Avoid Photo Overwhelm During the Holidays

Don’t worry. If you don’t take the photo, likely someone else will.

We take lots and lots of photos during the holidays. For many it’s one of the few times that family and friends get together, there are lots of parties and celebrations, and plenty of friends and family traditions. Trying to capture it all can be overwhelming - both in the moment and after when you need to clean and organize your photos. Here are some tips to help you get through this aspect of the holidays.

Make a photo plan

Are there photos that you capture every year? These can be a fun way to see what’s changed, how people have grown, how traditions have stayed the same. Do you always take a photo of the holiday meal? Then take it again this year. But maybe just take one instead of 10. Or if you take several, spend 20 seconds to pick your favorite and delete the rest.

If there are photos that you know you want, make a list. Don’t laugh - how many times have you thought “oh I meant to get a picture of that and forgot". If never, than you can disregard this tip. But if this is you, make a list and keep it on you phone or in an area you are likely to be often. The mere fact of writing it down will help you remember.

Try something fun

Have you seen those photos where (usually) siblings recreate poses from when they were little? I don’t know about you, but these make me laugh every single time. Think - is there a favorite photo you have from your childhood? See if you can recreate it! Don’t have one? Start a new tradition! It would so cool to see the same photo year after year as kids grow and the rest of us age. Create an album in your photo organizing software so you can easily find them year after year.

Don’t forget the boring stuff

Our Blackhawks gravy boat is always a conversation starter.

It may seem silly, but I always take a photo of the Thanksgiving table with and without people. I also take photos of our house during the holidays - we don’t do a lot of decoration but there’s always something. If you pull out special serving dishes, grandma’s china, the funny gravy boat, whatever it is, take a photo to help preserve the memory. You only need 1, not 10, after all you aren’t trying to capture expressions, just inanimate object. You may think this is boring and pointless now, but but your kids, nephews, nieces, cousins, other family members may enjoy seeing this 20 years from now.

Put your energy into enjoying, not documenting

As a professional photo organizer my business literally thrives on the fact that we all take too many photos. But, believe me when I say this, you will still have enough photos to keep me employed if you take a break during the holidays. Consider getting a few photos to document the memory but then put the phone down in another room and enjoy the moment.

Carving lessons. This created a few comedic moments, then I put the camera away for the rest of the evening. I do actually have a version of this photo that includes their heads 😁.

Above all don’t stress about capturing the moment

If you didn’t catch the special moment, odds are someone else did. And if no one did? If it’s that important you’ll probably remember it anyway.