DIY Family Christmas Photos - Cute & Easy Ideas

Learn how to take DIY Family Christmas Photos at home this year with my simple guide and tutorial. I’m sharing how to create a cute and fun matching Christmas pajamas photoshoot on your bed and how to do an easy outdoor Christmas photoshoot using affordable looks and holiday décor from Bealls Outlet!

This post on DIY Family Christmas Photos is sponsored by Bealls Outlet and contains affiliate links. All opinions are 100% my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Kindly Unspoken Blog!

DIY Family Christmas Photos – Cute & Easy Ideas

Are you taking your own Family Christmas Photos this year? Need inspiration for your family’s Christmas card photos? Look no further! Today I’m so excited to be sharing our DIY Family Christmas Photos in partnership with Bealls Outlet.

Taking your own Family Christmas Photos doesn’t have to be hard, complicated, or expensive, which is why today I’ve rounded up my super helpful tips for taking the absolute best DIY Family Christmas Photos.

I’m also sharing helpful tips on how to choose your location, theme, what outfits to wear, how to use props, and the photography equipment I personally use and recommend for capturing the best family photos.

If you or someone you know will be taking your own family Christmas photos this year, I highly encourage you to save this post for later and use it as a helpful resource and guide for taking your own photos!

How to Take DIY Family Christmas Photos

For today’s post I’m so excited to be sharing our two adorable DIY Family Christmas Photoshoots. This includes a cute and fun matching Christmas pajamas photoshoot and an easy outdoor holiday photoshoot featuring cute outfit looks from Bealls Outlet.

If you’ve been a follower of the blog for awhile you’ll know I’m a huge fan of Bealls Outlet for finding cute + affordable outfits, home decor, and seasonal items, and I’m so excited that you can now shop all their looks online and have them shipped straight to your door.

Check out all their latest arrivals over here and don’t forget to sign up for a FREE More Rewards account over here to earn rewards with every purchase and save 10% every Monday.

What are the Benefits of Taking Your Own Family Christmas Photos?

I’ve personally been taking our family Christmas photos at home for years now, and I always love being able to capture special holiday memories of our family each year to frame or make into Christmas cards for sharing with family and friends

Doing your own at-home Christmas photoshoot is not only a great option for saving money if you’re on a budget, but it can also be great if you don’t have a lot of time to schedule out a photoshoot with a professional photographer.

Step 1 – Choose Your Location/Theme

The first and one of the most important steps in creating your family Christmas photos is figuring out where you want to take your photos at. Choosing your location will really help set the tone for the entire photo shoot and will also help you determine an overall theme, what outfits to wear, what poses to do, etc.

For our family Christmas photos this year, I knew I wanted to do two separate shoots including one casual indoor photoshoot in cute Christmas pajamas and one outdoor photoshoot with more dressy clothes.

For the indoor photoshoot, I decided on a fun Christmas pajama photoshoot, and I thought decorating our new King size bed with lights and holiday décor would work perfectly as a backdrop. For our outdoor photoshoot, we took them in front of a wooded area near the entrance to our neighborhood, and they turned out so nice.

Sometimes it doesn’t have to be a fancy location and the best backdrops can be really simple locations in or around your home. In case you need a little inspiration, I’ve included several cute and fun location and backdrop ideas below for taking your family Christmas photos at home or in your local area.

They’re all really easy to do yourself and most can be done right in the comfort of your home.

Location Ideas for At Home/Indoor Family Christmas Photos

Holiday Decorated Bed
In Front of Christmas Tree
Decorated Fireplace
Cozy on the Couch
Sitting or Standing On Staircase
Around Dining Table
Baking Cookies in the Kitchen

Location Ideas for Outdoor Family Christmas Photos

Backyard (Use trees, steps, or your home as the backdrop)
Decorated Front Porch
Nearby Forest/Tree Line
Christmas Tree Farm
Country Setting – Old Fence/Field/Barn
Holiday Decorated Truck Bed in a Field
Downtown/Small Shops/City Buildings

Step 2 – Choose Coordinating Outfits

The next step in creating cute family Christmas photos is of course choosing your outfits! With your location in mind, decide on a theme for your photos to help you choose coordinating outfits that will work best for your family.

We found all our outfits at Bealls Outlet and I was blown away with how affordable everything was! We were able to get all four Christmas pajamas for under $50 and all of our dressy outfits for around $75.

What Should a Family Wear for Christmas Photos?

You might be wondering what your family should wear for Christmas photos, and honestly the possibilities are endless. It really all depends on what location you decide on and also the personality and style of your family.

Let your Personality Shine

Whether you’re a jeans and tee kind of family or if dressing up is more your thing, don’t be afraid to rock it! You want the photos to look as natural as possible and for everyone to feel comfortable in what they’re wearing, without it being overly posed.

Choose Complementary Colors/Styles

And don’t worry if matching outfits isn’t your thing – you totally don’t have to match in your family Christmas photos or wear ugly Christmas sweaters unless you want to. That said, you do want to make sure that your outfits are all complementary of one another, which is why I recommend choosing a color palette of 4-5 colors and selecting outfits for family members accordingly.

I also recommend choosing a mix of different patterns and textures that look good together. You don’t want your photos to look too busy from too many or clashing patterns, but you also don’t want them to look boring.

For our family, picking out a new pair of Christmas pajamas to wear on Christmas Eve is actually one of our annual traditions, so we were super excited to find adorable matching pajamas at Bealls Outlet. I knew right away, they’d be the perfect look for our bedroom photoshoot, and I love the red with the black plaid, as well as the cute Mama Bear, Papa Bear, and Little Bear graphic.

Our Family’s Color Palette – Navy Blue/Gray/Tan/Burgundy

For our outdoor photo shoot I decided on the color palette of navy blue, gray, tan, and burgundy and it all came together perfectly! Even though everyone didn’t necessarily match, it still looked great because all the colors complemented one another.

I love how the burgundy in my husband’s shirt added a nice pop of color and a festive holiday touch to an otherwise neutral color palette. I also love how my blanket scarf pattern and the dark gray on my oldest son’s shirt, adds just the right amount of texture to the photo without it being over the top.

Step 3: Decorate/Use Props

Using decorations and props is completely optional in your Christmas family photos, but I personally think they add a nice festive touch to an otherwise simple photo. I especially recommend using props and Christmas decorations if you will be using your Christmas family photos for Christmas cards.

For our outdoor photoshoot, we used a beautiful Christmas wreath we found at Bealls Outlet for just $19.99. My boys loved holding it during the photoshoot, and it added the perfect festive touch to the photo with the berries, pinecones, and snow-covered branches.

For our Christmas pajama photoshoot, I found everything I needed at Bealls Outlet and I’m so in love with how our decorated bedroom looks. I added an adorable mini Christmas tree to my nightstand, two cute snowmen, and a small sign that says “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”.

I also found the cutest pillows including a “Merry” red pillow and white faux fur pillow for the bed, and I love how it adds the perfect pop of color and texture.

I must say, my favorite item in this Christmas photoshoot was the pearl string lights though! I just used some tape to attach both ends to my headboard, and then created loops throughout. It ended up looking SO cute and added the perfect ambiance in our photos.

I also found these elf headbands and reindeer pet headband for less than $5 each in-store at Bealls Outlet, and they worked perfectly for a fun mini photoshoot of our boys with our sweet Goldendoodle, Brady. Don’t they all look adorable?!

Step 4: Set-Up Camera + Take Your Photos

Last but not least (and probably the most important step) is setting up your camera and actually taking your photos. I personally used and love my Canon Rebel t6i, but if a DSLR isn’t within your budget, don’t worry. Phones nowadays have great cameras on them, and I’ve taken plenty of family portraits on my iPhone before that turned out great.

Whether you choose to use a DSLR camera or your phone, you will definitely need to purchase a tripod and a remote if you are going to take the photos yourself. This will ensure that your photos don’t turn out blurry, and the wireless remote makes taking photos yourself a breeze. Below I’ve included the equipment I used and would personally recommend.

Recommended Equipment

Before taking your photos, I recommend getting everything set up and doing a couple of test shots to make sure the lighting, focus, and frame is centered. I will add that taking advantage of natural light is key when taking great photos, especially if you are taking photos indoors.

Once everything is to your liking, start taking your photos and don’t take just 2-3 photos and call it a day. To ensure you get “the perfect shot”, I recommend doing different poses and taking several photos of each pose before moving onto the next.

I know with our family, it never fails that someone blinks, moves, or looks away from the camera, which is why it’s important to take extra photos so you have plenty of options to choose from. I’m not saying you need to get crazy and take thousands of photos, but I do recommend taking at least 5 shots of each pose.

How to Take the Best Family Christmas Photos

Plan Ahead and Have an Overall Theme/Location/Look in Mind – Whether it’s doing a quick google image or Pinterest search – find a few photos of inspiration to help you plan out your photo shoot. I almost always do this before any photo shoot to help give me inspiration on what type of poses to do.
Provide Clear Expectations/Communicate with your Family – Just as a professional photographer would provide you guidance and prompt you to do certain poses and look different directions, it’s important to do the same when taking photos at home. Instead of assuming everyone in your family knows what you want them to do in the photos, TELL them. I always give my husband and boys a general idea of what I have in mind and that makes it much easier.
Have Fun/Let Your Personality Shine – Last but not least, have fun and let your family’s personality shine through in your photos. Our family almost always takes a goofy photo when we take photos, which is just part of our personality. We love to laugh and have a good time, and my boys are always goofing off together. Instead of fighting this when we take photos I wholeheartedly embrace it, and as a result I’m able to capture some really cute candid shots.

How to Get Kids to Smile in Family Photos

If getting your kids to smile in photos is always a struggle, below I’ve included some quick tips and methods that have helped me over the years when taking our family photos.

Sing a silly song that always makes them smile and laugh, or sing a song they know/love but change the words to something funny instead.
Use reverse psychology. Tell them things like “Don’t you dare smile” or “Don’t smile or I’ll tickle you!” These methods have always been sure-fire ways to get my kids to smile in photos.
When all else fails, promise them a reward for all their hard work. My boys are honestly not huge fans of taking photos, but after this photoshoot I took them out for a treat the next day, which motivated them to participate a lot more.

Our DIY Family Christmas Photos

And without further adieu, here’s a look at our Family Christmas Photos this year! I love how they turned out and can’t wait to put them on a Christmas card and share them with our family and friends.

Outdoor Family Christmas Photoshoot

Shop The Look: High Waist Faux-Leather Leggings | Blanket Scarf | Ankle Booties | Men’s Button Up Shirt | Christmas Wreath

Indoor Family Christmas Pajamas Photoshoot

Shop the Look: Matching Pajamas | King Bed | Comforter Set | Christmas Pillow

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3 Comments

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Jill says:

November 12, 2020 at 8:44 pm

I absolutely love the idea with the matching pjs on the bed! Too cute! Maybe we will try that this year!

1. Kindly Unspoken says:
  
  November 13, 2020 at 7:52 am
  
  Thanks! You all definitely should – that’d be so cute!

DIY Family Christmas Photos – Cute & Easy Ideas