Our Favorite At-Home Christmas Photo Trends
Calling all Christmas lovers! If you want to make your holiday even more jolly, listen here! We’ve rounded up our favorite online Christmas photo trends of 2023. Here’s some inspiration and tutorials for families looking to capture the moment with their holiday decorations—whether you have an iPhone or a professional camera!
In-home Christmas Sessions
Our Offsite team took these adorable photos during an in-home session. There’s something so special and intimate about getting photos taken in your own home! It inspired us to put together this list for you! Some things we love in this gallery you can replicate at home:
the soft focus, bokeh effect on the tree lights (P.S. if you have an iPhone, you can get this look by lowering the aperture setting!)
cozy blankets by the Christmas tree
all the hugs and kisses!
As photographers, the main thing we try to capture is the connection between families. If you’re photographing multiple subjects at home, make sure they’re close to one another and interacting in some way! Here’s some more trendy inspiration for holiday photos you can take at home:
Magic Christmas Present
We thought this post by @camera_bro_ was so creative! The first step he shows is to turn on your phone flashlight and place it in a box that’s decorated like a present. You can try this with a phone, or you can find another light source! We think an iPad, or maybe even a regular flashlight (if you can diffuse it), would do the trick! After you’ve set up the present prop, situate your subject close to the camera with the Christmas tree in the background. Make sure your tree’s lights are on! Then, tap your subject’s face so it will be in focus. When the sun slider-icon pops up, drag the sun downwards so the photo gets darker. This slider adjusts the exposure of your photo! We want to expose for your subject’s face rather than the background. That’s what gives it that cool look! (Note: If your phone has the “f” icon, that’s your aperture! The lower you bring it, the more the background will blur and give you that bokeh effect on the lights.) P.s. We’ve seen this trend done with Christmas books too in case you don’t have any extra boxes lying around.
Christmas Ornament Arch
Who doesn’t want to look like they’re in a big pile of ornaments?? We think this idea is really cute for babies or toddlers. We love that this is customizable too: you can create a setup with traditional Christmas colors, or you can mix it up! (Pinks, neutrals, icy blues, or a colorful Christmas candy theme would be super cute!) In the video, @Jen_rydelek places a blanket in her color scheme on the floor. Then, she created an arch with the ornaments. She put her subject inside of that arch and then snapped some cute photos! In her video, she shows some quick editing you can do with your phone’s gallery’s app. If you’re wanting more in-depth editing, check out apps like Lightroom, Tezza, or even VSCO!
Tree Lights & Ornaments
We love how bright and airy these photos by @lovethelunas turned out. With Christmas themed pajamas, Christmas tree lights, and ornaments…could it be any more festive? We recommend finding a window that brings in a lot of light. Bring a white duvet near the window, place your props on it, and take your photos! If you want to add more props, we think Christmas garlands, stockings, or even a few presents would be super cute.
Snowman Cookie Trend
This trend has been around for a few years, but it’s still going strong! To get the look: buy the snowman cookie at Starbucks, remove the head portion of the cookie, and then hold it up near your phone camera while your baby is on the floor. If you line it up just right, it gives this cute illusion shown in @mamahensteph’s photo! We’ve seen this trend done with toddlers and even elementary age kids too. If you feel like getting crafty, try making and decorating the cookies yourself! We have yet to see a gingerbread man version of this trend…but we imagine it would be pretty adorable too.
Whether you get professional photos taken this year or not, we love the idea of bringing in some holiday magic to your photos at home. It could be the perfect Christmas Eve activity after kids have opened their pajamas, or just something fun to do as we count down the days until Christmas. Whatever you do, just don’t forget to capture some sweet Christmas memories this year.
Happy Holidays,
The Camera Shy Team :)
