Around this time of year we begin to think about spending time together, family traditions and the holidays. The kids are off of school, we start making all kinds of holiday crafts, the kitchen fills with sounds of laughter and the smells of holiday baking.

As photographers, we sometimes fall into the trap of forgetting to take snapshots and family photos during these occasions. However the best photos that we can take are the ones that bring back memories when we look at them years later and the ones that mean something to us.

Capturing Holiday Memories

It’s the little things

Small faces covered with chocolate, sticky fingers, messy clothes, smiles & laughter. In my family we bake cookies every year for the holidays, the tradition of holiday baking gives us so many opportunities to capture photos of our families in their element, relaxed and enjoying themselves. Focus on the details and worry about cleaning up the mess later!

Relax

The holidays are full of so many things worth remembering. A few years from now you wont care what type of camera you used to document all of the smiles and fun, or how much staging you put into each photo. Relax and be patient, give your subjects a little space and capture the moments as they happen naturally.

More than Memories

Don’t leave your holiday photos trapped on your computer. Why not take your traditional family recipes and photos of holiday baking and turn them into a photo recipe book? Create a family heirloom that you can pass on to your children when they have families of their own.

Do you have any favourite memories of holiday baking as a child? Do you have any favourite memories of holiday baking with your own children?

AdoramaPix Contributor: Rebecca Sims is a British transplant living in the bustling city of Chicago with her husband and son after the three years that they spent living together in Germany.
Her blog, Bumbles & Light, is a place where she shares her love of photography, writing, cooking, and creativity.