When I was a kid, I used to think time moved soooooo SLOOOWWWWWWW. I remember counting down the days till Christmas. Every day was painstakingly slower than the one before, and I was convinced it would never arrive. And when Christmas Eve finally came, I could hardly sleep I was so excited. This excitement lasted well into my teen years, heck probably even into college.
Your parents always tell you to appreciate the days of being a child, but you can’t really understand that advice until you’re an adult looking back. It feels like time just keeps getting faster and faster!
If you are like me and struggle with how quickly time flies an excellent way to slow it down is by documenting the moments that matter most to you. What I have noticed is we spend a lot of time taking photos with our phone but don't really pay attention to what we are doing and/or they live on our phone NEVER truly experienced. I have put together a few tips to help you start taking more meaningful photos this holiday season.
3 TIPS for TAKING MEANINGFUL PHOTOS THIS HOLIDAY
#1. Ask yourself what matters most about this photo I am about to take?
So many times we pick up the camera without any real direction. Before you start snappin think to yourself what feeling, thought, or action do I want to preserve?
#2. Think about the background. Once you know what your subject is and the purpose of the photo you now need to think about how to use the environment to help tell the story. Sometimes this means you might need to photograph from above or squat down low. Do what you need to do to convey the meaning.
#3. Take a few shots of the same subject in different ways.
The best way to learn and grow is through practice. Sometimes one shot isn’t enough so take a few of the same thing so you can start to learn what works and what doesn’t work.
Bonus Tip #4 - PRINT THEM
Your images deserve to live with you not just in the digital world where they get buried and forgotten. Someday you and your children will appreciate that you printed them out so DO IT. If you like physical locations, Costco offers excellent print quality for casual prints. If you are looking for something, a little better Artifact Uprising offers AMAZING quality prints.