Tips for Getting Great Shots
- Don’t wait until Halloween night to get pictures of your kids in their costumes. They will be too excited about trick or treating to stand still long enough for you to get the shots. Have them try on their costumes a day or two before the big night and do a mini photo session.
- If possible in your community, start trick or treating about 30 minutes before the sun sets so you can use the natural lighting for some of your shots.
- For the photos you will be taking after dark, most cameras like the Nikon D3300 DSLR HD Camera from Beachcamera.com, come equipped with Night Portrait mode allowing you to take pictures of people at night or in dimly lit situations.
- If you have the time to set up a tripod, this will result in better nighttime photography. Especially when shooting with long exposures or if you’re not using a flash.
- What would Halloween photography be without shots of those awesome jack-o-lanterns? Photographing these big orange globes and capturing their inner glow can be a little tricky though. Turn off your flash, use a tripod to steady the camera, and use a flashlight or extra candles inside of the jack-o-lantern to brighten the glow. If you opt for more candles, cut an extra hole in the top of the back of the pumpkin to work as a chimney for the extra heat.
- After taking photos of your child gathering candy from about 3 or 4 houses, put your camera away and enjoy the rest of the evening with your family.
Some Creative Ideas
DIY Photo Booth
A photo booth is the perfect addition to a Halloween party or even to your front porch the night of trick or treat. You just hang a table cover, decorate it however you wish, and provide some props if you’d like. Then you can set up a portable photo printer like the Epson America Personal Photo Lab from Beachcamera.com and snap and print photos of the neighborhood kids and print them out on the spot to give to their parents, with the parents’ permission of course.
Document Costume Transformation
If your costume is really elaborate this year, set up a tripod to snap photos documenting yourself transforming into your character from applying each step of your make-up to putting on each piece of your costume. Make sure you photograph from the same position each time and you will be able to create an awesome slide show presentation or flip book to share.
Silhouettes
Silhouettes add a hauntingly creative aspect to photos, especially images of people holding lit jack-o-lanterns against the sky at dusk. This will work best if you turn off your flash and use a tripod.
Props
With all of the Halloween decorations and costume props at your disposal, you need to take full advantage of these and add them to your photo shoots. Grab a broom and pick up a pumpkin and start creating some amazing photographs.
Ghosts in the Graveyard
This might be a bit creepy for some people, but it is a really cool way to make your subjects appear as ghosts in your photographs. Simply dress them up in old time looking clothes and choose a location to shoot the pictures. Using a long exposure of 8 seconds, take photos of your subjects without smiles in front of trees, fences, or at an old graveyard. Have your subjects step out of the frame after 5 seconds so you are shooting only the background for the remaining 3 seconds. The result is a double exposure in the space where the subject stood, which will give them a ghost-like look.
It’s always fun to capture great photos for the holidays, and Halloween with all of its costumes, decorations and props, is one of the best times to really show off your photography creativity.
