Sadly, not many of us will catch a glimpse of Santa Claus at Christmas. Of course, there will be plenty of people disguised to look like him visiting shopping precincts and local schools. But capturing the real Santa is pretty tricky.

It's not much use waiting at the bottom of the chimney. Most people don't have an open fire these days. And, if he did come in that way, there would be soot everywhere and, quite frankly, it makes an awful mess.

So, the front entrance is your best bet. And don't think he will be early - he will have to wait until all the kids are tucked up in bed and fast asleep. This means that you'll have to set up your gear and be prepared at about 4am.

Flash is best as Santa moves pretty darn quickly - he has to, there are hundreds of visits to make. Red material looks great lit by flash - beware of the highlights from the sweat on Santa's face.

Santa is fat, let's not pretend otherwise. You would think differently wouldn't you, considering all the rushing about he does each year. I guess, he sits around and eats at most other times. And "fat" means wideangle lenses are best - get out your 28mm just to be sure.

Don't expect any pleasantries. Santa is a busy man and works hard and fast, at least, certainly on Christmas Eve. Requesting actions such as "face slightly to the left" and "could you tidy the beard a bit" will offend. Just snap away.

If you are lucky, you might get a quick picture of a reindeer or two. Although be careful as they sometimes bite and the climb up to the roof can be treacherous for the uninitiated photographer. It's mighty cold too - especially at 4am.

Have fun and .... be at the ready

Eric Hartwell is an enthusiastic photographer. He owns and runs the photography resource site http://www.theshutter.co.uk and the associated discussion forums http://www.theshutter.co.uk/forums as well as the regular weblog at http://thephotographysite.blogspot.com Anyone interested in getting involved contact him at shutter@theshutter.co.uk