How to Take Great Halloween Photographs

"It's easy to turn this night of fantasy into permanent picture memories...but you have to follow two simple guidelines or, excuse the pun, you won't have a ghost of a chance". Now, that is what Chuck DeLaney, Dean of the New York Institute of Photography, said about taking photographs on Halloween's Eve. Halloween is the occassion that provides you with the splendid opportunity to take some great pictures of your pals and dear ones dressed in cool, creepy costumes and having great fun. With Halloween's Day coming up soon, we’ve put together a guide to help you know how you can take great Halloween photos. Scroll down and read to know how to use your camera well and get some innovative Halloween shots, along with tips to click a fabulous photo of a Jack-O-Lantern. If you like our photo-taking ideas for Halloween, don't forget to click here and refer this page to your buddies and loved ones. Happy Halloween!

Halloween is a great time to click some great photos. All it takes is a little know-how. So go through our ideas on photography and get some cool pics!


1. Use a camera that you are comfortable with. Digital cameras are great for taking these fall pictures, especially since you can fix a lot of photo goofs. For example, if you forget to zoom in on your subject you can always crop and zoom in later. If you’re using a digital camera, make sure to use the red-eye reduction feature (you don’t want your child to look too spooky, after all!). Also ensure you have and extra batteries and a spare flash card or two. For film cameras, make sure you have plenty of film and extra batteries for your camera.

2. A fantastic subject for a truly great photograph for the occassion is the Jack-O-Lantern, the spooky pumpkin that is perhaps the most famous symbol of Halloween. Set up two or three candles inside the pumpkin to make the face glow strongly. Halloween PhotographyPlace a few candles in front of it as well (though a few distance away to keep them out of the picture frame), so that the illumination is more or less uniform. Remember to turn your flash off before you click your picture. This is because, use of a flash will over light the surface of the pumpkin and drown out the light from the candles kept inside it. Let the candlelight within the pumpkin provide most of the illumination. It is adviced that you take your pictures around dusk, before it becomes totally dark. Be sure to use a fast film (ISO 400 or faster is best).

3. When taking a group picture, make everyone stand as close together as possible before the camera clicks but not in one line. Position your subjects in several rows, with some standing and some sitting on their knees. Make them relax. The closer you can get to your subjects the better. To do this, you should either move closer to your subjects or use the zoom. Try to take pictures at eye level. It is better if you can use a tripod. It keeps the camera steady and helps a lot in taking photos.

4. All your care and skill can go waste if the ones you are shooting appear stiff in your photographs. So the key is to make them relax. Suggest each your subjects to pose in funny arrangements and make the sound of the character he/she is dressed up as. That should get them laughing and losing their inhibitions in seconds. However, it would be best if you snap your subjects when they are not watching. That way, you would get them very comfy without a drop of self-consciousness. Candid pictures at parties are very easy to capture. Just look for moments when your subjects are at absolute ease and most fun to look at. Go "click" "click" then. Make sure to play with light, choose fun angles and catch your subjects unawares.

5. The striking feature of most Halloween photos is that yellowish glow, caused by flashlights and candles in the dark, which creates the creepy ambience well-suited to the occassion. So to really capture the essence of Halloween, make sure that you turn off your the flash of your camera and shoot only with natural light. To add a spooky effect to your photographs, turn on a flashlight before the camera and let your subjects stand in a position between the light and right before your camera. The light at the background will add a creepy glow all around the edges of your group. Another great idea to add a spooky effect is to put a flashlight below the chin of your subjects. These will give you great shadows.

6. Halloween being a dark festival, most of the celebrations of this festival take place after dark. So, it is somewhat difficult to shoot on Halloween because low-light conditions make it difficult for your camera to get a sharp photograph. But things won't be a problem if you can use a high ISO setting (400 or more) and hold your camera as steady as you can (preferably mounting it on a tripod) to capture action without a flash.

7. Get your entire gang together for a Halloween portrait. This would make a great addition to your Halloween photo album or Halloween scrap-book. Don't spend all your time clicking others' pics however! You yourself should be present in as many photographs as you can. It is great if your camera has a timer or remote that you can use while posing for the picture. If not, request one of your guests or neighbors to snap the photo for you.



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