Four Steps for Taking Foolproof Holiday Photos on your iPhone

We all want to capture and share the memories during the holidays. The good news is that you don’t need a fancy camera or amazing photography skills to do so. Here are some things to keep in mind to ensure you come away with great photos during a special occasion — or any day!

Be prepared.

• Have an idea of what pictures you want to come away with before the day starts. Do you want to get a group shot in front of the tree? To capture the delight on your child’s face as he opens a particular present? Knowing what you want to achieve before you begin shooting will help.
• Consider using a tripod or a selfie stick for large family group shots in front of the tree. (Check back on the blog soon for some of our favorite iPhone camera accessories.)
• Clear off space on your phone so you can take unlimited pics during the holidays. Use Picture Keeper Connect  to backup photos and videos and maximize storage space.

Make use of your iPhone’s features.

• Use the iPhone’s burst mode by holding down the shutter or either volume button to snap a bunch of pictures at one time (10 photos per second, to be exact). Go back later and pick out your favorites. This feature is great for photographing kids in the midst of excitedly unwrapping gifts.
• did you know your iPhone has a timer on it? Click on the clock icon on the upper right of your camera screen to set the photo to snap on a three or ten second delay. Use the tripod or rest the camera upright somewhere so the photographer can get in the pic as well.
• Turn on the grid feature. The grid serves as a reminder to always think about composition when taking a photo. It often looks best if you place your subjects at the intersection of two grid lines. This is called the rule of thirds, and it’s one of the keys to great photography.

Get physical.

• Yes, it’s more comfortable to shoot standing up or while watching from the couch, but you’ll snap pics of the crown of everyone’s head. Get down on the ground and take pictures of the kids from eye level.
• Be vigilant about the background. Clear out errant coffee cups and discarded wrapping paper before you take the pictures if you can.
• Get close to your subjects. Zooming in on your iPhone basically crops the image before you take the picture, which lowers the resolution and quality of the image.

Share them!

• Use our Share Your Photos app to distribute shots to all of your friends and relatives. The one picture you think is great and post to Instagram might not be the image Grandma wants to frame. Let everyone see all the snaps so they can pick and choose which ones are keepers.
• Select your favorites and make keepsake books, pillows, phone cases and more directly from the app to remember the holiday fun all year long.

Tell us: What images do you want to capture during the holidays?