Memorable Christmas Pictures With A Digital Camera

by: Soren Breiting

Christmas is a time for strong sentiments, gatherings of family and friends, good food and nice traditions. Learn to make the best out of this memorable time in pictures for old and young.

Rather simple point-and-shoot cameras have a great potential for family pictures during Christmas and they can also produce most other kinds of pictures during this important annual event. Small digital cameras aren’t that intrusive as big professional cameras.

Here, I offer some basic photo tips and some more advanced photo tricks. If you follow just a few of them you will probably make much more memorable Christmas pictures during the Christmas days – and may be even before Christmas day.

Be prepared for photography

Keep your digital camera in reach during all Christmas. Make sure your battery is fully recharged and your memory card has plenty of space for new pictures. Have your battery re-charger available, too, as you will take many photos with flash.

Share the responsibility for taking pictures

For some Christmas events you might be quite busy serving the guest or helping older family members or being the one who should talk with everybody. Then just give your camera to another person and ask for him or her to take a lot of pictures during the event. Young people will often be very good at picture taking, not least because the availability of camera phones has facilitated that habit to even very young people.

Go close when taking pictures

Go as close as you can what ever you are shooting family members or Christmas things and symbols. Most digital cameras include more in the photo than what is displayed when you frame it, unless you only use the digital display screen. You can always quickly check the result and take a new picture if needed.

Don’t be afraid of arranged picture taking

Many situations around the Christmas tree are quite messy. Don’t worry of arranging a fine scene like grandfather in the big chair with the youngest family member on the lab with a big Christmas present in the small hands.

Arrange an all family members group photo

To have a picture taken if all family members get together for Christmas is an opportunity you shouldn’t miss. If possible think beforehand of a functional locality – indoor or outdoor with enough room for all, including the space for the photographer. Use a tripod to have your self included. Take at least three frames.

Take several shots of the most memorable situations

When you have a very nice situation don’t spare your shots but take at least 3 alternatives. One picture might turn out much better than the others, and the first shot isn’t the best shot very often.

Take pictures without the flash turned on

As Christmas in the northern hemisphere is happening in the dark wintertime many pictures will be taken with the flash on. That is fine for many occasions but the strong flashlight will often remove the nice special Christmas atmosphere. Learn how to manually turn the flash on and off before any important Christmas gathering. Increase the sensitivity to say 400 ASA for natural light photography during Christmas events.

Take candlelight pictures

Candlelight pictures are a rewarding approach to Christmas photography as they generate a special atmosphere of old time and traditions. Include one or two faces in the frame together with the candle. You have to switch off the flash of the camera and improve the sensitivity. If possible support your elbows on a table or the like to avoid camera shake. Still remember to take some alternative shots. Many Christmas symbols are also fine in candlelight.

Take series of Christmas pictures

A number of Christmas pictures showing a process or an event from the phase of preparation, through the main activities until the final stage of saying goodbye or cleaning up can be very interesting later. This can be a fine task for a younger family member to take care of and it is so nice with digital cameras that we don’t have to worry of the cost of pictures that become failures. Such a series of Christmas pictures is excellent for a digital slide show later.

Take special interest in the oldest family members

As time goes by it often turns up that the last pictures of an old family member that passed away was taken at Christmas time. Without exaggerating keep that in mind and make sure you get really nice portraits of the oldest family members in good mood – every Christmas.

Make the best of the newborn and babies

Normally there will be taken a lot of photos of babies and the smallest children and that is a good tradition. Just pay a little attention to how to link the pictures of the children to symbols of Christmas and activities of other family members or friends during the Christmas event.

Preparing for Christmas – also a photo option For children the waiting time to Christmas might be felt like infinity. For us grownups the time might slip away because of all the preparation for Christmas combined with our other duties. Shopping in the decorated streets, preparing presents and cooking food etc. are all fine options for your Christmas photography.

Throw away the bad pictures quickly

During Christmas or just after go through the Christmas pictures and weed all the bad ones out. When you have taken three alternative frames of the same situation, only keep the best one for the future. Be tuff, when editing your Christmas collection of pictures – that will reward you in the long run. Google’s Picasa picture organizer is a fine help and it is free at picasa.google.com

Share your Christmas pictures

It is easy to share your Christmas pictures with family members and friends. At http://www.OnlinePhotoSharing.net you will find many options.

About The Author

Soren Breiting is a stock photographer and communicator. Find examples of his Christmas pictures at http://www.azFotos.com and learn to take better pictures at http://www.www.BetterPhotos.net - more about digital photography at http://www.DigitalPhotographyAndPictures.com

Christmas Cookie Recipe: Chocolatey Church Windows

by: Tina Musial

When it comes to the holiday season, there are just certain things we can’t live without. Or at least, there are certain things we think we can’t live without. One of those items for me is a family Christmas cookie recipe that has been handed down for at least three generations. It’s called Church Windows.

Now, this nifty little cookie gets its name because it resembles a stained glass “church” window. The chocolate will form the frame and the marshmallows are the colored “glass” inside. Take my word for it, because if you see a plate of these cookies go by, grab one. I’ve never seen anyone sit and study the design, only devour the cookie.

Even though this cookie doesn’t have any decoration on it that resembles Christmas, like a tree or Santa Claus, it is only made near the holidays. Why? I’ll never know, nor will I ever make it during a “non-holiday” time of year! Family tradition says so!

So, what makes this little cookie so great, you ask. First, it is simple to make. The kids can play a large role in making them, however they need supervision since it involves use of the stove. Second, they are very colorful and brighten up any holiday dessert table. Last, they have chocolate in them! What else needs to be said? Without further ado, here is the recipe for Church Windows.

Church Windows

1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips (milk chocolate won’t work, I’ve tried)
1 stick margarine (NOT butter)
½ c walnuts, optional
1 10 oz bag of colored marshmallows
2 c coconut
Wax paper

In a large saucepan, melt the margarine and the chocolate chips over medium heat. Stir often and watch closely so the chocolate does not scorch. When the mixture is completely smooth, set aside to cool slightly, for about five to ten minutes.

While you are waiting, prepare the wax paper. Tear off two sheets that are both approximately 18” in length. Lay on a flat surface. Cover each sheet evenly with 1 cup of the coconut.

When the chocolate mixture is slightly cooled, stir in the walnuts and the marshmallows just until coated. Stirring too long will make the marshmallows melt (and that’s bad!)

Pour half of the mixture on the prepared wax paper lengthwise, in order to form a log. Pour the second half on the second sheet of wax paper. Using the extra coconut on the wax paper, cover the top of the chocolate mixture. The coconut will prevent the wax paper from sticking in the future. Take one side and roll over the mix, and keep rolling to form a log. Shape it so it makes a nice circle. Twist the edges so they are secure and to keep coconut from escaping! Immediately place in the fridge or freezer until they harden, at least 6 hours. When hardened, slice off ½ to 1” thick slices.

Church Windows can be stored in the refrigerator or the freezer one month. Keep in an air-tight container or bag to keep it from drying out.

About The Author

Tina Musial is a freelance writer and editor and lover of all things Christmas. Visit her website at http://www.christmasdayrecipes.com to get recipes on christmas cookies, brunch, main dishes, appetizers and drinks. And enjoy a little holiday spirit while you're there!

Doing Christmas Shopping Online

by: James Brown

With the rising cost of gasoline, many Christmas shoppers are turning to the internet to find some of the items on their Christmas shopping list. With the aid of the internet search engines, it is possible for Christmas shoppers to pinpoint the location of hard-to-find items and have them shipped exactly where they need to go. Finding discounts from online retailers is an easy thing to do too and people love the convenience that internet shopping provides them.

Internet shopping for Christmas gifts can be fine-tuned to fit the needs of every family. To find clothing items in a specific age range, an internet shopper can find great sales and the latest styles in everything from jeans to party dresses that will be worn for Christmas dinner and church on Sunday by using the address line on their home computer to shop at a brand name store that they trust.

Through the internet, Christmas shoppers can find decorations for the home at a fair price and feel confident that they can return what does not fit to the retailer. Some people wonder how they can do this because they think the retailer is so far away. Online shoppers know all the rules about shopping online, especially after they have spent some time carefully reviewing the store's return policies online at their website.

While Christmas shopping online is fun and convenient to do, there might still be some skeptics in the world that worry about the security of the websites and the personal information that they are asked to provide. The security features online have been strengthened to meet the needs of today's smart shoppers, and the retailers have spent a lot of their own cash purchasing encryption software that ensures that all credit card and banking information is kept safe always.

Some Christmas shoppers choose to start shopping for Christmas early in the year. They know that there will be many holidays before Christmas and those holidays will bring great discounts to shoppers. With specific items in mind, they can access the internet and look for discount coupon codes that can be used to buy the items that they need, while still taking advantage of the major discounts offered because it is a holiday sales period.

Holidays are a specific time of the year that online shoppers can mark on their calendars as days to save money and time. To budget conscious shoppers, the holiday shopping represents a chance to gain a foothold on holiday expenses and define what the payments will be on any credit cards that they make their holiday purchases with. By shopping for Christmas online, shoppers can keep track of all of their holiday spending and know first hand what to include on the budget for the New Year.

One other factor that makes shopping online so fantastic is that holiday shoppers can find great deals on a variety of items and be exposed to unique items that they might not have considered but realize are perfect for the special people in their lives. They can also save a lot of cash by shipping items directly to people that live out of town and save money on gasoline that they would have used by driving all over the town to get their Christmas shopping finished.

About The Author
James Brown writes about http://www.latestcouponcodes.com