The month of December is a time for parties, gift-giving, family gatherings and endless picture snapping. But when it comes time to capture these great moments, the old standard—line ’em up, smile, shoot—can get stale pretty quickly. Here are two simple strategies that will revitalize your results.

Shoot from the Hip

Practice taking photos without looking through the viewfinder or holding the camera at arm’s length and staring at the digital screen. Go ahead and line up your shot through the viewfinder, but then drop the camera to your chest. Nobody feels comfortable when a camera is pointed at them. Make eye contact with whoever you’re taking a picture of, let them relax, pretend you are thinking about something else… then snap a photo when they aren’t expecting it. Don’t be afraid to hold your finger down on the shutter either, and shoot a series of your loved ones’ unforced expressions.

Turn Off Your Flash

The artificial, unidirectional light of a flash tends to produce cool images, frozen action and glare. Flash is great sometimes, but not always. For a warmer look, rely instead on ambient lighting—lamps, decorative bulbs and even candles. You’ll need to crank your ISO as high as it will go (usually 1600) and brace your camera to avoid shake (try and find a table, chair or wall to steady yourself against). In fact, experiment with this: at your family’s holiday dinner, try putting your camera on the table and shooting between wine glasses, using the stems as foreground framing.  

Advanced users can also experiment with their camera’s white balance. Using “cloudy” will give warmish, orange-tinted results, whereas “indoor” will render the scene cooler and blue. Try both and see which you prefer.