Digital Photography Idea Series – Taking Photos at Christmas

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Inspiration and creativity are two areas where students always ask questions. They are “how to be more creative” and “how to get inspired” with my photography. So this series looks at ideas that will inspire more creativity in any amateur photographer. To start off we look at Christmas time and the holiday season in general for inspiration.

The reason we have this problem during the holiday season is that it’s a time of giving and two of the gifts many receive are cell phones with cameras and digital cameras. It’s like receiving a painting set for Christmas and thinking what do I paint? So let’s take a look at some ideas that will inspire. Here goes. Take your camera out of its box, put in the memory card and insert the batteries for some inspired creativity. We’ll look at three steps to get you inspired.

1. A blast of colour

Christmas lends itself to so much colour. The decorations seem to get brighter each year as retailers entice shoppers to their stores with colourful displays and decorations. Walking down a Christmas inspired street is a creative photo walk for any photographer. Choose a colour and then search out subjects or objects that are filled with it. Look for dominating colours of your choice. Get in close and fill the frame with your chosen colour and shoot away. The name of the game here is not necessarily perfect composition but images full of bright and bold colour. Domination should be the important factor. Find identical objects in different colours and shoot.

2. Reflected glory

Reflections are second only to colour during this time of the season with shop windows, golden orbs and shiny objects abounding. I love this time of the year because you can shoot golds, silvers and shiny reds in abundance. Look for mirrors and glass reflecting the blasts of colour you shot in the first point of this article. Car headlights, windows and motorcycle chrome make great inspiration for photos. A little tip here is to make sure that you as the photographer don’t get yourself in the reflections. Shoot from angles that exclude you from the images, unless of course you want to be a part for a particular reason.

3. Busy bees abound

The Christmas season, as anyone will agree, is a time of busyness with most of us guilty of last-minute shopping. So stand back and watch the crowds as they rush around using what time they have for getting those gifts in time. Whereas you need to get in close for the blast of colour, with the busyness you need to stand back and watch. Shoot on a slower shutter speed so that the crowds of people blur into interesting images. Another inspiration of busyness are the windows full of gifts and products for sale. Fill your frame with lots of Christmas detail, objects, and little items in full window displays. Look for interesting arrangements in the little shop windows where so much is displayed. Take advantage of all the clutter while you can.

These are just three ideas of Christmas inspired creativity. Take advantage of the season and allow your imagination to run wild. It’s a small window of opportunity that ends in the new year. When you sit back and admire your images you’ll be inspired to take more. Don’t be afraid to vary your ideas and use different themes to challenge you and push your ability to the limits. Happy shooting!

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Source by Wayne G Turner

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