Thanksgiving Holiday Portrait Ideas

Written by: Larry M. Lynch • Edited by: Rhonda Callow
Updated Oct 4, 2010 • Related Guides: Holiday Season

With the holiday season almost here if you could use some tips, techniques and suggestions for Thanksgiving holiday portrait ideas, then this article should be helpful. From a focus on the food to sports, friends and family, you can get unique holiday portraits using these tips.

Thanksgiving Holiday Portraits

Whatever it is about the Thanksgiving holiday that gets you going, the football, the family, the food or the friendly faces, you can photograph Thanksgiving holiday portraits that stand out from the crowd of everyday casual snapshots using the techniques, tips and Thanksgiving holiday portrait ideas.

Thanksgiving Holiday Portrait Themes

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You can base your portrait themes on whatever aspect of the holidays most interests your subject to achieve a relaxed, comfortable ambiance that promotes successful portrait photography. Give you subject "something to do" like handling a prop or performing a related action to give your portrait photos added impact. Thanksgiving holiday portraits can be individual, in couples or small groups of up to about five or six people to suit the mood, occasion and quantity of subjects. Here are some suggestions to get you started:

· Shopping for the Thanksgiving holiday meal ingredients

· Preparing the Thanksgiving holiday meal

· Holding the cooked turkey, ham or dessert

· The pleasures of sampling holiday drafts like apple cider, punch combinations and egg nog

· the excitement of a score by the subject's favorite football team

· portrait of a super fan wearing a team jersey or perhaps team color makeup too

· close ups of family, friends or the family mascot during the Thanksgiving holiday

Thanksgiving Holiday Portrait Shooting Tips and Techniques

When shooting small groups of three or more, remember to use a triangle composition placing your subjects in the foreground, mid-scene and background of the photographic composition. A sweeping view composition that leads the viewer's eye from left to right, foreground to background and back again will add interest and dynamics to your Thanksgiving holiday portraits, especially if your subjects are "active" in the digital image.

The Rule of Thirds

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The rule of thirds is another useful Thanksgiving holiday portrait composition technique. The image is "divided" into three vertical and three horizontal sections much like a Tic-Tac-Toe playing field. The subject is then located at one of the four intersections of lines setting up a stronger photographic composition image. Some newer model digital cameras are even equipped with a viewing screen with the option of overlaying a rule of thirds grid when shooting digital images in order to aid in setting up a better-composed photograph.

Thanksgiving Holiday Portrait Lighting

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In addition to your basic on-camera flash unit, consider using a slave flash to provide fill lighting or side lighting for your Thanksgiving holiday portraits. A slave flash unit fires when it senses the light from another, usually the main on-camera flash unit. Use a slave unit to provide fill-in lighting for portraits or to highlight hair or head shots from behind the subject. For added depth to your portraits use them for extra 3D modeling of the subject try positioning a reflector panel, light colored cardboard or plastic sheeting will do, to put a secondary light source on your portrait subject by side lighting, front lighting or backlighting to help to improve your digital photo density.

Thanksgiving Holiday Portraits

So focus on the themes of Thanksgiving holiday food, the sports, family and friends - whatever your subject finds of interest, to produce unique Thanksgiving holiday portraits of individuals, couples, small groups and families that you can be proud of.