Christmas photos
Christmas family photo ideas you can take at home.
The best Christmas family photos are usually taken at home, not in a studio: by the tree with its lights on, in matching jumpers or pyjamas, around the table before dinner, and on the walk after. Here are ideas for each, how to light them with just a phone, and how to make sure the person taking the photos is in some of them too.
Lumo is a free, private family album for iPhone, iPad and Android. Send one link and the whole family can join.
Invited to a Lumo album? Open it in any web browser: app.lumomagic.com
By the tree
- Turn the tree lights on and the big ceiling light off, keep a lamp or the window to the side, and don’t use the flash. The tree lights become soft dots of light behind everyone.
- Sit everyone on the floor or on cushions in front of the tree, close together, with the tree filling the background.
- Take one during the presents, not only a posed one: hands on a ribbon, someone laughing at what they opened.
- Hang a decoration together: one person on a chair, one holding the box, one pointing. It gives everyone something to do.
Matching jumpers, pyjamas and colours
Matching Christmas jumpers or pyjamas are a classic for a reason: they make a big family look like one group in a single glance. If matching feels like too much, pick two or three colours, such as red, cream and green, or navy and white, and let everyone wear something in them.
Avoid big logos and small busy patterns. They catch the eye before faces do.
Around the table, and outside
- The Christmas table: before anyone sits down, take the table set. Then stand at the end of the table, on a chair if you can, and take everyone looking towards you, glasses raised.
- The walk: wrapped up in scarves and hats, walking together in a row. Take some from behind on the path.
- Baking and cooking: flour on the table, hands in the dough, someone tasting. Shoot close and from above.
- The same spot every year: the same sofa, the same pose, every Christmas. Over the years it becomes the photo everyone looks forward to.
- Pets count: a dog in a scarf or a cat in the wrapping paper is often the photo that gets the most hearts.
Getting everyone in, including you
The person who takes the photos is usually missing from all of them. Lean the phone against something steady, or use a small tripod, set the camera timer to 10 seconds, and join the group. Take several, because someone will blink.
Or pass the phone around: ask a different person to take photos each hour. Then the photos are spread over many phones, which is the next problem.
How to take family photos with your phoneCollect everyone’s Christmas photos in one album
By the evening, the photos are on everyone’s phone and few will ever be sent. With Lumo, make an event for the day, for example “Christmas at Grandma’s”, and share its link in the family chat or put its QR code by the tree. Everyone adds the photos and videos they took, in full quality, from the free app or straight in a browser.
The event sits next to your family album, and nothing is public. It stays after the holidays, so relatives can add photos when they get home.
How to collect Christmas photos from the family
A simple Christmas family photo, step by step
- Set the lightTree lights on, ceiling light off, a lamp or window to the side, no flash.
- Group everyone closeOn the floor or the sofa in front of the tree, heads at different heights.
- Steady the phoneLean it on a shelf or use a small tripod, at about chest height.
- Use the 10-second timerJoin the group, and take several in a row.
- Share them in one albumMake an event for the day and let everyone add their photos.
Questions
How do I take a Christmas tree photo without the faces being dark?
Turn off the flash, put a lamp or a window to one side of the group, and tap a face on the screen so the phone exposes for faces, not for the tree lights.
What should a family wear for Christmas photos?
Matching jumpers or pyjamas, or two or three shared colours such as red, cream and green. Avoid big logos and small busy patterns.
How do we get everyone’s Christmas photos afterwards?
Make one event album for the day and share its link or QR code. In Lumo, everyone adds the photos they took, in full quality, from the app or a browser, and they line up in the order they were taken.
Is Lumo free?
Yes. The family album, unlimited photos and videos, inviting family, and event albums for gatherings are all free, on iPhone, iPad and Android, and in a browser at app.lumomagic.com.
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