Christmas is one of the most photogenic times of the year—twinkling lights, cosy gatherings, frosty landscapes, and festive colours everywhere you look. Whether you’re shooting on a phone or a DSLR, there are simple techniques that can help you elevate your holiday photos from nice snapshots to wall-worthy memories. Here are our favourite PicTours tips for capturing Christmas at its best.

1. Embrace the Glow of Christmas Lights

Christmas lights create atmosphere—so let them be the star.

Tips:

• Turn off your flash; it will flatten the light.
• Use warm indoor lighting or fairy lights behind your subject to create a soft glow.
• If your camera allows, lower your exposure slightly to deepen colours and avoid blown-out highlights.

Try this: Place your subject about a metre in front of the Christmas tree and use portrait mode to blur the lights into beautiful bokeh.

2. Capture Candid Christmas Moments

The best holiday photos aren’t staged—they’re the in-between moments: laughter during a board game, the look of surprise during a gift reveal, Grandma telling a story.

Tips:

• Keep your camera handy and shoot in bursts to catch authentic expressions.
• Stay slightly off to the side to capture natural interactions instead of posed smiles.
• Think about storytelling: a series of candid shots can say more than a single portrait.

3. Use Natural Light on Christmas Morning

If you’re lucky enough to have a bright winter morning, use it to your advantage.

Tips:

• Position people near windows to get soft, flattering light.
• Avoid standing with your back to the window—this causes silhouetting.
• If it’s gloomy outside (hello, winter!), turn on warm indoor lamps to keep the scene cosy.

4. Photograph the Details That Make Christmas Special

Christmas is full of tiny details worth remembering.

Ideas to photograph:

• Baubles and ornaments
• A close-up of a handwritten Christmas card
• Wrapping paper textures
• Steam rising from hot chocolate
• A favourite Christmas decoration passed down through generations

Photography tip: Switch to macro or use your phone’s close-focus mode to capture depth and texture.

5. Capture the Outdoors—Even in the Cold

From frost-covered branches to winter sunsets, December weather can be stunning.

Tips:

• Shoot during the golden hour to make frosty scenes shimmer.
• Use a fast shutter speed to capture snowflakes in motion.
• Keep batteries warm—they drain faster in the cold!

6. Play With Colour and Contrast

Christmas is a celebration of bold, joyful colours: reds, greens, golds, whites. Use them deliberately.

Tips:

• Set your colour balance to “shade” or “cloudy” for warmer tones.
• Contrast the brightness of lights with dark backgrounds for dramatic effect.
• Look for repeating colours—red hats, green garlands, matching pyjamas—for satisfying composition.

7. Create Your Own Christmas Portrait Setup

You don’t need a studio to create magical portraits.

Simple setup ideas:

• Position your subject in front of a tree or fairy-light garland.
• Use a blanket or wrapping paper as a backdrop for children’s portraits.
• Add props like mugs, Santa hats, or a warm scarf to make the image festive.

Final Tip: Tell a Christmas Story

Think about the narrative of your Christmas day. Instead of just taking standalone photos, try capturing the journey:

• Stockings laid out the night before
• Preparations in the kitchen
• Family arriving
• Opening gifts
• Evening winding down with a film or firelight

These sequences make brilliant albums—or even your next PicTour adventure!