Have you ever created a Christmas video for your family? Although family photography is my first and greatest love, I like to dabble in taking some video footage occasionally. One look at a photograph can always transport me back to the moment it was taken. However, sometimes its nice to hear baby noises, watch your kids run, see your family interact with one another.

One of the hardest things for me, particularly as a parent, is living so far away from my family. Everyone is out of State, with my sister and brother living all the way across the country in Texas and California. We all get together twice a year and have begun a tradition of taking video footage for a family Christmas video. The 10 of us love having it for the memories, but it’s also an easy link to send to those who were unable to join us for the holiday.

Those who are just here for the video, feel free to skip the next part and head down to watch! For photographers or iPhone-graphers who are interested in creating a video, here’s a little bit about my process.

Equipment

Equipment: I use my regular DSLR (Canon 5D Mark IV) and just one lens, my Canon 35mm 1.4 which is always my go-to lens for indoor photography (or videography). After I take the clips, I edit them in LightRoom and then use my computer’s free iMovie editing software to compile the Christmas Video. Once it is complete, I export and upload to my free Vimeo account. The iMovie software I find very user-friendly with plenty of special effect options. If you were doing this on an iPhone, you would simply upload the video clips the same way.

Without further ado, here is a four minute peek into my family’s Christmas Eve and Christmas. One caveat: I am by no means a videographer. This is just me, having fun, and creating some special memories for my family.

(SOUND ON!)

Family Christmas 2018 from Lyndsay Mills McNiff on Vimeo.

Because you can’t take the photographer out of the girl, here are a few of my favorite stills from our few days with family:

XO- LYNDSAY