Family Photography How To

(Editor’s Note: Exploring Light is a monthly Shutterbug column featuring tips, tricks, and photo advice from professional photographers in the Canon Explorers of Light and Canon Legends education program. This month's column is by Barbara Bordnick with easy tips for capturing great photos of friends and family this holiday season.

Whether you call Flying Saucers by their traditional name or use the Pentagon’s new nomenclature (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena), capturing a UFO/UAP video or digital image is easier than it sounds. So grab your camera and tinfoil hat and join the fun.

These projects are affordable or FREE and will keep you occupied for days – weeks, even. They require no special skills and comply with social distancing safety and common sense. Think of them as sort of blind dates. You may want to spend an afternoon with them, or maybe a few months, or perhaps even the rest of your life.

Everything you need to vlog, all neatly packaged and ready to go from Canon, Nikon and Sony. Just add a topic, a narrator and a smile. Contrary to popular belief, YouTube does not require the inclusion of cats, dogs or people falling off bicycles.

File this one under “Having fun with photos while temporarily housebound.” reStickity prints your images on durable peel & stick adhesive material that can safely be attached, removed and then reattached to virtually any surface without damaging the wallboard, refrigerator door, corkboard or plaster (etc.) you attach it to. Put an end to crummy tape scum forever.

Once thought of as a toy for novices only, these grown up bridge cameras are capable of producing some amazing images, starting right in your own backyard. Here are our favorite tips for shooting Flowers and Plants with a superzoom camera.

Use your inkjet printer to create 3D toys, stunning calendars, scrapbook pages, holiday cards, hanging decorations, reproductions of famous artwork and much, much more. Canon’s Creative Park offers an outstanding collection of templates and activities—complete with detailed instructions—and no, you don’t have to own a Canon brand printer. With Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Proms and Graduations rapidly approaching, here’s your chance to create personalized cards and gifts using your shareable digital images.