TECH BYTE: Use Tech to Take Perfect Holiday Photos

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — The holiday season is in full swing, and spending time with family and close friends is a big part of celebrating.

There is some tech that’ll help you take better pictures during those get togethers.

There’s no need to hire a professional photographer these days if you want that perfect holiday family photo.

Save your money! Your smartphone likely already has a decent camera.

“Smartphones are thousands of dollars, and so why not utilize them for as much as possible?” said Laurie Starcher, AT&T. “The first thing to do is to definitely familiarize yourself with your camera. That’s really important. Take a few practice shots, maybe put your pups in there to stand in to make sure that the lighting is right, so that way you feel really confident in taking those photos.”

You should also make sure you have enough storage space on your phone if you end up taking multiple pictures or videos.

“Make sure your cloud storage is set up, because once you do take that amazing picture for your family, you want to make sure that you have that saved,” Starcher said.

Starcher says both Apple and Android phones have plenty of features to take great photos.

“For Androids, there’s a Scene Optimizer, and there’s Single Take Mode as well, so lots of different ways to familiarize yourself with taking really great photos,” she said. “For Apple devices, iPhones, Portrait Mode is always great. It kind of helps with the depth, and blurs out the background, and that always looks really professional.”

Not only do you need a good camera, but a good printer helps too.

Starcher says Shutterfly and Staples have worked well for her. Stores like Walmart and Walgreens even offer photo printing services.

“You can upload them right to those particular companies,” she said. “Whether it be Shutterfly, Staples, you can upload them right then and there. It’s a very easy process. You can make calendars, your Christmas cards. You can make it all, so some really easy ways to use your smartphone for not only the great pictures, but really some great gifts for your families as well.”

If you’re stumped on what printing service to use, just check their websites, to see who’s offering the best deals right now.

But before you print, you might need to edit your pictures a bit.

There are some basic photo editing features on your phone to crop, brighten, and sharpen your pictures.

Starcher says there are also plenty of apps that’ll help you make those pictures, picture perfect.

Just search “photo editor” in your phone’s app store.

“I would just say, you know, play around with it. Take a look. If one app you download and it doesn’t work for you, simply remove it. Take that off. Delete that off your phone and try again with something different.”

Both iPhones and Androids also have a timer feature, if you want to be in the picture, and take it.