Design Crafters

Last Christmas season, author and graphic design specialist Linda Kling posted several ideas for photo Christmas cards. Her suggestions are to think more creatively- not just to use a smiling, posted shot to make up your card.

Because all of her suggestions are quite creative, I think we shoud explain some of the best here.

Among her suggestions are to:

1. Consider using a black and white photo. Because of their lack of color, such shots can be creative, offbeat, or even dramatic. You can work up such a photo by changing your digital camera setting to black and white, or altering your snapshot to grayscale in your photo editing software.

2. If you have a large family reunion this spring or summer, take a group photo and work with that one for your photo Christmas card. If you have a large family- and they are all smiling- the effect can be that much warmer and more powerful!

3. If you are going on summer vacation, take along a Christmas ornament or stocking. Place that in the family picture you take for your Christmas card. The contrast between beach and a Holiday that occurs in the winter will be appealing and offbeat in a fun way.

4. Don’t necessarily clean everyone up for your photo. If your children have a hobby in which they are scruffy, taking a photo of them in that condition can come across as authentic and sincere.

5. Take several cropped photos, print them, place them on Christmas-y background paper and then scan them. Then, use the scanned image for your card.

(Mom’s Source)