Selfie Holiday Card Tips

If you’ve been reading this blog for any time, you know I’m a big fan of having a professional capture beautiful family portraits.  If I could, I’d have a pro follow us around on a regular basis to capture lots of wonderful moments together with perfect exposure and artful composition but that isn’t always practical.  Especially around the holidays, it can be tough to squeeze in a professional photo session in time to make your holiday cards.   (And you’ll definitely want to order cards this year, with the great offer Shutterfly has: 10 free cards with code GREETINGS from 10/16-10/20)

No worries – just grab your smart phone, get in tight and snap a selfie.  No special outfits, no props, no preparation needed. Here are a few tips to get the most out of your holiday snaps.

• For highest resolution images, take your photo in a well-lit space and do not zoom in.
• Taking your photo outdoors during the early morning or late afternoon will usually provide the best light
• If you aren’t in a particularly fitting holiday setting or attire, simply get in closer to crop unwanted distractions out
• Not everyone has to be smiling to get a great shot.  Sometimes a less traditional pose or expression captures a family personality best!

Case in point, Shutterfly has a sleigh full of options that take almost no time at all to personalize.  Just add your photo and name and you can cross it off your to-do list.
For example, we were enjoying our favorite neighborhood play space when the opportunity to get a family selfie presented itself.  I hadn’t planned it so I had no chance to put on mascara, put Aggie in a cuter outfit or get the shot just right but I still love how it turned out.  What could be more stress-free than that?
This type of photo works especially well in a pre-designed card since the embellished design injects some holiday spirit into a jingle bell less photo.  The design I used here is called Woodsy Joy.



Added bonus: Shutterfly offers coordinating pieces to cover all of your holiday needs including holiday party invitations, stickers that would make lovely gift tags, personalized postage stamps, and return address labels.  Only takes a few clicks to coordinate but you’ll have a great stationery ensemble for the whole season.

Disclosure: This post has been sponsored by Shutterfly and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia but all opinions express are my own.