy to pose, take some candid shots. This way, you’ll get to document a lot of heart-warming moments to look back on.
Day Seven- Snow! If we’re lucky enough to have any this year! Head outside and capture snow falling, some neighbourhood snowmen or snow angels. If you’re feeling creative, create a hole in the snow, put your camera on a timer and place in the hole. This will make the snow frame the camera and create an amazing composition.
Day Eight- The Nativity. From your younger sibling’s nativity play to church displays capture heart-warming moments of the nativity. Try these from different angles to create a unique atmosphere for each photo.
Day Nine- Ice skating. If you don’t fall over on the ice rink, have you really done Christmas, right? The popularity of Christmas skating just seems to keep growing every year, so you know it will be busy busy busy! There are a few things to try here- some candid shots of people skating, falling and laughing or you could capture the stunning display of the lights and the chill of the air. Whatever you do, don’t try any tricks on the ice…
Day Ten- Outdoor decorations. There’s twinkling lights and blow-up Santa’s all around, take a walk down the lane and capture the displays. Find beautiful decorations, lights and displays that inspire you to keep taking photos. People love to decorate their homes-some even look like they belong in a Christmas film! Set your shutter speed fast and a high iso so the lights don’t dance too much in your photos.
Day Eleven- Santa paws! Dress your furry favourite up and transition them into Rudolph! Have a mini photoshoot in the back room with some props and turn the fun activity into an adorable Christmas present for loved ones. (We recommend bribing them with treats to get them to sit still!)
Day Twelve- Christmas parties! You might be in your best-dressed sparkly attire or entering the party’s ugly Christmas jumper competition. Turn your flash on, switch to party mode and capture the crowded Christmas celebrations in full blast!
Day Thirteen- Walking in a winter wonderland. Take your camera along with you on and capture that dewy icy Christmas feeling. Snows covered branches, holiday reefs, holly plants and footsteps in the snow.
Day Fourteen- Wrapped up! We’re sure you’re going to be wrapped up in many, many layers. Set your camera on a timer and a tripod - get some fun pictures of you and your friends wrapped up in your scarves, gloves, hats and big coats. Or grab some rosy check self-portraits in the snow.
Day Fifteen- Head down to your local Christmas market. Why not support your local business- grab some photos of the products on the display at the stalls, choose your best and share and tag! If there’s a lit-up Ferris wheel- hop on and score the best picture of the Christmas market from up above from a bird’s eye point of view.
Day Sixteen- Pick your favourite Christmas decoration. Whether it’s on your tree or the stocking hanging from your fireplace. Zoom in and give us a close-up of your favourite decorations that makes your Christmas. Make sure to focus your lens to include all the delicate details of the decoration.
Day Seventeen- Create Silhouettes using your Christmas tree. Photograph your family as they play, unwrap and wrap presents and bond around the Christmas tree. The less light there is in the room the better! The resulting silhouettes will look atmospheric and heart-warming, the perfect Christmas memory.
Day Eighteen- Flat Lays. Get creative and make your own flat lay. Flat Lays are photos of various objects that have been carefully organised and there is usually a lot of room for text as they tend to be used to advertise products, create greeting cards or anything else that involve words. Play around with the positioning of objects and take your shot from bird’s eye view with a constant, clear light.
Day Nineteen- Christmas PJ’s. It’s not every day that you can wear fuzzy Christmas slippers or Santa onesies. Make the most of this time by documenting your family’s fashion tastes no matter how silly.
Day Twenty- Christmas Candles. Capture the smell of gingerbread in a photo, arrange you candle/s in a dark room. Make sure to balance out the image. Use a large aperture to create a shallow depth of field and have focus on your candle.
Day Twenty-One- Stockings on the fireplace. Christmas is getting closer… Hang your stockings up and capture them for a side, this will add depth to the image.
Day Twenty-two- Photograph the same object at a different time of the day. Set your camera up on a tripod and don’t move it all day! Position it at anything you want- the garden, the tree etc. Come back every hour or so and take a photo. You will get to see how the light changes and moves throughout the day and what effect this can have on your image.
Day Twenty-Three- Robin. With its plumped-up red breast and sweet song, this tiny garden visitor is a British festive favourite. Keep your eyes peeled in the garden and get your big lens on your camera. Stealthy sneak up to a little robin bird and capture the delicate details of the robin bird.
Day Twenty-Four- It’s Christmas Eve! Today there is so much going on, maybe you’re visiting friends and family or watching your favourite Christmas film to get ready for the big day. Take this opportunity to capture any moments you want, get inventive and try something new.
Day Twenty-Five- Christmas is finally here! Snap anything and everything today! Use all the skills you’ve learnt and put them into practice for the big day- dining table layout, grandad asleep on the sofa or wrapping paper shreds to pieces, you’ve now got all the skills you need to capture your Christmas day.
Have a wonderful day and a very Merry Christmas from North Kent College.
Don’t forget to tag us @NorthKent_College on Instagram or @NorthKentCollege on Facebook and NKCollege1 on Twitter and use the #NKCChristmasPictureChallenge