B. Slack Photography: Holiday Card Photos at Mt. Vernon

When looking for locations to take family photographs for Holiday cards it is a great idea to pick somewhere that is unique to your area. If you are in the Washington DC area, Mt. Vernon provides a great location. Mt. Vernon does have an entry fee but they are open everyday of the year and allow you to bring your dogs. When it comes to holiday announcements, a pet-friendly environment is key for families that want their entire family (dogs, too!) represented.

If you find a location that decorates for each season like Mt. Vernon, you won't need to worry about providing your own decorations. With a great location as your backdrop, something as simple as a scarf or hat could be the perfect accessory for your festive holiday greeting.

Working with toddlers and dogs together can pose a challenge. Photographing at a public place on a busy day offers many distractions for the toddlers and dogs to look at. To get Aiden and the pugs to look at the camera I used a variety of methods. It is definitely best to know a word of phrase that will help capture attention. For the pugs saying "treats" got their attention. To get Aiden's attention we used everything from shaking toys to singing parts of children's songs.

Today's take-aways:

1) If you can help it don't schedule the photoshoot for the time the sun is directly overhead. This is when the light is least flattering.

2) Look for shaded areas to help minimize harsh shadows on peoples faces.

3) Use a fill flash with a diffuser in bright sun to help reduce harsh shadows.

4) If using dogs for the holiday photo it doesn't hurt to bring treats to reward good behavior.

5) Much like tip 4, bring treats or other fun toys to reward kids good behavior as well.

Happy Photographing!

Here are a few of my favorites from the day: