With the holiday season in full swing many of us are reaching for our cameras, and let’s be honest, smartphones more often so we can capture these precious and festive moments. We’re also booking our holiday photoshoots and rushing around to find the perfect collection of outfits that make us look coordinated - but not cheesy.
With all of these photographic opportunities to consider it’s no wonder many of us are looking to the pros for answers and inspiration. If you’re in Atlanta chances are one of those professionals is Alice Park.
Holiday Photo “themes.” Tacky or helpful?
If done right, helpful!
Any tips for selecting outfits for the whole family?
I’m not a fan of the family matching each other in the exact same outfits. The look can be more dated than classic. Instead, I prefer to stay within the same color family and choose patterns that enhance the overall look but do not take away from the family members or are too distracting.
Have you had any light bulb moments of clarity when it comes to working/photographing children that the mere mortal, non-prof photographer could adopt?
Yes, my easy, “mere mortal” tips:
- Spend time connecting with your child to garner the most authentic expressions. Simply telling them to “Say Cheese” will give you exactly that - a cheesy smile.
- If there’s anything “technical” you learn about photography, it should be the basic principles of light. Learn where the good light is.
- Children have a very short window they will give you, so be quick, efficient, and do not drag the photographic moment.
Do you have any tips for arranging furniture or backgrounds for holiday photos taken at home?
Finding beautiful window light in your home is one of the most critical parts of my job as a photographer. It’s not rare that you’ll find me moving furniture around when I arrive for a photoshoot.
An easy tip for moms is to turn off all overhead and artificial lights in the room. Move the furniture to where it casts enough light for you to take a photo and position your sweet subject there!