The holidays offer one of the greatest times to perfect the art of the family photo. Photos are used for everything from holiday greeting cards to personalized photo gifts for family and friends, so it’s important to have your family look their best for that coveted spot on the refrigerator all year long.

If you are looking for some tips on how to achieve the perfect holiday photo shoot this year, see below for some great ideas.

Location, location, location. This will be the first step in planning that perfect holiday photograph. If choosing somewhere outdoors, make sure that you are allowed to shoot there, and scout the location beforehand to pick the perfect areas or backdrops for your shoot. This will save time in the long run, and you’ll know what areas are best in whatever time of day you are choosing to shoot. If you want an indoor space, choose something more meaningful to your family such as a special room in the home or a favorite casual restaurant.

Hire a professional or invest in some good equipment. If you are handy with a camera and have a decent one, you may want to skip on shelling out the money for a photographer. If you do choose to do this, you’ll want to make sure you have some simple equipment like a tripod to help stabilize your camera and set a timer so you can also be in the pictures, and not always behind the lens.

Get candid. While you may want some more formal shots that are sure to show the entire family’s faces, you will also want to play around with some candid shots. To make these look as unstaged as possible, bring some props to play with, and encourage your family to explore the area with one another while you take your shots from afar. These shots may not make it on the Christmas card, but you’ll definitely treasure seeing the different personalities pop up as you create your next gallery wall out of your favorite antique picture frames or gold picture frames in your home for the new year.

Get out of focus. Christmas lights make for a beautiful or romantic backdrop, but they can take away from the subjects of the frame if they are too much in the spotlight. Play around with some of your camera settings or tell your photographer that you want to use some out-of-focus elements in your shoot to create unique and gorgeous photos. Have the camera lens focus on the subjects in the foreground, while the lights blur in the distance behind them.

Include the whole family. This also means to bring your pets! Furry members of the family are just as valuable as their human counterparts, so be sure to include them in on the fun when showcasing your whole family in the photos. Use a festive collar or just let them be themselves, and you’ll get some great candid shots of your pet loving you as only they can.