How to take perfect holiday photos with your smartphone

There’s no need to stress over getting the perfect holiday photos. Your smartphone camera has everything you need to capture all your favorite warm and cozy memories in stunning quality.

Grant Waldorf, Cellular Sales Video Director and Editor, and Sarah Smith, Cellular Sales Social Media Strategist, are two people who know their way around a camera. As such, they have insider tips and tricks on how to make your holiday photos truly stand out. Here are their top tips for getting the right shot, whether you’re taking candids of your Secret Santa exchange or family photos in front of gleaming light displays.

Whether you’re taking photos indoors or outdoors, lighting is the key to great photos. Harsh overhead lights or dimly lit surroundings can both ruin even the most festive of holiday pics, so choosing the right time of day and the right location for your photoshoot can make all the difference.

“As a professional I'm going to be using an off-camera light, but if you're not doing that you want to make the most out of natural light,” says Grant. “So, take advantage of window light, usually the best location is a north-facing window… The whole idea is using that nice soft, flattering natural light.”

He also suggests angling your photo subjects, either perpendicular to the window or at a three-quarters angle, to capture as much of that natural light as possible. Outdoors, this strategy is foolproof, especially if you take your pictures around midday to avoid pesky shadows interfering with your shots. Indoors, things can get a little trickier, especially when you don’t have a lot of space to work with. Luckily, Sarah has the perfect solution.

“Using a feature on your phone, it now lets you zoom out further. You can go in more than just 0.5 now, so if you're in a really tight spot and need to zoom out, you can.”

Most smartphones already have the 0.5 zoom feature built into the cameras, but with even newer models, like the iPhone 17 Pro, you can choose from more custom zoom features so that you can fit everyone into a single photo no matter how tiny your space is.

A great photo can often start before you even pull out your camera. What you decide to wear can affect the end result of your picture. While the “ugly sweater” has become a holiday tradition, the bright, contrasting colors can sometimes distract from the other content in your desired photo. Our two pros agree it’s best to be mindful of the crazy patterns and how they might clash with the background or lighting.

Composition for your holiday photos may seem like an intimidating subject, but it’s much easier than you might think. For a great photo, all you need is one simple trick.

“The first thing that I always tell people that are wanting to get into it is just understand the rule of thirds,” Grant points out.

The rule of thirds is a tried-and-true photography technique that involves dividing your image into nine equal parts with two horizontal and two vertical lines, then placing the subjects of your photo along those lines. There’s a feature on most smartphones that will add those lines to your camera for you so you can easily use the rule of thirds in real time. Just go to your Settings, tap Camera, and toggle on the “Grid” option.

“If you're doing a dedicated family group shot, then you're probably going to want it to be symmetrical,” says Grant. “But if, say, it's just you and a significant other or you and one family member, then I think it's more interesting to have those two people on one third of the screen and then the setting on the remaining two thirds.”

Sarah also suggests using other high-tech features on your smartphone for getting the best photo possible. Like the Level feature to make sure your pic is even across the board or adjusting light exposure on the fly.

You can even delve into advanced AI features like Camera Coach on the Google Pixel 10, if you’re feeling extra ambitious. “It guides you on how to adjust the picture to get the best photograph. It'll give you prompts at the top on how to move the screen and directs you on how to get there,” says Sarah.

Now that you know how to take Christmas photos at home, let’s discuss how to take photos of Christmas lights. Nighttime is the right time for capturing crisp, clear, sparkling photos of holiday lights. The contrast between light and dark makes the colors and the brightness stand out. However, if you’re trying to get your family in the photo as well, Grant points out that the best time of day to capture both at the same time is twilight.

“Just after sunshine. So, you still have enough exposure for the people in the shot, but you should be able to manage getting the lights looking at you, too,” adds Grant.

And if you want to really make the holiday lights in your photos pop, exposure is your best friend. You can adjust a picture’s exposure as you take a picture with the sun icon to the right of your yellow focus point or you can aways touch it up afterwards with the built-in photo editing tools in your smartphone.

What matters the most when choosing the best smartphone to capture and showcase your holiday memories in vivid detail is the quality of the camera. Luckily, the latest smartphones have cameras that rival those of the professionals. In Grant’s opinion, sensor size is the most important thing to look out for.

The iPhone 17, Samsung S25, and Google Pixel 10 Pro all carry 48 MP size sensor cameras, which is nearly double that of many pro cameras. The Pixel 10 series even touts 8X optical zoom for really honing in on all the little details.

With the high-quality cameras of the best smartphones and a couple of insider tips from the pros, you’ll be able to photograph your holiday merriment like an expert. But if you’re looking for more pro tips than covered here, or if you have any questions about which smartphone most matches your photography needs, you can’t go wrong with a visit to your local Cellular Sales to ask one of our consultants in-person. With hands-on support, advice, and holiday spirit our pros will be sure to make you a pro in everything holiday photography and beyond.