How to Take Great Halloween Photos

Carving pumpkins is a national tradition and you can find dozens of articles with instructions for this, but taking a great Halloween photos is also a part of this holiday. I found this article at ehow.com submitted by marymac.

Costumed kids, pumpkin patches and spooky yard displays provide great photo subjects. Here are some tips for making the best of your Halloween photographs.

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• good digital camera
• nice sunny day for daytime shots
• lots of extra lighting/spotlights for night shots
• willing subjects!

1. Step 1
   
   Big inflatable pumpkins are nice too!

   Head to the pumpkin patch. Taking photos with fields of pumpkins behind your subject makes for a fantastic scenic fall shot. Let the kids sit right on the ground or on a pumpkin and stand back to get the full effect of the surrounding pumpkin patch.

2. Step 2

   Find an antique black iron fence. This great background for Halloween shots can be found in most historic cemeteries or old neighborhoods. Old gravestones in the background create a truly eerie effect.

3. Step 3

   Create a spooky lighting effect. Use a spotlight from below where the subject is sitting, or use yellow or green light bulbs.

4. Step 4

   Set the stage. Create great trick-or-treater pictures by having kids walk towards you on the sidewalk as you sit on the porch step- taking the picture from the angle at their level will create more compelling shots.

5. Step 5

   Costume ball. Instead of trying to take Halloween photos when kids are anxious to get outside for trick or treating have them try their costumes on a few days before Halloween in order to get higher quality photos when they are more relaxed. Or, you could take them to a studio for extra fancy Halloween portraits.

6. Step 6

   Candy Fun! Don’t forget to take pictures of one of the most fun times of the evening- the candy swap. When parents check for safety, kids trade one brand of candy for another, and mom and dad snag a treat or two; pictures of the kids with all their candy spread out in front of them will create fun memories.

7. Step 7

   Halloween Past and Present. Create a digital photo album that’s all Halloween through the years of costumed fun. You could choose a black album cover and label the album "Ghosts of Halloween Past."

8. Step 8

   Hayride Fun. Hayrides or kids sitting on haystacks create another great Halloween background for seasonal photographs.

I might add to this article that once Halloween is over, the night or the weekend after invite some of the kids over for a review with your photos.

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And here's an example of a tip. Shooting into the sun presents multiple problems, but you really want that sunset. You could take your chances on getting a good shot by just aiming your lens into the setting sun and hoping for a nice capture. But what more than likely will occur is you will get a blown out upper and a darkened lower half image. The worst case is a burnt sensor, if you are using a digital body. Try adjusting the angle of the lens away but not at 90°, say slightly oblique and add a lens hood to further block any direct sunlight from entering the lens directly. The other tool many of us use is a Cirular/Polarizer lens which darkens down the brightest rays adding a saturated look to the blues and greens. This is merely a threaded filter which screws onto your lens.

Now it's your turn and you might want to share a site which offers tips rather than write your own.

Honoring Veteran's Day

I wonder how many of us spend time thinking about a Vet in our family? We see them and we greet them, perhaps even invite them over for a gathering or a meal. But how often have we planned a celebration get-together or a meal in honor of them and their service? Perhaps this November, on the 11th, we might take an extra step and do just that. We may or may not have heard much about their experiences, some of which may have been extraordinarily stressful, others which ring a grand sense of humor. Let them share some of it with you this Veterans Day. And as a tribute perhaps a few photos taken during their visit and a prints of a few special ones to give them once printed.

Or if your veteran is no longer with you, then consider a visit to their grave site or special place they spent time at or talked of often. And after that you might wish to hang a photo of your visit as a remembrance.

Remember Breast Cancer Awareness this month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and here is an image from my Collection "White Borders" from which I am donating 50% of profits for the month of October. Choose from 16 pieces. If you are considering a print to purchase do consider these, for a great cause.