How I set up my Christmas portrait photo
Mmm…Christmas - that moment when you set out to capture a creative, festive self-portrait but spend 20 minutes arranging the fairy lights, 30 minutes to set up the lights, and another 10 realizing after you checked the photos from your camera that your sweater is on backwards... nailed it.
Damn enthusiasm✌️😆✌️
That’s why the Christmas holiday season was and is still it is the perfect time to capture some memorable and fun christmas family pictures in a photo studio or in your own home, as well taking photos for your friends, clients or to yourself, like in my case. Whether you're a professional photographer, an actor, or an artist looking to create eye-catching holiday content, setting up the perfect Christmas portrait can elevate your work and leave a unique impression in your portrait photos.
In this blog article, my step-by-step guide will help you design a festive, high-quality portrait setup for 2024, complete with tips on lighting, props, composition, post-processing using your own home space. In my case, I used my living room from apartment.
1. Scouting the favourite place
Scouting the perfect spot for a Christmas self-portrait from the comfort of my apartment, it feld like a mini adventure of detective Columbo.🧐 I begin by checking every room with some space available I’ve got as well not so cluttered, and from a 2 messy bedrooms with little-to-no-space-available, I choose to take my portraits in a living room (my kitten just checking the weather).
2.Arranging the Christmas backdrop
After I decided where I should have my Christmas portraits, I took 2 backdrop stands, a couple of clams and start to plant my beautiful festive backdrop near the window. I pulled the curtains from the window so that the outside light would not enter in the room, because I did not want any other light source to affect the color differences in my pictures. The only light source I planned to use was an artificial light from a flash unit.
3.Setting up the lights
Now comming up next is placing the lights and reflectors to pop up the subject in for the Christmas portrait photos.
Firstly, I start by placing my fairy lights (or christmas lights) onto the right side of the backdrop so I can add that beautiful bokeh light behind the subject.
Next, I placed the main light (key light) at 45-degree angle slightly above eye level, on the right side of my camera (same side with the christmas lights) to create the most popular lighting technique ever used: Rembrandt lighting. In my main light I used a 24’ octa softbox with a grid and Godox SK300 II 300W strobe light at the lowest power possible: 1/16th. Even so, the light power was to strong and it over exposed the subject, I used the edge of the softbox rather than directing the light source to the subject, using the so called feathering lighting technique.
Moving forward with my lighting setup, the second light source has to be a rim light placed on the back of the subject, at the left side of my camera, in diagonally with my main light source. This light setup was made with a speedlite flash unit from Godox, model V860IIIC+ S-R1 adapter+ grid+ CTO gel, to be in tone with the warmth mood of the scene. Power source set at 1/16th.
Lastly, I placed 2 reflectors for a better lighting control, instead of using some other extra lights. I used one white reflector as a fill light and place it bellow the subject’s face to fill in the shadows created by the main light. The black reflector, placed on the left side of the camera, was just a preferred taste of mine to add a little bit of contrast on the left side of the subject’s face.
4.Camera settings
As my go-to camera settings and after I made a few test shots, I found these settings the top favourite for my Christmas portraits using my Canon Eos 6D MK II with EF 85mm f/1.8 USM lens.
-Mode: Manual
-ISO: 100
-SS: 1/160
-F-stop: f/1.8
-WB: Manual kelvin 5500
-timer: 2sec
-AF method: Face tracking/LIVE MODE
-file type: RAW
-metering mode: Evaluative metering
-picture style: Standard
I’ve mentioned “timer: 2sec” in my camera settings because I had to use a wireless shutter remote to be able to photograph my self from any position.
5.Posing and Composition
And now, after arranging everything from A to Z and making the final checks, it's time to capture some Christmas portraits in my frames. As for the composition, in most of the photos I placed myself in the center of the frame to be the attention of the audience for the picture, I turned my shoulders slightly to the left or right keeping my head facing the camera. The jumper outfits were also changed 3 times in different colors (blue, green, red) during the photo session for a more variety of style and to be in tone and mood with the theme. As well, I had to photograph in both portrait and landscape orientations during my Christmas portrait photo session for a better use of the images for different social platforms.
6.Editing the photos in post-process
Editing the photos after a Christmas portrait photo session is a crucial step in achieving a polished and professional results. For my images, I used my personalised preset action in Lightroom Classic to speed up my workflow. I just tweak a little bit my exposure and white balance and apply the preset with one click. I’ve adjusted the sliders from basic to color look according to my taste, to be in tone with the theme and exported them as a final result. No skin retouching or any other complex editing.
Final thoughts
Creating the perfect Christmas portraits in 2024 requires attention to detail, creativity, and a clear understanding of your or subject’s needs. With the right planning and execution, your portraits will not only reflect the joy of the holiday season but also stand out as cherished memories for years to come.
Whether you're shooting for a family, an artist's portfolio, or a festive advertisement, these tips will help you deliver professional-quality results every time. Now, it's your turn to bring your vision to life. Let me hear your thoughts about this article by leaving a comment bellow.
Happy shooting, and Merry Christmas!
