Jenna Caplette migrated from California to Montana in the early 1970s, first living on the Crow Indian reservation. A Healing Arts Practitioner, she owns Bozeman BodyTalk & Integrative Healthcare. She says, " Health is resiliency, a zest for the journey. It’s about coming awake to the joy of being alive. As a practitioner, its a privilege to facilitate that healing process, to help weave new patterns of health & well-being. “ And by the way, healthier, happier people help create a healthier, happier world.

Enjoy these holiday photo tips from the crew at Bozeman’s F-11 Photographic Supplies

• Get up close.  For a different view, set your camera to the macro mode (usually represented by a flower on the mode dial or navigation buttons).  This mode will let you get so close – you’ll be just inches away from your subject for a new way of looking at things.  Try to make the photos abstract, full of texture.
• To take great photos of your Christmas lights - on the tree or your house, you will want to use a tripod if you have one to stabilize the camera. Take a photograph of the tree or house lights with the camera set so the flash does not go off. If your camera has a setting for shooting ambient light and flash, set the camera to that mode. If your camera has a manual mode, you may also want to try putting the camera on manual and trying a range of settings until you get an exposure you like.
• Try zooming in on your subject for interesting views of body parts – such as hands, feet, eyes, or smiles.  When you see a child and adult holding hands, zoom in to focus on their clasped hands.
• For a really creative photo, use the B&W or Monochrome mode on the camera. Sometimes there will be a Sepia mode. B&W and Monochrome turn the photo black and white. Sepia turns the photo brown and white. The lack of color in these photographs makes them look like really old pictures.
• Look behind your subject to make sure trees, poles, street signs or other tall objects are not growing out of their heads.  It is holiday time but people don’t have antlers like Reindeer do.
• Try different angles.  To see the world the way a small child does, get down low and point the camera up.  Doing this will elongate subjects like people or trees making them look even bigger than they are.  To see the world the way tall people do, put the camera above your head and point it downwards.  The subjects furthest away will look smaller than they do in real life.
• Try the self-timer mode.  When taking group photos at holiday gatherings and there are no extra people around to take the picture for you, you can place the camera on a tripod or stable surface (make sure it is a very stable surface, so the camera won’t fall).  Then you compose the photo, set the self-timer to take the picture and join your friends.
• When taking a photograph of a big group, take the extra time to make sure that no one is cut off or missing.  You might have to zoom out wide or step backwards, but doing this will ensure that you get everyone’s smiling face in the picture.
• When shooting pictures in the snow, make sure you set the camera to the snow mode if it has one.  This lets the camera know that all the fluffy stuff it sees is supposed to be white so it exposes the photograph correctly.
• Instead of putting your subject in the center of the frame, try composing your pictures so they look more interesting.  For example, if you are taking a picture of holiday candles or presents, look around to see what else you can frame in the picture.  Maybe you compose it so the candles or presents are on one edge of the frame with people filling the rest of the photograph.  This helps to tell the story.