Holiday Family Photos: Tips for a Card-Worthy Picture

From December to Lunar New Year, family photos are everywhere: on Christmas cards, in WhatsApp greetings to relatives abroad, on printed cards handed over during New Year visits. A good holiday photo doesn't need a studio or a professional. It needs a little planning, decent light and a family that isn't exhausted before the first shot. Here are practical tips for getting a picture you will be happy to send, and to keep.

The weeks before Christmas and Lunar New Year are busy, and that is when photo sessions get rushed. Pick a date early, ideally a weekend morning when everyone is rested, and check the weather forecast a few days before. If you plan to print cards, leave time for the printing shop or online service, which can get busy close to the holidays.

Decide the format before you shoot. A landscape photo suits a folded card or a TV screen; a portrait photo works better for a phone message or a single-sided card. Leave some empty space around the family if you want to add a greeting on top.

Identical outfits can look fun, but a softer approach usually photographs better. Choose one or two base colours, such as navy, cream or grey, and let each person add a single accent colour, perhaps red for Lunar New Year or deep green for Christmas. Avoid big logos, fine stripes (which can shimmer on screens) and very bright white (which loses detail in sunlight). Make sure everyone, including grandparents, is comfortable; stiff, unfamiliar clothes show in the photo.

Modern phone cameras handle family portraits very well. A few things help:

• Use a tripod or a steady ledge and the self-timer or a Bluetooth remote, so the photographer can be in the picture too.

• Try portrait mode for a softly blurred background, and check edges such as hair and glasses look natural.

• Use burst mode for groups. With several frames to choose from, you are more likely to find one where nobody blinked.

• Wipe the lens before you start. A fingerprint smudge is the most common cause of hazy phone photos.

If you step out of an air-conditioned flat or MTR station into warm, humid air, the lens can fog over. Give the phone or camera a few minutes to adjust before shooting.

Light makes more difference than any camera setting. Strong midday sun causes squinting and harsh shadows under eyes. Better choices are:

• Early morning or the hour before sunset, when the light is warm and low.

• A bright, overcast day, which acts like a giant softbox. Hong Kong winters give plenty of these.

• Open shade, such as under a tree or a covered walkway, with the open sky in front of your family.

Indoors, place everyone facing a large window and switch off mixed ceiling lights, which can give skin an odd colour.

A busy background pulls attention away from faces. Country parks, beaches, a quiet promenade or a leafy corner of a housing estate all work well. If you want the festive lights of a shopping centre or the harbourfront, go early on a weekday to avoid crowds, and stand a little away from the decorations so they blur behind you. Your own living room, with the tree or New Year flowers in the corner, can be just as warm.

Plan for 20 minutes, not two hours. Bring snacks for children, take a few posed shots first, then let everyone chat, laugh or walk towards the camera. The natural moments are often the ones you end up choosing.

Once the cards are sent, back up the best shots in two places, such as a cloud album and a drive at home. While you are at it, think about the older holiday photos: the Christmas and Lunar New Year prints from past decades sitting in albums. Capture HK scans photos and albums into high-resolution digital files, so you can add them to your family library and share them with relatives wherever they live. See our photo digitisation service or get a free quote.