How to Take Spooky Halloween Pictures
Spice up those Halloween costume pictures with a few lighting tricks and basic photography tips. Stay in the Halloween spirit by making the photos look a little ghoulish with do-it-yourself color gels and smoky effects. Be purposeful about the backgrounds and props for specifically fall-themed photos. A little forethought will make your Halloween portraits great holiday memories for years to come. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Digital camera
- Tripod
- Flashlight
- Black sheet or photo backdrop
- Small stool
- Dry ice
- Water
- Thick gloves
- Tongs
- Small battery powered push lights
- Blue, green or red cellophane
- Pumpkins
- Small bales of hay
- Large potted mums
Instructions
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How to Write With Light
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Use writing with light as a technique for Halloween party decorations or just a fun activity for children. Turn off all the lights in a room and seal off any light leaking in beneath doors or windows with towels and black plastic. Set the digital camera up on a tripod.
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Have your subject stand in front of the camera and turn on a flashlight. Use manual focus on the camera to focus on the subject. Set the camera to a 10-second shutter speed. (Set it for 10 full seconds, not 1/10 which means one-tenth of a second.)
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Tell the subject to turn the flashlight off. Press the shutter button. Then tell the subject to turn the flashlight on and wave it around their face and body until the shutter closes in 10 seconds.
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Review the photo and adjust the time if needed. Practice writing messages, such as party information or Halloween greetings, with the light in the air. Check each frame and continue until the writing is legible and the photo looks the way you want it to.
How to Take Ghoulish Photos
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Hang a black sheet on the wall so part of it stretches forward on the floor. Place your subject (like your child in his Halloween costume) on a small stool in front of the black backdrop. Wrap a small, battery powered push light in blue, green or red cellophane and place it beneath the stool. Place a few more colored lights on the ground around the stool.
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Using gloves and tongs, place a chunk of dry ice in a bucket. Douse it with a small amount of water and place it a few feet in front of the stool. (You should see the smoke rise from the bucket, but not see the bucket in the photo.) Make another dry ice bucket and place it just out of frame to the side or behind the stool.
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Turn off all extra lights, leaving on the colored push lights. Turn the flash off your digital camera and set it on "Starry Night" or "Museum" mode. Use a tripod to avoid blur.
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Check each frame as you take the photo and move or add colored lights for the effects you want. Encourage your child to really act out the character for her costume with facial expressions and movements.
How to Set up Classic Fall Pictures
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Choose a simple background for the classic Halloween fall portrait. Choose an area of the backyard, a place near a tree or the porch steps. Add large potted mums, pumpkins in different sizes and small bales of hay in the area. Arrange the elements however you want them to appear in the photo.
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Place your children in their costumes in the photo setting. Consider letting them sit on the small hay bales or place them on the ground in front of the hay with pumpkins in front of the children. Let the mums add pops of color in the background or sides of the photograph.
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Use a digital camera to photograph the scene. Squat down in front of your children so the camera is on the subject's eye level. Get as close as possible and fill the frame with all the elements of the scene. Avoid empty space on the sides of the photograph.
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Tips & Warnings
If your child dresses as a witch or sorcerer, place a chunk of dry ice in a witch's "cauldron." Black plastic cauldrons can be purchased at any party store. Add water right before you take the photo and let your child pretend to cast a spell over her smoking pot.
Never handle dry ice with your bare hands. It freezes well below normal freezing point and will burn your bare skin. Always supervise children when dry ice is near and never let children help handle the element.
