For many people, Thanksgiving is a great time to get out the camera and document some memories. Especially if you’re blessed to have your extended family there! I’m sharing my Thanksgiving photo tips with you today and I hope you find them helpful!
Decorations & Details
Do you use the good china and set the table for Thanksgiving? Zoom in or use the macro setting and capture the details. If you take time to create a pretty tablescape, then you should definitely take a photo of that! If not, you can skip this one! We are pretty simple at my house and prefer buffet style and paper plates.
Insta-worthy Food Photos
While we’re on the topic of the dinner table, let’s talk turkey. Please, for goodness’ sake, do NOT wait until after dinner is half-over to take a picture of the food. Unless of course, you intend to recreate the Christmas Vacation scene with the dried up turkey carcass. In all seriousness, if you forget to snap the turkey before Dad carves it up, just arrange the food on your plate to look pretty and take a photo of that instead. (Make sure to wipe any drips or smears off the plate before you take the shot.)
Prep for a Group Photo
Let’s face it, kids aren’t the only ones who squirm and groan when it’s time to take a family picture. The dads are usually antsy, too. Being prepared will make this go more smoothly and get everyone back to playing or watching the game in no time.
- Give your family a heads’ up that you would like to do a quick group photo this Thanksgiving so they can be mindful of what they will be wearing. Not that they need to go buy matching outfits, but just so they can plan to look their best. If everyone knows this photo is a priority, they will be ready so you can take it right after dinner. Then they can always change into comfy clothes after you’ve got the shot!
- To make this go as smoothly as possible, find your tripod the day before. Figure out where you want to take the photo and stash the tripod nearby so you don’t waste time looking for it when everyone is finally ready.
- If you have a remote trigger, test that out the day before, too. If you don’t have one, take a few minutes to review how to use your camera’s self-timer feature.
- Make a mental arrangement of your family members so you can quickly get people into place. Staggering the heights looks more interesting than lining everyone up tallest to shortest. If you’ll be using stools or chairs for some people, get those set up before you call everyone over.
Games & Traditions
When I was young, the cousins enjoyed playing board games. Maybe your crew likes to head outside to play football. Or maybe you are more the pass-out-in-the-recliner-while-watching-college-ball kind of family. If you’re the creative type that plans a craft to keep the kids busy, get photos of the process and the finished products.
Don’t be Afraid to Delegate
If you’re the resident photo-taker at your house and also the hostess, you might feel like remembering to take pictures is too much extra effort. Don’t be afraid to assign the job of Holiday Historian to someone else. If there’s a specific shot you want, Grandpa holding the newest grandchild, for example, be sure to let them know. But otherwise, just offer a little direction to someone responsible and hand the camera over. Honestly, this is a great job for one of the older kids and you might be pleasantly surprised to see their perspective when you review the photos from the day.
Whatever photos you decide to take, I wish you and yours a very happy Thanksgiving!
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