| The moon is out, a chill in the air; The doorbell rings, time for a scare; Throughout the street, the children laugh; The cause for a haunted photograph! -Digi PixelsYes, fellow photographers, Halloween is upon us, that spooky time of year when ghouls and goblins of all sizes roam the streets in search of candy! This is a fantastic time to break out the camera and capture those ghostly apparitions and creatures of the night. Halloween offers so many great subjects to photograph trick-or-treaters, Jack-O-Lanterns, costume parties, and decorated haunted houses, just to name a few. Also, the falling leaves and autumn colors make for an ideal background for wonderful Halloween shots. This Halloween, capture all the spooky fun to remember for years to come. Here are a few tricks (and treats)… |
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Don’t flash Jack! The most photographed object during this time of year is the Jack-O-Lantern. However, most of the time, the shots never quite come out the way you see them with the naked eye. The reason lies with your flash. Because most pumpkins are photographed at night, your camera will automatically think it needs to use the flash. The problem is that the tone of the flash is cold compared to the warm glow from the pumpkin; they don’t match. This is one of those times when you need to outsmart your camera! |
| The best time to photograph that uniquely carved pumpkin is at dusk (this is actually the perfect time to shoot many of your Halloween photos). The unique dusk lighting allows you to see the shape of the pumpkin (along with some cool background colors) and still allow the candlelight to glow. Try putting your camera on a tripod or setting it on the edge of a tabletop. Raise your ISO to 400 or 800, set your camera on the shutter priority mode, and slow down the shutter speed. Here is the most important part: turn off the flash! Now you can capture the Jack-O-Lantern as your eye sees it. Take a shot, look at the results, and adjust your settings until it looks exactly the way you want.Another thing to try is to put a small piece of colored gel over your flash to warm it up. Orange works the best for this kind of shot. One more tip: add multiple candles or a flashlight inside the Jack-O-Lantern, which will add an extra glow. Of course, be careful not to reveal the light source in the shot! |  |
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Trick or TreatCapture the costume early! What about photographing all of those wacky costumes? One bit of advice: the earlier the better. Once everyone is decked out, gather them for a group photo session before it is totally dark outside. The makeup is still fresh, the masks are still on, and the sugar hasn’t completely taken effect! Also, take individual photos, and have fun with your backgrounds. A spooky monster looks even scarier with a bare tree silhouetted in the background, and a beautiful princess shines brighter on a grand staircase or under a royal chandelier. Try to really put the costume in its true element for a more effective photograph. The kids will have more fun playing the part (the adults too!), and you’ll end up with a better shot |
| You can also play around with putting your camera in the night mode, which will pop a flash but allow for ambient light to show in the back. Many times, that background light will create a wonderful color shift; Frankenstein looks much scarier with a green fluorescent tint in the back! You can even experiment with tilting the angle or shooting from a low angle to add pizzazz to the shot.Halloween has so many opportunities for great photos. In general, try to shoot at dusk, get those costumed photos early, go easy with the flash, and have fun with your angles and backgrounds. This year, don’t forget to print some shots with a Halloween border and mail them to your friends and family who weren’t there to share the fun. Grandma always needs new shots for the fridge! |  |
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Hope these tips work out for you. Have a fun and safe Halloween this year, and Happy Haunting! |
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