Capture This | Holiday moments

The holiday season is filled with memory making - and photo ops! We asked our Creative Team to share some of their favorite Christmas photos, along with their tips and settings for getting the shot.

Kelly Noel : I'm obsessed with pretty bokeh photos of Christmas tree lights. There are lots of ways to achieve these photos. The photo on the left I took during the afternoon while it was still light out. You can still see the colors from my ornaments and the photo itself just has an overall lighter feel. The photo on the right I took at night, which makes the lights really stand out against the darker background. To get the same look, turn all of the lights off except for your tree lights. Adjust your camera settings and switch the autofocus to manual focus instead. You can play with how much out of focus you want the lights to be and get different effects. To get the shaped bokeh, simply punch or cut out a shape from the center of a small piece of black cardstock. Then, tape the paper to the front of your camera lens and shoot away. So easy and you can try all different kinds of shapes!

left photo - Camera - Canon 5d Mark II, Lens - 50mm 1.4, aperture - f/1.4, ss 1/125 | right photo - Camera - Canon 5d Mark II, Lens - 50mm 1.4, aperture, f/1.4, ss 1/125

Deb Duty : This is a favorite Christmas photo of mine because it shows my boys' different reactions to the same "unusual" gift. Don't forget to look for personality shots in the midst of the holiday chaos!

Camera - Canon 5D Mark II, Lens - Canon 50mm f/1.4, ISO - 1000, Aperture - 1.8, Shutter - 1/100

Amanda Caves : Here are three of my favorite Christmas shots that I took last year and one from 2010.

1. Take a picture of the milk and cookies left for Santa. (SS 1/80; Ap 1.8, ISO 1600)

2. Take a picture of the presents Santa left under the tree before the kiddos dig in. (SS 1 second; Ap. 9.0, ISO 1000)

3. Take a picture of your children's faces when they first see the presents under the tree. (SS 1/80; Ap. 3.2; ISO, 400)

4. Take a picture of something unique to that year's Christmas. In 2010, we had an unexpected and once-in-a-lifetime white Christmas here in Alabama. (SS 1/8000; Ap. 3.5 ISO 200)

Lisa Truesdell : On Christmas morning, I like to get a few gift photos early on - mainly to get my camera settings right. Then I set my camera down (within reach), until the boys get to THAT present. You know the one - the one that's mostly likely to get a reaction. I've gotten pretty good at predicting which gift will get them really excited, but they surprise me from time to time! Having my camera at my side and dialed in to the right settings means I can just grab it when one of them flips out over what they've opened. I'm so glad I was able to capture the crushing hugs my littlest gave his big brothers over the Lego set they gave him!

Camera - Canon 60D, Lens - Canon 28mm 1.8, f/2.5, ss - 1/80, ISO 2000

Loredana Bucaria : I love this photo because it represent a quite moment of Chstimas time, the breakfast with homemade cookies that I really love to do. My adorable dot red cup, the Christmas tree in background and all is quiet and bright. It’s the moment that I love so much.

Camera: canon 600 D, Lens: 18-135mm, ISO 1600, Speed 1/60

I love this pic because it makes me dream about Santa Claus house, about Christmas time, snow, warm fireplace, cold weather! It’s a detail that I have loved to stop and remember.

Camera: Canon 600 D, Lens: 18-135 mm, ISO 3200, Speed 1/80

This is my Christmas photo for sure!!!! Use your remote control and have fin creating a christmas photo booth with hats, lights and cuddles! I found inspiration from pinterest and make my own picture and In love it so so much!

Camera: Canon 600 D, Lens: 18-135 mm, ISO 200, Speed 1/160

Barbara Picinich : This is one of my favorite photos from Christmas 2012. This photo was obviously taken after my daughter went to bed and I love it because it just sums up the night so well. Cookies have been left, there’s a little girl in bed all snug just waiting and dreaming and hoping Santa brought her what she wants.

Camera: Canon Rebel T2i, Lens: 18-55mm, ISO: 3200, Speed: 1/13, Aperture: f/4.5

Melanie Louette : After seeing a few similar pics floating around on Pinterest, I became obsessed with getting a similar shot of a blurry tree and some snowflakes. Last week, we had quite a snowfall, and I made a point of going to a park close by to get a shot of this tree. I was hoping to use it for my Christmas cards this year, but may have to wait until next year, as I have run out of time!

To get this effect, you need a fast shutter speed to capture the flakes. I bumped up the ISO as well as it was late afternoon and getting a little dark. I focused my camera on an object closer by,(my dog in this instance) locked the focus, and then shot the tree which was further away, and gave me the blurred look I wanted.

Camera : Nikon D7100, Lens: 50mm (1.4), ISO: 800, aperture:1.4, Shutter Speed 1/3200

Julie Campbell : I caught my son sneaking a bite of Santa's cookies & love how the photo captured his emotions & personality. Don't be afraid to take pictures of those silly moments too.

Camera - Canon Rebel T3, Lens - Canon 50mm 1.8

We'd love to see YOUR holiday captures! Upload them to the gallery or instagram with the tag #SCcapturethis.