How to take great photos of friends and family this holiday season

Whether it's an impromptu shindig, or you’re snowed in with your whole family, the holidays are the time to take that awesome portrait of your loved ones, maybe with that sweet new camera you just got as a gift. But for the occasional photographer who might not shoot anything more formal than brunch food and a kids' soccer game, where do you start?

Dave FitzSimmons, a Sigma Pro photographer whose work has run the gamut from calendars to industrial photography and self-published books, recommends keeping it simple above all else. There's no need to get a complicated rig or multi-light set up. Just a camera, a tripod when necessary and a few small tricks are all you need. Read more...