30 Great Tips to Shoot Halloween Photography

Halloween is fast approaching and if you aren’t planning your own spooky photography, you might need to read this article to find out how to shoot some great spooky photographs this year.

Halloween Photography

Get Out of Town

Try not to be in town at Halloween. It just makes things too difficult. Instead, consider travelling away for the night. If you don’t have friends or family there, you could even stay at a hotel that is open all night.

Halloween Photography

Have a Plan

Before you go out on the streets, make sure you know what you are doing and have a plan. This way, you can avoid getting lost or getting stuck somewhere that you don’t want to be.

 

Make Sure You Know Your Equipment

Halloween will be a very exciting night so you may want to buy some extra equipment. For example, if you are taking pictures of ghosts or monsters, you might want to invest in some extra LED lighting.

Halloween Photography

Be Prepared for the Weather

There is no point going out in bad weather, especially if you are not equipped to deal with it. If you do have to go out, try carrying a waterproof jacket or umbrella.

Bring Some Extra Batteries

You don’t want to find yourself with a camera that won’t work because the batteries aren’t charged. Make sure you take along some fresh batteries before you head out.

Halloween Photography

Choose the Right Lens

If you are planning on using a long lens, make sure it has a wide aperture so you get good depth of field. You don’t want to have to keep zooming in and out all night. If you aren’t sure, you could always use your phone and snap a photo from a distance. This way you will get a decent picture and won’t need to buy a separate camera.

 

 Know How to Use the Camera App

It may be too late to get some great shots, but at least you can get a few good ones to share with friends and family. It is very easy to use the camera app on most smartphones, so you don’t need to invest in a new camera.

Halloween Photography

 Get a Headlight

If you don’t have a flashlight or torch, it will be much easier to shoot ghosts if you have something bright that will illuminate your subject.

 

Make Sure Your Camera Has a Good Lens

If you are going to use an old camera, make sure it has a good lens that can give you a really good depth of field. If you are buying a new camera, you should buy one with a wide-angle lens.

Halloween Photography

Take Some Selfies

It will be great fun taking selfies while you are out shooting ghosts and monsters. You will look back on the photos later with a smile on your face and you might even get some funny comments from your friends.

 

Be prepared

This isn’t always easy when you’re at the party, but it is essential to bring a camera with you. Don’t rely on your phone for your photos, or your memory. Even if you’ve just met them, remember to take some photos of your new friends. You never know when they might get invited back!

Halloween Photography

Take your time

If you’re planning to go out with friends, plan ahead. You don’t want to be rushing around trying to get ready and, when you do meet up, you don’t want to be late. So, take your time getting dressed and think about what you want to wear. Think about what mood you’re aiming for and how much makeup you want to use. We recommend setting up your lighting to make sure that you’re not too dark or too light.

 

Wear comfortable shoes

You’ll be dancing around all night and you don’t want your feet hurting. So, make sure you have a pair of comfortable shoes that you can dance in, and don’t forget to check the weather forecast before you leave. You don’t want to find yourself out in the cold or, even worse, in a downpour.

Halloween Photography

Choose the right accessories

This will ensure that you look your best. Do you want a big fluffy hat, or are you going for a sassy retro costume? Do you want to dress up for the occasion or would you rather just go as you are? Do you want a photo with the costume on or do you prefer to wear it off-camera? This is something that you should consider when you’re deciding how to dress up.

 Think about the weather

It’s easy to assume that all Halloween photographs will look good when you are in a warm climate, but it isn’t true. There are many factors that can cause you to need to use different lighting techniques to make sure you capture your subjects in the best light. These include wind, cold, rain, and snow. If you’re planning to go somewhere colder than home, you should consider bringing your own lights so that you don’t have to rely on the party’s lighting.

 

Have fun with friends

You want to make sure that you have lots of fun during your photo shoot. Do remember that the more people you have around, the more photos you will get of all of you! So, if you’re planning on taking some photos, be sure that you have plenty of snacks and beverages available for all of your friends.

Halloween Photography

Check your camera settings

It’s easy to forget to change your camera settings when you are taking your photos, so it’s important to remember to do this. Make sure you have the right lighting settings set up to ensure that you are capturing the best images. This is especially important when you are using flash. You don’t want to capture anything other than the people you are photographing!

 

Take some time out

When you take photos, it is easy to get caught up in everything going on around you. However, we suggest that you take some time out to reflect on what you’ve done and how you feel about your photos. You can also upload them to social media and share them with your friends and family.

 

Think about where you are going.

The trickiest thing about taking photos of kids is finding somewhere safe. If you are going somewhere outside, then choose somewhere well-lit. It is also important that you have easy access to a power socket, especially if you are going to be shooting on a long evening.

 

Use the right lens.

If you are using a DSLR camera, make sure you have a wide angle lens. This is best as it makes everything look bigger and the background will be further away. If you are using a point and shoot, make sure you have a decent wide angle lens. The best ones for this kind of shooting are the 12-24mm and 18-55mm lenses.

Make sure you have enough memory space on your camera.

You may want to invest in an extra memory card for Halloween. A 32GB memory card is usually the perfect size.

 

Be prepared to be rushed.

The best time to take photos of children is just before or after they go to bed. Don’t wait until they have gone to bed. They might get cross if you wake them up.

 

Always have a spare battery in your camera bag.

If your battery dies, it could be the last thing you have.

 

Find somewhere private.

If you are going to be taking photos of a crowd, make sure you find somewhere safe and private.

 

Try to get the shot.

You may want to stand back and make sure your friends look their best. But if there is a really funny expression on your friend’s face then try to capture that.

 

Consider editing your photos.

If you take lots of photos, you might want to think about editing them later. You can do this by using an app like Photoshop or Snapseed. This will allow you to adjust the contrast, change the brightness or saturation.

 

Get the kids excited.

If you are going to be taking photos of a crowd, make sure the kids are excited. If they are excited then they will be more relaxed.

 

Don’t forget to have fun!

No matter how much of happiness Halloween is for children, it is still great fun for adults. So make sure you have a few drinks and some sweets to share with your friends and family.

The last thing you want to be doing when you get home is standing in front of a mirror. So, make sure you take some time out to enjoy yourself. We suggest taking photos of your friends in various costumes and you could also try taking selfies of each other. You can put them up on social media later on – you never know who might have been impressed by your choice of costume and who might have been looking at the photos and liked them!

Use a tripod.

You wouldn’t want to use a camera without a tripod. The same rule applies to shooting on Halloween. You may need to wait a little longer for good light on the streets, but it’s worth the extra effort. A sturdy, stable, well-balanced tripod will help you to achieve sharp shots. This is especially true if you are shooting from a distance – it will help you to keep your subject in focus.

 

Use a remote.

If you are shooting from a tripod, you might not have control over your camera’s shutter speed or aperture, or where your subject is moving. A remote allows you to take control of your camera at any time. You can use a remote on a tripod to take photos as your subject moves around, or use it when you are walking along with a group of trick-or-treaters.

 

Use a timer.

Your camera’s timer will let you set the time delay between each shot. This way, you can take shots of people trick-or-treating at different intervals and still have the same number of frames on the memory card.

 

Bring a wide-angle lens.

A wide-angle lens makes your photos wider than usual, which will mean that the people in them will look bigger, so they will be more interesting.

 

Don’t worry about the ‘smile’.

It’s easy to get anxious when shooting Halloween. You may feel that you need to hold your camera above your head for a long time to capture the perfect smile. But you don’t have to – a wide-angle lens will make your subjects look larger, and even though your camera may be low to the ground, the people still have plenty of room to show their teeth.

 

Don’t forget the flash.

If it’s dark outside, you might find that your flash doesn’t quite produce enough light. Make sure you are using a pop-up flash or a flash that can shoot from a low angle to illuminate the subject.

 

Be prepared for unexpected results.

Sometimes, your subject isn’t where you want them to be. They are in front of a bush instead of directly in front of you, or they look like they are in a completely different location. You may not be able to get them back into the right position, but that doesn’t mean you can’t capture the shot you want. Use your imagination and creativity to find a way around this problem.

 

Take shots of the night sky.

Halloween is the best time of year to see the night sky in New York City. The city lights make for an interesting background and you can even capture some spooky photos of the full moon. Make sure you use a tripod, or a steady hand, when taking these photos.

 

Don’t get carried away.

Don’t spend hours trying to perfect a single shot. Try to get into the spirit of the occasion by shooting quickly – and don’t forget to take breaks. You’ll enjoy the experience more.

Conclusion

Halloween is the best time to take some scary photos! It’s a great time to practice your skills and try something new.

You can get creative with your settings. If you have a tripod, you can use it to make some really cool effects.

If you don’t have a tripod, that’s ok, you can get creative with your camera settings too.

You can always use a light box to add a little extra shine to your shots. I’m sure you can think of some other creative ways to spook your audience.

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