Spooky Picture Tips

Spooky Photography: 
The Scarier, The Better

Fall season is our favorite for a variety of reasons.

The weather, the wardrobe, pumpkin spice latte and of course, beautiful foliage, Fall festivals and more!

We won’t be lying if we said that after Christmas, if there is one event that most people look forward to with this much enthusiasm, it’s probably Halloween. And we don’t blame them, after all it's the time to gather as much candy as possibly (especially chocolate) what’s not to love about candy?

There are fun costumes, parties and let's even get started on the sugar rush. And this is one reason why children seem to be the ones who are the most enthusiastic about Halloween! This could be a great opportunity for you to take pictures of your children enjoying the day. 

So what are you waiting for? Here are some tips for you to take some excellent photographs this Halloween of your children or even your younger siblings!

1.  The Lighting
Since the fun does not start till the sun sets, this means you will be capturing most of your pictures in low-light. I advise you to get an early start on taking your pictures; dusk is a great time for Halloween pictures since the light at that time is perfect.

If you wish, you can use flash, but since this is Halloween, we suggest avoiding it -- darker shots will work perfectly fine for this occasion. Still, if you would rather use flash diffuse it because you do not want to overpower the colors. 

Pro Tip: bring a flash light and cover the flash with a piece of paper in front.  This gives your children more light for safety and for taking pictures.

2.  Zoom in to Fill in the Frame
Halloween is all about creating spooky drama. And the zoom option on your camera allows you to do this perfectly! Zoom in into your child’s face as they give a sly smile for the camera.  Or if you have a black cat, zoom in on the eyes and nose area.

3.  Decorate Your Jack-O-Lanterns
Whoever heard about a Halloween without Jack-O-Lanterns?

That’s right! Nobody.

We are assuming that you did put in some effort into carving and decorating your very own unique set, so why not get them into the picture as well? Having kids pose with them is a Halloween tradition that you must not break.

Alternatively, you can just take pictures of the Jack-O-Lanterns on their own, too!

4.  Group Pictures and Candids
Why just limit the fun to one kid only? Get all the hyper bunch together, decked out in their costumes and have them smile for the camera. You may even take pictures of groups that come knocking on your door looking for some treats.

I suggest clicking candid shoots as they are always more dramatic, and like I mentioned before, Halloween 2017 is all about drama!

5.  New Angles and More Details
The best thing about pictures is that there is always that one undiscovered angle that is out there somewhere. How do you discover it? By experimenting, of course! You do not have to just hold your camera horizontally or vertically, get creative with the angles. You will love the results. Who knows? A new angle might also help you discover a detail in the scene that you were previously unable to see.

6.  Give characters the Perfect Setting
Take your children to the surround that best fits their costume.  For example, if your child is dressed like a pirate, than them to Leesylvania State Park to have a picture taken near the beach or if you have a fireman take them to the neighborhood fire station.

7.  Get the details
Picturing the details bring the memories of the day to life.  For example if your daughter had on shiny shoes, don’t forget to photograph that glitter.
 

8.  Get Down to Their Level
Pictures should be taken from your children's eye level or slightly above.  You'll want to get their entire body in the frame of the picture to show off the cute or scary costume.

Because as parents we're taller than our little one, you'll probably have to squat or kneel down to get on their level.  This will make for a more flattering angle than pointing your camera down at them.  The smaller and younger they are, the more more important it is to be on their level.

9.  Front Door
The front door is a great location to chronicle the year to year grown and changes of your child(ren).  During the holiday season, our front porches are usually clear of clutter and often have holiday decorations.  You and your child will be able to see how much taller than have gotten from year to year.  It's also a great way to remember what costumes they've had previous years.

10.  Include Your Pets
If your pet is willing, don't forget to include them in on the fun.  If you're a scrapbooker, this would make for a great page addition.

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Sometimes standing back and watching your children run around and quickly taking pictures as the moments happen, is the best way to photograph the day/evening.  Allow this day to be a day of no posing, no directions, just letting your little ones do what they do best.   For fun family friendly things to do in the Northern Virginia area, don't forget to check out this post.

Tamieka Smith is a family and military photographer in Northern Virginia.