Make your end-of-year Christmas photos a truly memorable moment by creating your own. With some creativity and a little planning, you can create a charming festive setting at home – all you need is some paper, glue and the right equipment. This guide will help you set the scene for a special DIY end-of-year photo session, along with tips and tricks from a professional photographer. Then, turn your snap in Christmas cards, personalised gifts and more so you can cherish every photo for years to come.

Choose Your Christmas Photo Theme

A series of images showing a family of four posing for Christmas photos in front of a backdrop made of green and pink paper chains.

A bright and festive backdrop for Christmas photos will turn a regular family snap into an occasion, and make a great Christmas card to send to friends and family. Then, you can turn the pic into cards, presents or an end-of-year photo to frame and hang on the wall. Choose a colour theme, then get to work on this easy craft project that can be done with kids. This chain design uses long lengths of colourful paper hung from a curtain rod or backdrop stand to make a big impact.

Make Your Own Photo Backdrop

An assortment of craft supplies to help with setting up Christmas photos, shown on various brightly coloured backgrounds. Products include things like a ring light, glue and coloured paper.

Step 1: Set up your stand, whether it’s a curtain rod on the wall or a firm piece of rope tied between sticky hooks. Ensure it’s very secure, especially when you have kids or pets in the photos.

Step 2: Start making your paper chains by folding an A4 piece of colour paper in half lengthways and then half again. When you open, you have creases to cut four long strips. Keep repeating the folds and cutting.

Step 3: Once you have a big pile of strips, create your chains by first looping one around the curtain rod, then working your way down, looping a strip through the first chain, and securing with a glue stick.

Step 4: Keep working downwards until you hit your desired length, and repeat across the rod until you have created a backdrop to fill the frame of the photo.

Step 5: Set up your at-home photo studio by positioning a ring light and a tripod for your phone or device a few metres away from your backdrop to allow plenty of room for your friends and family to pose. Add a selfie stick to the setup, too, if you want to capture a few different angles.

What You’ll Need

SEE ALSO: Party Decorations To Elevate Your Next Celebration

Make Christmas-Themed Props

A series of images showing a family of four posing for Christmas photos with cardboard props, including a star, a Santa hat, a Christmas tree and ‘2025’ glasses. 

A quick way to get everyone excited to be in a photo? Add props! Masks and headpieces are always a hit and easy to make to suit any occasion. Plus, they can go into the costume box for more playing later.

How to Make Your Photo Props

Step 1: Download these templates and print them onto a piece of paper for tracing, or print them directly onto cardboard. You might also like to give free-hand drawing a go and sketch your own design onto the cardboard. Cut out your cardboard shapes.

Hot Tip: Using thicker cardboard will ensure the shapes stand tall rather than flopping forwards or backwards.

Step 2: Take a coloured craft stick and use a dab of hot glue to secure the cardboard shape to an outer edge, making it easy to hold up in the photo.

What You’ll Need

An assortment of craft supplies to help with making photo props, shown on various brightly coloured backgrounds. Products include things like craft sticks and pom-poms.

How to Take the Best Christmas Photos According to a Photographer

A series of images showing a family of four posing for Christmas photos. Everyone is bunched up close together, making a variety of poses and expressions to make a fun family photo. 

Now that your scene is set, how do you ensure that the photos you take are print-worthy? We asked photographer Kate Dyer of Urban Safari Photography for her best tips for taking great photos.

Find the Right Location

Choose a spot in your home with plenty of natural light and without too much clutter that will distract from the subjects of the photo. “You want to select a spot that’s nice and bright, too, preferably daylight,” she says. Don’t have enough natural light? Use a ring light to brighten up the space.

Use the Right Camera and Equipment

A phone with a camera is all you need to take a good snap, but if you want a great photograph, there are a few tricks for clear, crisp and consistent photos. “You’ll need to set up the camera somewhere steady,” says Kate. “A tripod is really helpful for this.”

Be sure to select the ‘Regular’ photo mode as ‘Portrait’ mode won’t work when you’re photographing a group from further back, says Kate. If you’re in the photo, set the timer to give yourself plenty of time to join the rest of the group rather than taking an awkwardly angled selfie. For extra assistance, choose a tripod with a remote for easy snaps from within your backdrop area.

Take Time With Your Photo Composition

You have your backdrop looking perfect, the lighting is right and now it’s time to add your family and friends. “Make sure your camera orientation matches the backdrop, so if it’s wider than it is tall, turn your phone around to shoot horizontally,” says Kate. “Get close enough so that the backdrop fills the frame, then mix up the heights of the people in the shot, and have some standing and some sitting. 

Try to avoid one long line of people next to each other to keep it interesting. A good family shot should feel squished with everyone close and making contact.

Hot Tip: If you’re using your backdrop for snaps at a party, add an instant camera, so guests can come away with a lovely photo memento.

Embrace the Family Chaos

Don’t get fixated on what your Christmas photos will look like. “A ‘perfect’ family photo is one that captures your family being themselves – even if not everyone is looking in the same direction,” says Kate. 

To encourage natural smiles, Kate suggests asking people about their pets, a holiday, or what they want for Christmas – anything that will help them think about something positive.  When in doubt, asking them to shout something silly will work, too. “Try to capture that laugh or smile when they’ve finished answering,” she says.

What to Try

SEE ALSO: Celebrating the Creative Process With Anna Blatman

Printing Your Christmas Photos

Once you have your gorgeous photos captured, it’s time to show them off. DIY Christmas photos make for a sweet, nostalgic Christmas gift – particularly if you take them year after year to capture how your family grows and changes. 

Transform them into Christmas cards to send to family and friends using Officeworks Print + Create or really let the photos shine by turning them into personalised gifts, such as mugs, a key ring or even a snow globe.  

What to Try