Holiday Photos at Home

by Christy Nealey, Marketing and Technology Specialist, Department of Human Resources

The holidays are a magical time of year. (As you can see by the smiles on the faces of these County leaders in the above pictures taken a few years ago.)

This year, the festivities are looking a little different: family members may not be able to travel, social distancing has limited store hours, and the big guy himself is limiting his appearances around town.  Don’t worry! That doesn’t mean you have to skip out on holiday photos; you just have to get a little more creative. Here are some tips for taking a card-worthy photo at home:

  1. Use your phone’s built-in grid lines to line up and balance each photo

  2. Focus on one subject and make sure the subject takes up about a third of the frame

  3. Don’t be afraid of negative space (that’s the area around and between subjects)

  4. Use props if you want to

  5. Think about leading lines – any angle that points toward the subject, which draws the eye to the right part of the photo

  6. Don’t zoom in; move the phone closer if you need to

  7. Use your device’s timer feature

  8. Candid photos are GREAT options

  9. Free photo editing apps like Google’s Snapseed, Adobe Lightroom, and Photoshop Express work wonders

  10. Have fun with it

Can you guess who the three County leaders are in the cover photos? Email your answers to Christy Nealey ([email protected]) by December 15 to be entered into a drawing for a fun prize!