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1. Fill the frame with your subject, and your photos will be easy to understand. Focus in on just the people you see from across the room,don’t include the entire room.

2. Pay attention to backgrounds.  Be careful about bright light sources in the background that will have the eye going there and not your subject.  And be carefull to not have odd things sticking up from the back of  your loved ones heads.  Be careful there are no mirrors back there for the flash to bounce back at you and ruin the image.

3.Let the action play on. When the kids are playing with the new game, don’t have them to stop and smile for the camera .  This ruins the moment and turns an active image into a static and boring image. Take the the action as it occurs; don’t try to dictate it.

4. Get on your subject’s level.  Too often I see images taken at the wrong  height.  If you are photographing your children and they are playing on the floor, get down there with them and shoot them from that angle. You will be surprised how much better the image works when you are on your subject’s level.  Don’t forget to occasionally turn the camera, vertical composition is  sometimes better than a horizontal one.

5.  Be patient and wait for the moment.  Be ready for it.  Be patient, watch the action through your camera, and be ready to snap the photo just when the smile hits. This is the kind of holiday picture that families treasure most and will be a timeless memory for years to come.