Easy Ways to Reduce Holiday Stress

Take No-Sweat Holiday Photos

With a lit tree in the background: Disable your on-camera flash, says New York City photographer David Abbott Land. Newer cameras have a higher sensitivity to light (or an extended ISO range), so you’ll get natural glow (during daylight hours) by simply using the ambient light from the tree’s bulbs.

In freshly fallen snow: New York City photographer Ronnie Andren recommends turning your automatic dial to its sports exposure. “It shoots in a faster mode, reducing the glare you might get in the lens,” he says. It also helps to zoom in on your subjects.

On Christmas morning, when you have on no makeup (and got no sleep): “It’s all about the eyes,” says Andren. “Throw on a few dabs of concealer and take your position where the light streams in your direction but isn’t directly over your head. The person taking the picture should have his or her back to the light.”

With Santa: Show your child a (happy) picture of yourself when you posed with the bearded fella, then do a drive-by of the line a few times to show your child how other kids are doing it. Still, says Land, “some of the best shots are the ones of kids crying or eyeing Santa suspiciously.” How suspiciously? See Crying With Santa.